iQM Team
The iQM group values expanding scientific knowledge, improving our practice of research, and supporting the growth of all those involved. For more details, see here
The Team
Hope Bretscher
Principal Investigator
She/Her/Hers
I'm an experimental condensed matter physicist, and will be joining BC in June, 2026. In addition to studying and manipulating the properties of materials, I'm interested in how we do scientific research and exploring ways to strengthen the scientific system. I write about science and society on substack at condensingmatters.substack.com
Before joining BC, I was based at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in the group of James McIver where I was a Humboldt and Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow. I did my PhD at the University of Cambridge with Akshay Rao, and a MSc in Science and Technology and Society at the University of Edinburgh with a Marshall Scholarship.
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You!
The group is currently recruiting PhDs and Postdocs, so please reach out if you are interested to discuss these opportunities.
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If you are interested in a postdoc position, in addition to internal funding, I would also encourage postdocs to apply for independent funding when possible. I am happy to support students/postdocs in writing fellowship applications to join the group (such as Walter Benjamin Funding, Humboldt Feodor Lynen, SNSF Mobility fellowship, or MSCA Global Fellowships. If you are eligible for one of these or other programs, please reach out and we can discuss possible project ideas.