The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities awarded West Virginia University Research Corporation $299,998 on January 1, 2027, under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) to support research into low-energy magnetic switching in correlated oxide thin films.
The award funds a Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) EPSCOR Research Fellows fellowship for an associate professor and graduate student training at West Virginia University. The principal investigator will investigate how magnetic materials can be engineered to switch magnetic states using extremely small applied magnetic fields by studying epitaxial lanthium-strontium iron oxide thin-film systems. The work combines physics, materials science, and engineering to understand fundamental processes governing ultra-low-field magnetic switching in systems beyond manganites.
The fellowship establishes thin-film growth, device fabrication, and magnetic characterization capabilities at West Virginia University, with the principal investigator and graduate student receiving residency-based training at the University of Delaware under the direction of collaborators John Xiao and Ryan Comes. These capabilities will transfer to West Virginia University's shared research facilities and be integrated into course instruction. While optimized for magnetic oxides, the resulting materials-to-device infrastructure will support future research across quantum materials and advanced electronic systems.
Performance occurs in Morgantown, West Virginia, with a period of performance from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028.