QNS Postdoc Massine Kelai awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 2024 Postdoctoral Fellowship

Massine Kelai is a young researcher specializing in spins on surfaces and the development of quantum nanotechnologies based on atomic and molecular systems. In 2018, he obtained a master’s degree in Condensed Matter Physics from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, followed by a PhD at the University of Paris, where he studied spin-crossover molecules interfaced with metallic and ferromagnetic surfaces. In 2022, he joined the Institute for Basic Science – Center for Quantum Nanoscience (IBS-QNS) in Seoul, South Korea, as a postdoctoral researcher, investigating the behavior of magnetic adatoms on surfaces for quantum applications. In February 2025, he was awarded the prestigious European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Florence.

Tile of the project: Tuning Magnetic Interactions in Covalent-Organic Surface Lattices for Quantum Technologies

Acronym: MAGNETUNE

The project aims to design and study covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with tunable magnetic interactions for quantum technologies. By engineering a frustrated lattice (Kagomé-honeycomb) on surfaces, the research explores new material phases exhibiting Quantum Spin Liquid (QSL) behavior, whose strong magnetic correlations are relevant for quantum computing and spintronics. A key aspect is the use of redox-active molecular linkers to modulate exchange interactions with molecular magnets by tuning the substrate’s work function.

Building on his postdoctoral experience at IBS-QNS and his PhD at the University of Paris, Massine Kelai will leverage advanced surface science techniques available at the University of Florence to create controlled platforms for investigating spin frustration phenomena and their potential applications in quantum information processing. MAGNETUNE will be carried out at the University of Florence (Department of Industrial Engineering – DIEF) under the supervision of Prof. Giulia Serrano (DIEF). The project includes the use of ultra-high vacuum surface characterization platforms through the Interdepartmental Research Unit URI-MATCHLAB DICUS-DIEF, with the participation and co-supervision of Prof. Matteo Mannini (DICUS).