Dr. Gérard Sylvester Perren

Gerard Perren

Postdoctoral Researcher

Paul Scherrer Institut
Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Suisse
Téléphone

Biography

Gérard Sylvester Perren is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Microscopy and Magnetism Group (led by Dr. Urs Staub) in the Condensed Matter Laboratory within the Photon Science Division. He studied interdisciplinary sciences (physics and chemistry) at ETH Zurich, graduated with distinction, and completed a Ph.D. thesis in the Neutron Scattering and Magnetism Group. As a Ph.D. student, he studied quantum phase transitions in magnetic (Mott-Hubbard) insulators utilizing primarily elastic and inelastic neutron scattering techniques. He then gravitated towards statistical learning (computer vision and sequence models) and was fortunate to lead and manage an IT project team on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography. During that time, he was employed by the Georesources Switzerland Group and worked in close collaboration with the Data Science Institute at FHNW. Following his passion for quantum materials and technology, he has recently moved to PSI. As a postdoctoral researcher, he contributes to the study and control of ultrafast dynamics in transition-metal and rare-earth oxides. Furthermore, he is being certified as a project manager (IPMA) and pursuing continuing education in informatics. 

Scientific Research

Especially, he is interested in studying non-equilibrium electronic and magnetic excitations in strongly correlated oxides using time-resolved laser-pump X-ray probe experiments. Based on recent technological advancements in free-electron laser instrumentation, detailed and unprecedented insights into the interplay of orbital, spin, and charge degrees of freedom can be obtained. Moreover, optical and, in particular, short THz-laser excitations might be leveraged to precisely control the properties of materials, thereby paving the way towards functionalization.

Selected Publications

A complete list of publications can be found here https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6466-4269