Interview with science star Prof. Maksym Kovalenko, ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Ukrainian Maksym Kovalenko is the science star in one of the world-renowned ETH Zürich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, which is regularly featured in international rankings as one of the world’s best universities and the leading universities in continental Europe.

We talked to Maksym and discovered how science and research groups work in Switzerland, overviewed the difference between Ukrainian and Swiss science practice, highlighted the key directions of investigations, and got inspiring recommendations for young scientists.

Maksym Kovalenko is a chemist who develops innovative research on inorganic nanocrystals and their use for electronic and optoelectronic devices, which could be employed in television displays, solar cells, photodetectors, or detectors for radioactivity, or even future quantum communications technologies. 

In 1999-2004, Maksym studied chemistry at the Chernivtsi National University (Ukraine) and then carried out his Ph.D. research with professor Dr. Wolfgang Heiss at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria where he gained his Ph.D. in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in 2007. He also worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, University of California, the USA and University of Chicago.

Since 2011 he works at ETH Zürich and Empa:

  • in 2012 he won an ERC Starting Grant
  • Tenured associate professor at the ETH Zürich since 2017, Switzerland
  • Tenured full professor at the ETH Zürich since 2020, Switzerland
  • Head of the Functional Inorganic Materials Group (also denoted as Kovalenko Lab, at the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich
  • Group Leader at Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland

Being a practicing chemist, Maksym has over 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

In 2021 Maksym Kovalenko received “Dan Maydan Prize” for Nanoscience Research – “for his pioneering work on the surface chemistry of nanocrystals and their use for electronic and optoelectronic devices, including batteries, photodetectors, thermo-​electrics, solar cells, and light sources”. The Hebrew University, in conjunction with the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU), established the Dan Maydan Prize in Nanoscience Research in 2019 that is awarded yearly to an emerging and outstanding young scientist, from Israel or abroad, for the significant academic accomplishments in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

In 2019 Maksym Kovalenko was recognised for his research on bright nanoparticles with a Rössler Prize, which carries an endowment of 200,000 Swiss francs in research funding.

In 2018, Prof. Maksym Kovalenko was awarded an ERC Consolidator grant and was named in the Clarivate’s List of Highly Cited Researchers in 2018-2020. He has produced multiple highly cited papers, defined as those ranking in the top 1% by citations for a publication field and year. Kovalenko researches metal halides which emit light in response to the passage of an electric current or when excited optically. In his second ERC-funded project, “SCALE-HALO,” he uses chemical engineering approaches to tune the optical properties of these materials broadly.

Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, classifies the chemistry professor’s achievements as: “Maksym Kovalenko’s work provides vital stimulus for both basic research and new applications.”

Interview with Prof. Maksym V. Kovalenko, ETH Zürich and Empa

 

TechUkraine: What’s your path to a science career in Switzerland? The difference between Ukrainian and Swiss science practice.

Maksym Kovalenko: In 2011, I applied for the open position at ETH Zürich, specifically tenure-track assistant professorship, the first step as a fully independent researcher. My previous research was related to narrow-bandgap quantum dots, iron oxide nanocrystals, surface chemistry and self-assembly of nanocrystals, etc. But ETH Zürich was looking for a professor that will develop novel materials for lithium-ion batteries. The sponsorship from the Swiss industry also supported this. I hadn’t had any experience in this field, but the interview outcome was still favorable for me. In 2011, the President of the university invited me to negotiate and sign the documents. We agreed that my research portfolio would cover both directions: known to me nanomaterials and new to me batteries.

ETH Zürich is one of the top global technology universities. It prepares the students and PhDs that drive the technological advancement of the country.

With around 500 ETH spin-offs now in existence, a good third of them generated almost CHF 900 million in revenue in 2017. 

The difference between Ukrainian and Swiss science lies in this type of complex solutions for all stakeholders based on university: society, science community, business.

TechUkraine: Why and how was KovalenkoLab founded? The key directions of investigations.

Maksym Kovalenko: Kovalenko Lab is one of several hundred research groups at our university, each led by a professor. The university can be viewed as a synergistic collection of such highly autonomous enterprises.  This research group is focused on challenges related to the chemistry, physics, and applications of inorganic nanostructures. At the crossover of solid-state and molecular chemistries novel materials for optoelectronics and energy storage are invented and further developed.

One aim is to develop various forms of non-toxic light sources, including nanocrystals, thin films, and composites, for a wide range of applications. These could be employed in television displays, solar cells, photodetectors or detectors of hard radiation, or even future quantum communications technologies.  

In particular, in 2014 we invented the latest generation of quantum dots luminescent across the entire visible spectral region – so-called lead halide perovskite nanocrystals. The first publication on that came out in January 2015, and divided our groups’ history into “before-” and “after that Nano Letters paper”. These perovskite nanocrystals have become a major research thrust across the globe.

Part of the research of the KovalenkoLab is related to batteries and light-emitting devices. It is conducted at a sister ETH institution – Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology).

TechUkraine: Do you cooperate with Ukrainian universities or develop the partnership?

Maksym Kovalenko: Actually, we do not yet have a joint and funded project with any university in Ukraine. But there are other forms of interactions. I maintain good relations and collaborations with a range of Ukrainian scientists at universities and research institutes in Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi. Hence, we invite each other to deliver seminars or tutorials, to speak with thesis and articles. Notably, my group hosts a dozen internships from Ukraine every year, primarily bachelor and master students and sometimes more experienced researchers. I highly appreciate the talent, educational level and drive of Ukrainian students. Many of them visit us repeatedly and eventually become highly successful doctoral students.

The major challenge for Ukrainian science is the rapidly declining interest of young people. Chemistry and physics departments across Ukraine receive fewer applications for admission. Some departments close or merge with other departments. Young people do not see perspectives to study fundamental science – chemistry and physics. The state miserably funds basic and applied research. Industries have nearly vanished. Overall, there is no quest for innovation and talent of this kind. It is a tragedy, and it may take decades to recover.

Paradoxically, but the best for Ukraine in such a situation is that most talented young scientists immigrate and develop their potential at leading universities abroad. They may then be useful for Ukraine remotely or some will return when needed.

TechUkraine: What kind of opportunities has the research group in Switzerland to implement knowledge transfer to industry?

Maksym Kovalenko: There is a department at the university that develops and supports the synergy between industries and research groups. Third-party-funded research projects are of increasing importance for universities. Professors are supported to engage in research projects funded by companies directly or with the support from a special innovation funding agency. Applied research is generously supported by these means. Notably, the academic freedom to disseminate the results in publications and conference presentations is protected. Likewise, industrial partners receive needed rights for the commercialization of inventions. Many of these projects are extremely interesting because of day-to-day interactions between the research groups and industrial researchers and engineers.

The other attractive path is to leverage the entrepreneurial potential of our graduates and let them create Start-Up Companies. Our university fosters this path by providing coaching and initial funding and helps with networking. As a possible scenario – a doctoral student can choose to build a business case out of the invention made during the Ph.D. project.

Recommendations for young scientists in Ukraine by Maksym Kovalenko:

  • If you are about to begin your study at the university as a bachelor or master student, do not underestimate the importance of fundamental sciences and do not overestimate the importance of fashionable professions. 
  • If you understand how nature works – you will have lasting value and good jobs, or even a major scientific and innovative impact. In other words – it is never wrong to opt for a classical chemistry and physics curriculum when choosing your study program.
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