Nora DempseyMicro-magnets all around

Nora Dempsey, at the CNRS Institut Néel, is enthusiastic: “I am deeply motivated by seeing my research results applied in the real world”. Recruited by the CNRS in 2001, she made a name for herself by developing processes for the synthesis of high-performance micro-magnets, whose magnetic structure is controlled at different lengthscales. This physicist’s know-how is put to use in collaborations with companies like Toyota, where her micro-magnets serve as model systems for improving the performance of magnets used in the engines of hybrid-electric vehicles. Through her collaborations, Nora Dempsey also helped create the start-up Magia Diagnostic, which uses micro-magnets to capture molecules in medical diagnostics applications. Another example is a device that she developed to characterise the magnetic properties of films across a wafer1  , which has found application at Hprobe, a company specialised in the testing of spintronic components. Nora Dempsey is currently leading the MicroMagFab maturation project dedicated to integrating micro-magnets into micro-scaled motors, actuators and energy harvesters.

• 1A wafer is a support, most typically made of a semi-conductor material such as Si, upon which thin films and microelectronic components are fabricated.