Following successful completion of her Doctor of Engineering (EngD) thesis entitled “Beyond 1 kW average power: scaling pulse energy and repetition rate in diode-pumped sild state amplifiers", it was announced today that Mariastefania De Vido has been awarded the MacFarlane Prize 2020 by Heriot-Watt University!
The MacFarlane Prize commemorates the contribution to Heriot-Watt University made by Professor A G J MacFarlane during his tenure as Principal and Vice Chancellor. The Prize is presented annually to the PhD graduate who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee, has made the most outstanding contribution to the research of the University.
Mariastefania has been pursuing an EngD at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in parallel with her job in the CALTA group at the CLF. Citing her outstanding work, the university submitted her nomination for the award and was met with agreement from the MacFarlane Prize committee.
Mariastefania's work was noted by the panel to be; “an outstanding piece of research as indicated by the Examiners and an exemplar of the very high standards expected of MacFarlane Prize award winners."
Mariastefania said: “I am very honoured to receive this recognition from Heriot-Watt University. I would like to thank my supervisors, Dr Klaus Ertel at the CLF and Professor Daniel Esser at Heriot-Watt University, for their valuable advice and encouragement. I would also like to thank the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 for supporting my research and my studies. This Prize is a great motivation for me to continue to give my best to the field of high energy solid state lasers."
Professor Daniel Esser, said: “It is a great pleasure to work with such an outstanding researcher as Mariastefania. Her work resulted in significant advancements in laser technology, as well as more broadly for the international optics community. Stefania demonstrated full ownership of the research by producing a truly excellent, concise thesis, mirroring her internationally recognised quality of research reporting. The future research challenges also clearly articulated, which will benefit the next generation of doctoral students at STFC, at Heriot-Watt University, and internationally."
Dr Klaus Ertel stated: “I fully agree with Prof Daniel Esser. Mariastefania is an outstanding scientist and she has shown that the EngD programme is a great way for early-career researchers like her to gain wider recognition and to demonstrate what they are capable of."
At the CLF, Mariastefania has been a highly motivated and hardworking member of our CALTA team who design and build commissioned lasers based on the DiPOLE concept, a next generation laser system. We would like to offer a huge congratulations to Mariastefania for not only graduating with a doctorate in engineering, but earning this well-deserved award.
Read the Heriot-Watt MacFarlane Prize news article here.
See Mariastefania's other awards here:
£80K fellowship by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
2019 AILU prize.
