Physics’ Best Thesis Award 2024 winner praised for pedagogical clarity

The Department of Physics' Best Thesis Award for the academic year 2024 goes to Dr. Björn Altenburger, for his dissertation titled “Nanofluidic Scattering Microscopy and Spectroscopy for Single Particle Catalysis”.

The award committee's motivation for the award is:
"The committee especially appreciated the pedagogical clarity of the thesis – how well Björn explained the motivation, the challenges, and the limitations of his work – alongside the engaging storytelling that highlighted critical gaps in the field. We were also impressed by his strong contributions to the publications stemming from the thesis."

Björn Altenburger is now employed at the Department of Physics, as a doctor at the Division of Chemical Physics, and we had a quick chat with him.

Congratulations, Björn! How does it feel to receive this award?

“The primary feeling was of course surprise, for two main reasons. Firstly, I was very much in the state of being relieved after the successful defense while at the same trying to order all the things that had yet to be done. That there could be an award coming up was not on my mind. Secondly, after hearing that I was actually chosen for this award, the surprise intensified as I was wondering how my thesis could have been the one that the committee decided on. I did try to do a good job, but so did everyone else I assume.”

What are you investigating in your thesis?

“The background for the topic of my thesis is provided by the large field of heterogeneous catalysis. Within that field, nanoparticles as catalysts play a critical role, and we set us the goal to find out which of the myriads of nanoparticles are actually doing the work. This means that we would need a technique that allows us to study single nanoparticles under specific reaction conditions while a catalytic process is going on. Using the micro- and nanofluidic background already present in my group, my thesis describes how I worked with the light scattered from nanochannels containing single particles to investigate such reactions. At first, I used the overall scattered intensity of the light to reveal what is happening inside those nanochannels, while later on I even investigated the spectrum of this scattered light to identify specific reagents.”

Why did this topic attract you? Why is this important to study?

“Fluidics itself is a quite fascinating topic, and being able to design your own micro and nanofluidics makes it even more attractive. This, in combination with my background in photocatalysis and spectroscopy from my master’s studies, made it an ideal choice. In addition, it was an experimental topic with method development in the foreground, which I find personally very appealing.
Given the extent of today’s chemical industry and the investment of resources therein, it is a straightforward thought to use only the most effective methods for product generation. Effective in terms of energy used, but also in terms of catalyst material spent. It is there where the investigation of the structure and function of single nanoparticles matters, as some particles may be very active during a reaction, while others will not really take part. Being able to identify and then use these very active particles only would save a considerable number of resources. Furthermore, the correlation between the structure of a specific particle and its function would lead to a deeper insight into the chemical kinetics of heterogenous catalysis.”

What was your writing process like? What was hard? What did you enjoy the most?

“I would assume that everybody who has been trying to get some presentable results for 4-5 years has a story to tell. The question is then what to focus on, but especially also in what order to present your results. While my licentiate thesis presented results (or reasons for a lack thereof) in a nearly chronological manner, we decided to structure the doctoral thesis more pedagogically. A potential reader should receive some introduction into the why and how before I would then explain my own contribution or future projects. However, the order of publications or manuscripts is still determining the general chronology of the thesis.”

“There are many points in writing a thesis that can be considered tricky, from figuring out the structure to deciding on a color scheme for the figures. Often a manuscript would need to be finished at the same time as well, some experiments still require your attention and many other things that you need to focus on. How do you set your milestones, when do you hand in sections to your supervisor and when are you actually starting to write in earnest? These points defined for me the most enjoyable moment, which was when it was clear that it would all work out. This is also what gave me a confidence boost for the defense, having trust in your own work but also the trust of your colleagues.”

What happens next?

“We managed to publish another of the manuscripts in the thesis in the meantime, but there are still two to go (and possibly more to come). My current objective is therefore the publication of the remaining manuscripts but also thinking ahead and devising experiments that use the results of my thesis to contribute to the field of single particle catalysis. I recently finished upgrading a microscopy setup and am looking forward to conducting some experiments using the techniques described in my thesis. In addition, I am trying to spread my knowledge among my colleagues, since some of them are working on related projects.”

Do you have any good advice for someone who is going to write a thesis themselves?

“Well, to start early is good advice, however doubtful its realization may be. Look for the parts that you are definitively going to present in your thesis and start with them, even if the general structure is not clearly defined yet. Having already written something and having some figures ready will make the rest of the work seem less daunting. And, maybe most important of all, keep up a good communication with your supervisor. They are there to help you but may have their own idea of how the structure should be like and what progress looks like. Keep them informed of what you are doing and how you plan to proceed. Being on the same page is highly advisable figuratively and literally.”

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Read Björn Altenburger's thesis here.

About the Best Thesis Award at Physics

• The Best Thesis Award was founded in 2013, as one among several initiatives at the department, to maintain and improve the research quality. With this award the department wants to motivate students and show appreciation for their hard work.
• The management of the department also hopes that this award can help doctoral students receive an extra boost in their careers after the defense. These particular theses can serve as good examples for doctoral students in the early stages of their own thesis writing.
• Besides the honor, the award consists of a diploma and a monetary prize of SEK 10.000.
• Prize committee for this year’s award: Paolo Vinai, Matthias Geilhufe, Hana Jungová, Magnus Hörnqvist Colliander, Julia Maibach, and Julia Wiktor (chair).