This year's award ceremony took place in Berlin. In addition to the jury awards, viewers had the opportunity to cast their votes in the audience poll. With this double recognition, Julia Draeger has demonstrated her exceptional ability to present complex topics in an accessible and inspiring manner.
In her pitch, she explored how quantum sensors can transform our understanding of nature: Cameras have revolutionized microscopy, including visible light, fluorescence, infrared, and electron microscopy. However, their application in nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging (NMR/MRI) has so far been limited, as magnetic resonance signals cannot be detected optically. Advances in quantum science are now bridging this gap: by integrating nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamonds, extremely rapid optical detection enables direct, parallelized and high-resolution imaging of NMR signals in space. This powerful tool has the potential to revolutionize applications in material science, biology, and the analysis of single cells and tissues.
We had the opportunity to ask Julia some questions about her awards and pitch:
How did you come up with the idea to apply for the Quantum Future Award 2024, and how did you feel when you found out you were one of the winners?
I already knew about the award because my colleague Robin Allert participated two years ago and won second place. I was reminded of the competition through the email newsletter for doctoral students in NAT and thought my Master’s thesis topic might be a great fit. Encouraged and supported by Dominik (Bucher), I summarized my thesis according to the application guidelines and submitted it. At the end of October, I found out that I would be attending the final event in Berlin. Of course, this made me already very happy and I felt honored. Being able to convince the jury with my thesis and the in-person pitch in Berlin to award me second place was an incredible moment that filled me with even more joy and gratitude.
Can you explain your master’s thesis in simple terms?
In classical NMR measurements, we need a lot of material and only get an overall result without spatial information. In Dominik's (Bucher) group, we work with quantum sensors—tiny defects in the diamond lattice that act as atomic sensors for NMR measurements. This allows us to work with smaller sample volumes, partly because the sensor is very close to the sample and also because the NMR signal isn’t read out using coils and induction loops but is converted into an optical signal. This combination lets us translate very small magnetic signals into optical ones which we then capture as images with a camera. In these, each pixel corresponds to a full NMR spectrum.
This enables us to investigate, for example, the dynamics of liquid substances at interfaces or biological samples at scales that are not measurable with classical NMR spectroscopy. The whole group works with these quantum sensors, but typically only measuring at one spot at a time. During my Master’s thesis, I built the first device capable of generating images. With this, we now achieve a resolution of 10 µm but hope to push the resolution even further. Practically, I worked mostly on engineering the setup, which isn’t typical “lab work” in chemistry. I also did part of the programming to ensure the code and the experimental setup worked smoothly together. One challenge was avoiding even the smallest magnetic parts in our setup, which isn’t trivial! For this purpose, some components were made using our 3D printer. A current challenge is improving the frequency resolution and sensitivity of our NMR spectra—there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
What’s next for you after your master’s thesis?
I’m now a PhD student in Dominik's group (Professorship of Quantum Sensing) and aim to further develop the method. My Master’s thesis was the “proof of principle,” and since then, my colleagues and I have developed the first fully functioning setup for NMR imaging on this length scale. For those interested in the experimental details: a publication on this topic will be released soon. Now we are working on the second generation of the original setup, which includes a new, huge magnet, a light sheet, and a more homogeneous microwave field, allowing us to perform measurements with even higher resolution over a larger field of view. Our goal is to study biological samples with this system in the near future.
How important is science communication to you, and how did you prepare for the pitch?
In my opinion, doing science in the lab is pointless if it’s not communicated properly. We scientists must justify our research to taxpayers and make it clear that applying findings from fundamental research takes time. I enjoy explaining to my family and friends in simple terms what I do in research and what it might lead to. It’s essential to find the right words for each audience. For example, I explain things differently to my grandma than I do to fellow students. I like this challenge and enjoy sharing my excitement about fascinating topics.
For the pitch, I was able to prepare well thanks to the help of my colleagues, especially Robin Allert. As a team, we thought about how to present my Master’s thesis topic to the very broad audience in the time frame of only 3 minutes. I tried to put myself in the perspective of people unfamiliar with the subject and consider a relatable starting point. In this case, it explained our method as a combination of MRI and optical microscopy, which most people are familiar with. Apparently, it worked well!
Would you like to thank anyone?
Of course, I’d like to thank the BMBF for the award and my colleagues in the research group for their teamwork in the lab and the help in preparing for the award—especially a big thank you to Karl, Robin, and Dominik. I’d also like to thank my family and boyfriend, who have always supported me in what I love.
I also want to thank everyone who watched the live stream and voted for me during the pitch. It meant so much to me to receive so much support from colleagues, friends, family, and former coworkers!
Thank you, Julia, for the interview and once again, congratulations on your awards!
Further informations and Links:
- Quantum Future Award: The competition, organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), highlights young talents shaping the future of quantum technologies with innovative approaches. Research institutions, universities, and companies are invited to submit their ideas. The BMBF's Quantum Future Program specifically supports early-career scientists in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, and information sciences.
- Prof. Dominik Bucher, Professorship of Quantum Sensing
- News MCQST
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