Lisa-Marie Kern

I am an experimental physicist specializing in magnetism and currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Spin Dynamics Group of Prof. Geoffrey Beach at MIT. My research combines materials design, nanomagnetism, and high-resolution x-ray imaging to study the formation, dynamics, and functionality of complex spin textures in magnetic thin films. I focus on how nanoscale magnetic textures, such as skyrmions and more complex configurations, emerge and evolve on short length and time scales, and how they can be controlled through material engineering. My expertise spans thin-film nanofabrication, magnetic materials characterization, and advanced imaging, connecting fundamental magnetism with applied materials science and spintronics.

I received my Ph.D. in Physics in July 2023 from Technische Universität Berlin and the Max Born Institute, where I was advised by Prof. Stefan Eisebitt. My doctoral research was recognized with the Carl Ramsauer Prize of the Berlin Physical Society (2023), the Condensed Matter Section (SKM) Dissertation Award of the German Physical Society (2024), and the KlarText Prize for Science Communication in Physics from the Klaus Tschira Foundation (2024).

Previously, I studied Physics in Nancy, Luxembourg, Saarbrücken, Berlin, and Paris within German–French bachelor’s and master’s programs. I completed my master’s thesis on spin transport in 2D materials at Laboratoire Albert Fert in Paris under the supervision of Prof. Pierre Seneor.

Kern et al., "Controlled Formation of Skyrmion Bags," Adv. Mater. 37, 2501250 (2025), DOI:10.1002/adma.202501250

Kern et al., "Deterministic Generation and Guided Motion of Magnetic Skyrmions by Focused He⁺-Ion Irradiation," Nano Letters 22, 4028–4035 (2022), DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c00670

Kern et al., "Tailoring optical excitation to control magnetic skyrmion nucleation," Phys. Rev. B 106, 054435 (2022), DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.106.054435