Gusthavo Brizolla: “Building blocks for memory”
Gusthavo Brizolla is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Regensburg, working in Jaroslav Fabian's spintronics group on theoretical problems in 2D magnets and spin-orbit phenomena. As one of our young and brilliant researchers in the 2DSPIN-TECH project, we got hold of him for a chat about his work.
Dr. Brizolla completed his PhD in physics in 2024, building on earlier work on van der Waals heterostructures and electronic-structure modeling.
⏹ What do you enjoy most in your work?
– It is working at the interface between microscopic theory and the quantities that experiments can actually measure. In my current work, I am trying to understand how we can control magnetism in atomically thin materials using electrical currents, as efficiently as possible. The broader goal is to help make spintronic devices faster, lower-power, and non-volatile, meaning they can store information without continuous power, says Gusthavo Brizolla.
⏹ How do you approach that?
– Mainly with state-of-the-art electronic-structure and tight-binding methods, which let me connect microscopic ingredients, symmetry, band structure, interface effects, to spin-orbit torques and related transport quantities accessible to experiment.
⏹ What problem are trying to solve in this work, within 2DSPIN-TECH?
– A central part of the project is heterostructures combining 2D magnets with strong spin-orbit materials. Reduced crystal symmetry and interfacial coupling in these systems can produce unconventional torques, including out-of-plane spin polarization and, potentially, field-free switching. By pinning down these mechanisms at a microscopic level, I hope to help identify material combinations that are both scientifically interesting and technologically useful for low-power magnetic memory, logic, and other spin-based computing concepts.
⏹ What makes 2D materials such an exciting field?
– The field has quickly moved from observing new quantum phenomena to engineering real device functions. Intrinsic ferromagnetism was first demonstrated in atomically thin van der Waals crystals. Magnetism in bilayer CrI3 was then shown to be tunable purely by electrical means and more recently, large room-temperature out-of-plane spin-orbit torque was reported in TaIrTe4 which is exactly the kind of effect needed for efficient switching. Work within 2DSPIN-TECH has also shown that graphene-based structures can deliver giant spin signals and spin rectification, pointing toward active 2D spintronic building blocks for memory, logic, and neuromorphic concepts.
⏹ What advice would you give to students interested in 2D materials?
– I would suggest:
• Build a strong foundation in quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, magnetism, and electronic transport.
• Learn at least one practical tool deeply.
• Pay close attention to symmetry, interfaces, and sample quality. In 2D systems, very small structural details often control the physics.
• Read theory and experiment side by side, so you can connect abstract models to measurable quantities.
• Develop good coding and data-analysis habits early: reproducibility, version control, and clear visualization will pay off again and again.
– And also, practice explaining your work to people outside your exact subfield. Broad communication is a real research skill, says Gusthavo Brizolla.
Text: Jonas Löfvendahl
✅ Read about young researcher Harvey Stanfield here.
✅ Read about young researcher Tarik Hossain here.
✅ Read about young researcher Kovács-Krausz Zoltán here.
✅ Read about young researcher Roselle Ngaloy here.
✅ Read more about 2DSPIN-TECH here.
