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  • By: Graphene Flagship
  • Graphene Flagship
  • Publishing date: 21 February 2017
  • By: Graphene Flagship
  • Graphene Flagship
  • Publishing date: 21 February 2017

Millie Dresselhaus 1930-2017

​On February 21, 2017, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) delivered the news of Mildred (Millie) Dresselhaus passing away at an age of 86 years. She held the position of Institute Professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Physics at MIT and her research within the areas of carbon nanotubes, graphene and other nanocarbon materials as well as low-dimensional thermoelectricity attracted wide attention in the scientific world. Professor Dresselhaus died in Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, surrounded by family and loved ones. She will be missed by many, not the least within the Graphene Flagship: 

Jari Kinaret, Director of the Graphene Flagship:

“We are very sad to hear that Mildred Dresselhaus, known as Millie among the entire graphene community, died on Monday 20 February, at the age of 86. Millie was the Queen of Carbon, having worked in the field for half a century, and her countless seminal contributions were recognized by numerous prizes and honors. She was a continuous source of inspiration and support for everyone in graphene research, and in particular for the female researchers in the field. The community has lost one of its greatest members.”

Konstantin Novoselov, Chair of the Graphene Flagship Strategic Advisory Council:

“Millie was a wonderful researcher, who contributed crucially to many areas of science, luckily to carbon science as well. She, singlehandedly pushed many areas, but more importantly her knowledge and intuition has been helping and inspiring many other scientists across the world. It will not be easy, if possible at all, to compensate for such a loss.”

Read the MIT announcement

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Graphene Flagship
Graphene Flagship

Bringing together 118 academic and industrial partners in 12 research and innovation projects and 1 coordination and support project, the Graphene Flagship initiative will continue to advance Europe’s strategic autonomy in technologies that rely on graphene and other 2D materials. The initiative, which builds on the previous 10-years of the Graphene Flagship, is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. The 2D-Experimental Pilot Line, addressing the challenges of upscaling 2D material production processes for the semiconductor industry, is another key component of the Graphene Flagship eco-system.