Michaela Lastovickova

Profile

I am currently a PhD researcher in Materials Science, working with Dr Man Zhang on the design of lead-free electrocaloric materials for localised cooling of electronics. My research interests lie in ferroelectric material design, defect forensics, and sensor technologies, particularly in understanding how structure, defects, and functionality can be tuned to develop smarter and more efficient materials.

I graduated from Queen Mary University of London with First Class Honours in Materials Science and Engineering, where I was awarded the IOM3 Prize for Best Materials Graduate for achieving the top overall mark in Materials Engineering, and the Beryl Beadle Prize for achieving the best overall mark across all programmes.

During my time at Queen Mary, I was also one of the six co-creators of the Queen Mary Centre for Undergraduate Research with Dr Giuseppe Viola, where I also worked on the characterization of electrically active defects in commercial PZT.

In 2025, I had the incredible opportunity to work at CERN in Geneva as a Summer Student in the ATLAS experiment under the supervision of Theo Manoussos and Dr Dominik Dannheim. My project focused on Quality Control Test Structures and Calibration Measurements for Low-Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) in the High-Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD), which will be installed for the High-Luminosity LHC upgrade. Here, I studied electrical quality-control results from test structures and investigated the temperature dependence of a main LGAD sensors' breakdown voltage to improve calibration across measurements. An overview of my work can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ezHfSBsf.

In 2024, I also completed an internship at NIMP in Romania under Dr Ioana Pintilie, where I was introduced to advanced techniques for the electrical characterisation of material defects, including Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) and Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC). This experience further strengthened my interest in defect analysis and functional materials research.

Research interests

I am passionate about developing new materials that can address real technological challenges, from next-generation electronics cooling to advanced sensing and defect-informed materials design. I am interested in combining fundamental materials science with practical performance improvements in technologies that matter, turning an understanding of structure, defects, and processing into solutions with tangible impact.

Qualifications

• 1st Class Honours BEng Materials Science and Engineering