Jean-Philippe Ansermet

jean-philippe.ansermet@epfl.ch

vCard

Nationality: Swiss

EPFL SB-DO
PH L1 500 (Bâtiment PH)
Station 3
1015 Lausanne

Office: PH L1 500
EPFL › SB › SB-DEC › PH-SB

Expertise

spintronics,
nanomagnetism,
surface NMR,
magnetic resonance in ferro- and antiferro-magnets,
chirality-induced spin selectivity,
magnonics

Current Work

Rédaction d'un livre basé sur un enseignement donné à la HEP, 2000-2005. Sujet : comment enseigner la science aux enfants.

Chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS)

Magnonics

Biography Awards Publications Research Teaching & PhD Teaching

Jean-Philippe Ansermet was born March 1, 1957 in Lausanne (legal origin Vaumarcus, NE). He obtained a diploma as physics engineer of EPFL in 1980. He went on to get a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where, from 1985 to 1987, he persued as post-doc with Prof. Slichter his research on catalysis by solid state NMR studies of molecules bound to the surface of catalysts. From 1987 to 1992 he worked at the materials research center of Ciba-Geigy, on polymers for microelectronics, composites, dielectrics and organic charge transfer complexes. In March 1992, as professor of experimental physics, he developed a laboratory on the theme of nanostructured materials and turned full professor in 1995. Since 1992, he teaches classical mechanics, first to future engineering students, since 2004 to physics majors. Since 2000, he teaches thermodynamics also, to the same group of students. He offers a graduate course in spintronics, and another on spin dynamics. His research activities concern the fabrication and properties of magnetic nanostructures produced by electrodeposition. His involvement since the early days of spintronics have allowed him to gain recognition for his work on giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR), magnetic relaxation of single nanostructures, and was among the leading groups demonstrating magnetization reversal by spin-polarized currents. Furthermore, his group uses nuclear magnetic resonance , on the one hand as means of investigation of surfaces and electrodes, on the other hand, as a local probe of the electronic properties of complex ferromagnetic oxides.

Curriculum vitae

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Researcher unique identifier(s) (ORCID): http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1307-4864
Google Scholar: Google Scholar ID

Date of birth: 01/03/1957

Nationality: Switzerland

URL for web site: http://lpmn.epfl.ch

· EDUCATION

1985 PhD: ''A new approach to the study of surfaces'', Prof. C.P. Slichter, advisor,

Physics Department, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, Illinois, USA

1982 Master, Physics Department, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, Illinois, USA

· CURRENT POSITION

2022 – Honorary Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

1995 – 2022 Full professor

Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

· PREVIOUS POSITIONS

1992 – 1995 Associate professor

Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

1987 – 1992 Research scientist

Materials Research Laboratory, Ciba-Geigy A.G., Switzerland

1985 –1987 Research assistant

Physics Department, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, Illinois, USA

· FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

2023 Scholar-in-Residence, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India

2022 Crédit Suisse Teaching Award

Since 2019 Visiting professor, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

Since 2011 Fellow, American Physical Society

2000 – 2005 Visiting faculty, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, Illinois, USA

1980 – 1985 Fulbright grant, USA

· SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Since 1992 Number of: Postdocs, 30, PhD students: 30, Master Students: 44

· TEACHING ACTIVITIES

1992 – 2000 Introductory physics, sections of mechanical and electrical engineering students

2001– 2016 Mechanics, bachelor course to physics students

Since 2001 Thermodynamics, bachelor course to physics students

2009 textbook “Mécanique”, Presse Polytechnique Universitaire Romande

2013 MOOC of mechanics, 28 lessons, on Coursera and YouTube (>17300’000 views)

2016 textbook “Thermodynamique”, Presse Polytechnique Universitaire Romande

2016 MOOC of thermodynamics, in collaboration with 4 other campuses, on Coursera

· ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

2012 – 2015 annual meetings of the group on hardware, COST TD1103

2013 – 2015 TeraHertz : Opportunies for Industry, yearly, Lausanne, Switzerland

2011 3rd DNP symposium, Lausanne, Switzerland

2005 EPS meeting for the “World Year of Physics 2005”, Bern, Switzerland

1994 Gordon Research conference on Nanophase Materials, Davos, Switzerland

· INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

2023 – 2027 Swiss Counsel of Accreditation (federal government appointment)

