
One of the world’s leading physicists, Dr Emil Božin, has returned to Serbia from the United States to continue his career at the Institute of Physics Belgrade. To mark this significant occasion, a special event was held, featuring speeches by the Minister of Science and Technological Development, Dr Jelena Begović, the Director of the Institute of Physics, Dr Aleksandar Bogojević and the Head of the Centre for Solid State and New Materials, Dr Nenad Lazarević. Dr Božin, whose return was made possible through the prestigious ERA Chair programme of the European Commission, also addressed the audience.
‘Not only will this project substantially enhance the Institute’s capacities with its €2.5 million budget, but it will also position Serbia on the map of leading quantum materials research. I would particularly like to highlight the importance of this project, since through this project, one of the world’s leading experts in the field of solid-state physics Dr Emil Božin will return to Serbia with his wife Aleksandra Tomić’, said Minister Dr Jelena Begović. She added that Dr Božin’s exceptional scientific expertise represents an invaluable contribution to the Institute and Serbian science as a whole.
‘The project results will not only focus on scientific findings. It will facilitate knowledge transfer, foster researcher mobility, nurture young talents, and promote collaboration with industry partners. It is very significant that this project will provide training opportunities for researchers from Serbia, Western Balkans and South Eastern Europe region, which will additionally strengthen the position of the Institute of Physics as a centre of excellence in the European research area,’ said Minister Begović.

Highly awarded and cited, Dr Božin graduated from the Faculty of Physics of the University of Belgrade and earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan before continuing his research at Columbia University. Since 2010 he has worked at the prestigious Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States of America. During his remarkable career in America, he has developed new advanced methodologies for material characterization which he will continue to pursue at the Institute of Physics, sharing experience with new generations of physicists in Serbia.
‘The key role of the Institute of Physics Belgrade is bringing talents back from abroad, discovery and nurturing talents among the youngsters as well as employment of these talents for the benefit of our science, industry and society,’ said the Institute’s director Dr Aleksandar Bogojević who reminded the present that significant international projects such as ERC grants, twining projects as well as ERA Chair programme won by the Institute researchers have significantly contributed to the return of numerous young researchers from abroad in recent years. Now, ‘a scientific family’ has returned to Belgrade, noted Dr Bogojević, referring to Dr Aleksandra Tomić, Dr Božin’s spouse, also being a physicist.

’I am delighted to have an opportunity to contribute to the community I came from with my experience and expertise. We were motivated to return to the country since there are a lot of young people who are incredibly enthusiastic and driven to push the science boundaries in line with European and global trends,’ said Dr Emil Božin, who also expressed his confidence that the project would enhance European and global science networking and foster cooperation with leading research centres in the field of solid-state matter physics.
’A part of the project involves establishing a laboratory for the characterization of materials and this centre will serve as a training hub for young people which in its turn would open up new possibilities and help us keep the brightest young people in the country. This could be, along with the gargantuan effort of other colleagues in Serbia, a positive example of how science in Serbia can evolve to become both competitive and collaborative,’ said Dr Božin, expressing hope that this could inspire other researchers to come back and stay in the country.

The Institute of Physics Belgrade, a national institute of the Republic of Serbia, has 25 laboratories and four centres of excellence. One of them conducts the ERA Chair project titled Hidden Phases in 2D Quantum Materials inspired by the problem of characterization of hidden phases in kagome crystals, which are currently a focal point in global research.
’The ERA Chair project aims to bridge gaps and build missing capacities. The project will provide new technology as well as an advanced approach to scientific methodology,’ said Dr Nenad Lazarević from the Centre for the Solid State and New Materials which is implementing this project. He added that this initiative could fulfil the plan of attracting more young people mentioning that all efforts are directed toward recruiting new, young researchers.

Photos by Bojan Džodan