Cristiane De Morais Smith
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Cristiane de Morais Smith Lehner is a Brazilian
theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...
and professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the
University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
, where she leads a research group studying
condensed matter Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the su ...
physics, cold atoms and strongly-correlated systems. In 2019, the
European Physical Society The European Physical Society (EPS) is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote physics and physicists in Europe through methods such as physics outreach. Formally established in 1968, its membership includes the national physical so ...
awarded Morais Smith its
Emmy Noether Amalie Emmy NoetherEmmy is the ''Rufname'', the second of two official given names, intended for daily use. Cf. for example the résumé submitted by Noether to Erlangen University in 1907 (Erlangen University archive, ''Promotionsakt Emmy Noethe ...
Distinction. Morais Smith has authored or co-authored over 100 academic papers, including articles in ''
Nature Communications ''Nature Communications'' is a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio since 2010. It is a multidisciplinary journal and it covers the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, earth sciences, medicine, ...
'', ''
Physical Review ''Physical Review'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research as well as scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical S ...
'', and ''
Physical Review B ''Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics'' (also known as PRB) is a peer-reviewed, scientific journal, published by the American Physical Society (APS). The Editor of PRB is Laurens W. Molenkamp. It is part of the ''Physical Re ...
'', where several of her papers have been recognized as "Editors Choice" and "Scientific Highlights". As of March 2020, her work has received over 2900 citations. In addition, Morais Smith is an editor for the '' European Journal of Physics B'', which focuses on condensed matter and complex systems.


Education

Morais Smith obtained a physics BSc from
University of Campinas The State University of Campinas ( pt, Universidade Estadual de Campinas), commonly called Unicamp, is a public research university in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Unicamp is consistently ranked among the top universities in Brazil and Latin ...
in 1985, continuing to complete a MSc with highest honors in 1989 entitled ''The Effect of the Initial Preparation to Describe the Dynamics of a Quantum Brownian Particle'', under her adviser
Amir Caldeira Amir Ordacgi Caldeira (born 1950 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian physicist. He received his bachelor's degree in 1973 from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, his M.Sc. degree in 1976 from the same university, and his Ph.D. ...
. She continued with Caldeira to complete a PhD in 1994, also at
University of Campinas The State University of Campinas ( pt, Universidade Estadual de Campinas), commonly called Unicamp, is a public research university in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Unicamp is consistently ranked among the top universities in Brazil and Latin ...
entitled ''Quantum and Classical Creep of Vortices Intrinsically Pinned in High-Temperature Superconductors''. Much of the work for her PhD was completed at
ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...
where she worked with Gianni Blatter.


Career

Starting in March 1986, Morais Smith was a French language teacher at Brazilian Telecommunications Company (TELEBRAS), in Campinas Brazil, until, in December 1988 Morais Smith briefly became the owner of and teacher at a French language school. From 1989 to 1994, during her PhD, Morais Smith accepted a permanent lecturer position in the Department of Physics at the State University of São Paulo (UNESP), in Bauru, Brazil. During this time, she was also a visiting scientist in the Condensed Matter group at the
International Center for Theoretical Physics The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, United Nations Education ...
in
Trieste, Italy Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
, as well as a guest PhD student at
ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...
. Following the award of her PhD, she accepted a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Theoretical Physics, also at
ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...
. In 1995, she moved to the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the
University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...
, Germany as a research assistant. After finishing a post-doc in Hamburg, Morais Smith began working at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the
University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...
, Switzerland, where the
Swiss National Science Foundation The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, German: ''Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung'', SNF; French: ''Fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique'', FNS; Italian: ''Fondo nazionale svizzero ...
awarded her the Professor Boursier Fellowship. At the University of Fribourg, she advanced to an associate professor position. In 2004, Morais Smith was hired by the
Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
as a full professor with a chair in condensed matter theory. She is chair of the Condensed Matter Physics department there. Morais Smith is one of three directors of the Delta Institute for Theoretical Physics (a collaboration between University of Amsterdam, Leiden University, and Utrecht University), where she represents Utrecht University.


Other

Morais Smith grew up in
Paraguaçu Paulista Paraguaçu Paulista is a municipality in south-west of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Microregion of Assis, situated in the middle Paranapanema Valley. The population is 45,945 (2020 est.) in an area of 1001.3 km². It ...
, a village 500 km from
Sao Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
Brazil. She was thirteen years old when she decided to become a physicist. Morais Smith is fluent in Portuguese (her native language), English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch. In September 2002, Morais Smith married Stefan Lehner, a Swiss designer. Morais Smith was featured in a Dutch newspaper article in 2018 for her work on
chiral Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word ''chirality'' is derived from the Greek (''kheir''), "hand", a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is ''chiral'' if it is distinguishable from ...
superconductors Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux fields are expelled from the material. Any material exhibiting these properties is a superconductor. Unlike ...
where the pairing function has a chirality e.g. p_x + ip_y. In layered chiral superconductors there is a geometric Meissner effect, which is a variation on the
Meissner effect The Meissner effect (or Meissner–Ochsenfeld effect) is the expulsion of a magnetic field from a superconductor during its transition to the superconducting state when it is cooled below the critical temperature. This expulsion will repel a n ...
.


Honors and awards

In 2001, Morais Smith was awarded a "Professeur Boursier du Fond National Suisse" or
Swiss National Science Foundation The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, German: ''Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung'', SNF; French: ''Fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique'', FNS; Italian: ''Fondo nazionale svizzero ...
Professorship for a project entitled ''Spontaneous formation of charge patterns in two-dimensional strongly interacting electron systems''. This prize is awarded to only 2 or 3 researchers per year, and holds a monetary award of more than one million
Swiss Francs The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...
. Morais Smith received a
People’s Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
'High-End Foreign Expert' Professorship in 2014 and 2015 at the Wilczek Quantum Center, awarded by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. In 2016, the
Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI) is a research facility established in the context of the German Universities Excellence Initiative, Universities Excellence Initiative by the German Federal and State Governments. The multidisciplinar ...
(CUI) awarded its Dresselhaus Prize to Morais Smith for "her outstanding contribution to the understanding of topological phases in two-dimensional atomic and electronic systems". In 2019, the
European Physical Society The European Physical Society (EPS) is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote physics and physicists in Europe through methods such as physics outreach. Formally established in 1968, its membership includes the national physical so ...
awarded Morais Smith its EPS Emmy Noether Distinction "for her outstanding contributions to the theory of condensed matter systems and ultracold atoms to unveil novel quantum states of matter." The EPS Emmy Noether Distinction for Women in Physics, established in 2013, is awarded "to enhance the recognition of noteworthy women physicists with a strong connection to Europe through nationality or work," particularly those who are "role models that will help to attract women to a career in physics."


References


External links


"42 Questions with Cristiane de Morais Smith"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morais Smith, Cristiane Living people Theoretical physicists Brazilian women physicists 20th-century women scientists 21st-century women scientists Brazilian physicists Year of birth missing (living people) People from Paraguaçu Paulista