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About the Centre

Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN) is hosted by the Department of chemistry and Department of physics, and is an interdisciplinary focus field for the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. SMN consists of four strategic research initiatives in inorganic chemistry and electronics.

Our research is outstanding both on a national and international scale, which attracts a high percentage of external funding and high quality PhDs and Post Docs.

Research groups

  • Catalysis

    • The Catalysis Section focuses on both homogenous and heterogeneous catalysts. We place equal emphasis on the three main areas of synthesis-, characterization-, and performance-evaluation of catalyst materials.



       

  • Structure Physics

    • Structure Physics focus on materials and nano science. We use advanced transmission electron microscopy and modelling to unravel the structure of materials and their characteristics on the atomic level, for both conventional materials as well as nano materials.



       
  • Electrochemistry

    • Our research focuses on sustainable electrochemical conversion between renewable energy and fuels and chemicals such as hydrogen and ammonia as well as capture and utilisation of CO2. Core topics include defects and transport in materials, fuel cells and electrolysers, gas separation membranes, hydrogen technology, and photoelectrochemistry.

  • Light and Electricity from Novel Semiconductors (LENS)

    • Our vision is application-motivated basic research. We address fundamental materials science and physics issues, with a clear vision for long-term applications relevant to enabling technologies for renewable energy.
       
  • Nanostructures and functional materials (NAFUMA)

    • Our main activities involve synthesis and characterization of materials, crystal growth, atomic layer deposition (ALD) of thin films, crystal structure determination, and studies of structural, thermodynamic, magnetic and electric properties.

Organisation

Administrative staff at the centre

Team SMN consists of the administrators of the different research groups, our EU coordinator and the economics department.
Our main priority is to provide excellent research administration for our excellent international researchers through:

  • support in application processes for the EU and Research council of Norway,
  • professional project management,
  • providing conditions for better utilisation and effective operation of technical equipment,
  • creating opportunities for cooperation with industry and other partners.

Team SMN is led by the administrative leader Kristin Hubred Nygård:

Administrative leader SMN: 
Kristin Hubred Nygård

Project coordinator Structure physics and Electrochemistry (FERMiO): 
Ingvild Garmo Nilsson

Project coordinator Catalysis:
Tonje Berg Steensen

Project coordinator LENS: 
Maren Skjøstad Nygaard

Project coordinator NAFUMA:
Narmina Mitchell

EU coordinator:
Jørgen Kirksæther

Project controller: 
Ivana Vujic-Pavicevic

Executive Officer: 
Anabell Parr

 

Management

SMN is lead by Head of Centre Øystein Prytz. He is advised by the leader group consisting of the leaders of the different research groups:

The administrative Team SMN is lead by the administrative leader, Kristin Hubred Nygård.

Board

The Board consists of:

In effect the Head of Centre leads the meetings and the secretarial tasks have been delegated to the administrative leader, Kristin Hubred Nygård.

Getting around

Centre for Material Science and Nano Technology is located in four different buildings in the Blindern and Gaustad areas.

Strategy

The SMN strategic plan sketches out four priority areas: sustainable energy utilization, development of research talents, innovation, and the administrative group Team SMN.

Sustainable energy utilisation

Massive research efforts on renewable energy and climate-friendly use of fossil fuels will eventually provide the necessary sustainable solutions. As a result, a great international knowledge-based industry will evolve. SMN wishes to have a central national role based on a strong and broad education platform. Based on this foundation, SMN will support interdisciplinary research and cultivate new major research projects in cooperation with research institutes, industrial partners and other universities.

Development of research talents

Approximately 120 people are currently associated with SMN. Only 13 of these are permanent academic staff. We thus have a major responsibility to contribute to the development and recruitment of a large and diverse group of young, talented master students, PhD students, postdocs and researchers. Research education is for this reason one of SMN's main focus areas for the upcoming strategy period.

Innovation

Creativity is a central aspect of all research. SMN’s goal is that this creativity will be reflected in commercial applications of the research. Already today SMN constitutes one of the most innovative research environments at UiO. Three of the four UiO spin-off companies related to renewable energy, Protia AS, Baldur Coatings AS and NorEcs AS, have originated from SMN.

Team SMN

The work burden for researchers with success is today considerable. The competition is very hard, and much work is placed into a large number of applications that often involve many partners. When they are granted, the projects are to be directed – and the task of supervising the PhD-students is substantial. In addition, there are reports and dissemination of results. This implies that the permanent academic staff is vulnerable. It is therefore, to a greater extent than previously, important to organize good administrative support. World class research requires administrative support of corresponding quality.

Health, safety and the environment (HSE)

The HSE's responsibility for SMN is assigned to the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics.

HSE at the Department of Chemistry

HSE at the Department of Physics

Information about HSE at UiO

IT services at UiO

If you have general IT-questions please send them to:

it-hjelp@uio.no

 

Lab-related IT-questions:

Chemistry building: forskningsit@kjemi.uio.no

Forskningsparken and MiNaLab: 
lab-data@fys.uio.no

 

Contact information

Postal address:
Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology
University of Oslo
P.O. Box 1126 Blindern
0318 Oslo

Phone: (+47) 22 85 73 80
Email: post@smn.uio.no

Administrative leader Kristin Hubred Nygård

Head of Centre Øystein Prytz