Christian Rüegg

Rüegg pursues systematic studies of strongly correlated quantum phenomena in model spin systems, single-molecule and frustrated magnets, and novel emergent materials with special focus on quantum critical and out-of-equilibrium phenomena. In addition to his primary research tools of neutron spectroscopy and diffraction, his expertise extends to complementary techniques including X-ray scattering, laser spectroscopy, specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, magnetocalorimetry and thermal transport measurements. All of his studies involve extreme conditions, as high magnetic fields and pressures in combination with ultra-low temperatures are required to investigate e.g. spin correlations in quantum materials. The results from a number of his projects are of interest to people working particularly in the fields of phase transitions, quantum condensates and other forms of collective quantum behaviour, as well as in several related areas where mesoscopic quantum states are under active exploration for future technological applications.

Prof. Dr. Christian Rüegg, Director of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) is a full professor of physics in a joint chair of the Federal Institutes of Technology ETH Zurich (ETH) and EPF Lausanne (EPFL), professor at the University of Geneva and Honorary professor at University College London. Since April 2020, he is Director of the Paul Scherrer Institute.

Rüegg studied physics at ETH Zurich and obtained his doctorate in 2005 at the Laboratory for Neutron Scattering at ETH Zurich and PSI. He then worked at the London Centre for Nanotechnology at University College London (UCL) from 2005 to 2011. He was a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Assistant and Associate Professor at UCL. Between 2011 and 2016 he headed the Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging in the Research Division Research with Neutrons and Muons at PSI. From 2017 to 2020 he was Head of the Research Division and since May 2018 member of the PSI Directorate. Rüegg is a solid-state physicist and works on quantum phenomena in magnetism. He has received prestigious science awards for his work, including the Lewy Bertaut Prize and the Nicholas Kurti European Science Prize, as well as an ERC Consolidator Grant. He played a decisive role in the use and further development of the instrumentation at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ and at the European sources ILL and ESS and represents this field of research in numerous international committees.