The YPWLC is an extension of the Young Persons' Lecture Competition (YPLC) and is organised by the IOM3 Student & Early Career Group.
The winners of the finals, held in countries and regions where IOM3 has international branches or sister institutions, compete in the world final, which every year is held in a different location around the world. The first YPWLC was held in London in 2005, and since then has travelled to different locations in four continents.
Since 2020, the Young Persons' World Lecture Competition is being held online.
National YPLC finals for the 2024 Young Persons' World Lecture Competition are now open. Submit your entry for a chance to compete in the online World final on 28 November.
2024 YPWLC finalists
Meet the Young Persons' World Lecture Competition finalists:
UK
Emilia Russell
Emilia Russell is a 2nd year PhD student in the Department of Engineering at Durham University, currently investigating the impacts of mechanical strain on the electrical properties of 2-dimensional semiconductors. In her free time, she enjoys sailing and organising seminars from industry speakers with the Women’s Engineering Society at Durham.
Why strained semiconductors are like crinkle-cut crisps
When applying strain to 2-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, it has been observed that the bandgap changes. The bandgap is the potential difference between the highest energy bounded (immobile) electrons and the delocalised (mobile) electrons.
Crinkle cut crisps taste better because they hold more salt, crinkle cut semiconductors insulate better because they hold more electrons.
This effect could be exploited in the next generation of synthetic skin. It could also be used to design flexible acetylene detectors to monitor food expiration, reducing food waste. To date, the relationship between mechanical strain and electronic properties has predominantly been shown through computational modelling. This research focuses on overcoming the issues that have hindered the realisation of these devices, such that the effects of strain on other semiconductor properties can be investigated. In turn, this will lead to a better understanding of the electrostatics and charge transport of these novel 2-D materials.