2006 – 2018 Director, EPFL physics section (coordination of all physics courses)

2002 – 2006 President, Swiss Physical Society

2001 – 2005 Director, Institute for the Physics of Nanostructures

1997 – 2002 Secretary, Executive Committee, European Physical Society

· COMMISSIONS OF TRUST

2016 – 2021 International Mobility Project, Project 111, Beihang University, Beijing, China

Since 2012 Swissto12 A.G., scientific advisory board, Lausanne, Switzerland

2002 – 2007 Nanodimension A.G., scientific advisory board, Zurich, Switzerland

1996 - 2000 Reviewer, DFRMC (Paris) + SPINTEC (Grenoble), France

· MEMBERSHIPS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

Since 1984 American Physical Society

Since 1997 Swiss Physical Society

· MAJOR COLLABORATIONS

COST “Hyperpolarization Physics and Methodology in NMR and MRI”, 2012-2015

Germany SpinCat, German Priority program, 2012-2017, Hamburg, TU-Münich,

Poland Nanospin, Polish-Swiss contribution, 2012-2016, Krakow, Poznan,

India Indian-Swiss Joint Research Program, 2008-2012, IIT-Dehli, D. Pandya,

China Sino-Swiss Sci. and Technol. Cooperation, 2007-2012, Dapeng Yu, Pekin U.,

Europe RTN EuNITTT, 2000-2004, K. Hjort, Uppsala, Sweden

Europe Brite-Euram, BRE2-0546, 1994-1997, Bernard Dieny, France

Administration

Swiss Accreditation Council (2024-2026), vice-president (2025-2026)
Physics Section, Director (2007-2017)
Institute, Physics of Nanostructures, Director (2000-2005)
Swiss Physical Society, President (2002-2006)
European Physical Society, Exec. Committee (1993-1998)

Books and reviews

Books

Spintronics, a primer, CRC Press, 2025
Thermodynamique, EPFL-Press, 2024, 3rd edition
Mécanique, EPFL-Press, 2021, 3rd edition

Reviews
Solid State NMR Techniques for the Study of Surface Phenomena,
J.-Ph. Ansermet, C.P. Slichter, J.H. Sinfelt, Prog. NMR Spectro. 22(5) 401 (1991)
Nanostructuring Materials for Spin Electronics, B. Doudin, J.-Ph. Ansermet, Europhysics News 28, 14-17 (1997)
Perpendicular Transport of Spin-Polarized Electrons Through Magnetic Nanostructures, J.-Ph. Ansermet, J. Phys. C : Cond. Matter 10, 6027-6050 (1998)
"Spying on Magnetism" and "NMR : the quantum mechanics playground", in «Le spin en physique», Frontier Group 2002
Spintronics with metallic nanowires, in «Oxford Hanbook of Nanoscience and Technology", Narlikar & Fu Editors, Oxford Uni Press 2010

Lectures

Mechanics, 1st year physics (1992-2017) textbook
Thermodynamics, 1st year physic (2000-2022) textbook
Spin dynamics and spintronics, graduate school (1998-2022) textbook
L'enfant, l'adolescent et les sciences, Haute Ecole de Pédagogie, Vaud, 2000-2005
TeraHertz for Industry, workshop for professionals, presenting frontline research

Awards

EPFL Teaching Prize

EPFL

2015

Fellow

American Physical Society

2015

Selected publications

From the Principle of Inertia to the Death Drive: The Influence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics on the Freudian Theory of the Psychical Apparatus

Jean-Philippe Ansermet
Published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2020

Hyperactivity of the default mode network in schizophrenia and free energy: A dialogue between Freudian theory of psychosis and neuroscience

Published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in 2022

Patience, persévérance et tempérance chez le chercheur,

Jean-Philippe Ansermet
Published in Les sept vertus d'un bon scientifique, R. Vaughn, L. Jaeger eds., chap. 9, Terre Nouvelle, Excelsis 2023 in 2023

Sortir du traumatisme - Au-delà du déterminisme ; chapitre "Possibilité d'une prédiction, le regard du physicien"

J. Tran Thé, F. Ansermet, P. Magistretti, Eds
Published in Odile Jacob in 2025

Infoscience records

2025

- Deterministic switching of antiferromagnetic spin textures by nonlinear magnons

J. Chen; M. Xu; J. Wang; K. Wagner; L. Sheng et al.

Nature Communications. 2025. DOI : 10.1038/s41467-025-60883-2.

