Bruno Nachtergaele, distinguished professor of mathematics, has received a Carl Friedrich von Siemens Research Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements in mathematics. Given annually by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, award winners receive a 60,000 euro cash prize and a travel stipend to spend up to one year in Germany collaborating with colleagues on a long-term research project. 

While in Germany, Nachtergaele plans to collaborate with researchers at the Technical University of Munich and the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) — including alumna Amanda Young (B.S. ’08, Ph.D. ’16, mathematics). Their focus will be the fractional quantum Hall effect and quasiparticles called anyons, which arise in two-dimensional electron systems at low temperatures in strong magnetic fields. “These phenomena offer fascinating possibilities for new technologies,” Nachtergaele said.