Jean-Philippe Ansermet

Expertise

Current Work

Curriculum vitae

Administration

Books and reviews

Lectures

Awards

Selected publications

From the Principle of Inertia to the Death Drive: The Influence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics on the Freudian Theory of the Psychical Apparatus

Hyperactivity of the default mode network in schizophrenia and free energy: A dialogue between Freudian theory of psychosis and neuroscience

Patience, persévérance et tempérance chez le chercheur,

Sortir du traumatisme - Au-delà du déterminisme ; chapitre "Possibilité d'une prédiction, le regard du physicien"

Infoscience records

2025

- Deterministic switching of antiferromagnetic spin textures by nonlinear magnons

- Long-range propagation of magnon polaritons in a canted antiferromagnet

- Spin-Polarized Electron Transport Promotes the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

- Coupling between electrons’ spin and proton transfer in chiral biological crystals

- Control of spin currents by magnon interference in a canted antiferromagnet

- Coherent magnon transport in a van der Waals antiferromagnet

- Observation of Coherent Gapless Magnons in an Antiferromagnet

2024

- Broad-wave-vector spin pumping of flat-band magnons

- Enhancement of electrocatalysis through magnetic field effects on mass transport

2023

- Long-distance coherent propagation of magnon polarons in a ferroelectric-ferromagnetic heterostructure

- Reconfigurable nonreciprocal excitation of propagating exchange spin waves in perpendicularly magnetized yttrium iron garnet thin films

- Optically Enhanced Solid-State H-1 NMR Spectroscopy

- Long-Distance Coherent Propagation of High-Velocity Antiferromagnetic Spin Waves

- Hybridized Propagation of Spin Waves and Surface Acoustic Waves in a Multiferroic-Ferromagnetic Heterostructure

- Nonlocal Detection of Interlayer Three-Magnon Coupling

2022

- Spin Evolution in the Born-Oppenheimer Approximation

- Hyperactivity of the default mode network in schizophrenia and free energy: A dialogue between Freudian theory of psychosis and neuroscience

- Heterogeneous Overhauser-DNP on H-1 dominated by scalar coupling in aqueous solution

- Hybridized propagating spin waves in a CoFeB/IrMn bilayer

- Magic-angle magnonic nanocavity in a magnetic moiré superlattice

- Dnp biosensor

- Blatter-type radicals as polarizing agents for electrochemical overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization

- Large Anomalous Nernst Angle in Co2MnGa Thin Film

2021

- Long decay length of magnon-polarons in BiFeO3/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 heterostructures

- Origin of large magnetoresistance in the topological nonsymmorphic semimetal TaSe3

- Strong temperature-dependent thermoelectric power of IrMn(3)thin films of different thicknesses

- Method for the preparation of a sample comprising highly polarized nuclear spins and uses and devices for such a method

2020

- Antiferromagnetic resonance in TmFeO3 at high temperatures

- Electrochemical Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization

- Stabilization of p-GaAs electrode surfaces in organic solvent by bi-phenyl rings for spin dependent electron transfer studies

- Regulating the anomalous Hall and Nernst effects in Heusler-based trilayers

- Record thermopower found in an IrMn-based spintronic stack

- Anomalous Nernst effect in Co2MnGa thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

- Spin-Dependent Thermoelectric Transport in Cobalt-Based Heusler Alloys

- From the Principle of Inertia to the Death Drive: The Influence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics on the Freudian Theory of the Psychical Apparatus

- Spin-dependent charge transfer at chiral electrodes probed by magnetic resonance

- Spin-wave coupling to electromagnetic cavity fields in dysposium ferrite

2019

- Doping effect on the thermoelectric transport properties of HfTe5

- Spin thermoelectrics

- Large magnetothermopower and anomalous Nernst effect in HfTe5

Research

Current Research Fields

Teaching & PhD

Former group members

Past EPFL PhD Students