This text is part of the special Acfas awards
Professor Federico Rosei is studying materials likely to allow the development of a new generation of technologies in order to tackle the energy transition more quickly and efficiently.
It is with happiness and surprise that Federico Rosei, professor at the Energy Materials Telecommunications Center of the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS), receives the Acfas Urgel-Archambault Prize for the physical sciences, mathematics, computer science and engineering. This distinction has a resonance all the more particular for him because it emanates from the Canadian association par excellence for the promotion and dissemination of French-speaking scientific research, he who does not have French as his first language.
“It is a mark of recognition by peers of a very high level. I am not French speaking, I come from Italy. I chose Quebec in a certain context: the Canadian context and that of international research. In general, especially in natural sciences and engineering, we tend to do research in English, but it is true that the dimension of Quebec, of INRS, as well as my collaborations with France, Switzerland, Belgium and some African countries have nevertheless enabled me to develop this French-speaking side which has very interesting aspects, also from a cultural and human point of view ”, argues this physicist, who specializes in particular in nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Proud to train the next generation
With his team, Mr. Rosei is interested as much in aspects of fundamental research – aimed at gaining a better understanding of how the structure of a material can influence its properties – as in more applied ones.
“Our priority today is the materials for energy technologies – that is solar technologies and technologies for energy storage – because, in my opinion, energy and at the same time climate change are the most great challenge that we are currently facing on the planet. So, it is very important to develop a new generation of technologies that can make it possible to tackle the energy transition towards sustainable development more quickly and efficiently ”, underlines Federico Rosei, who is also the instigator and holder of the Chair of the UNESCO on Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage (MATECSS).
If it is mainly as a scientist that he sees himself honored here, Mr. Rosei does not forget his professor’s hat, which constitutes the professional achievement of which he is most proud.
“I have trained around 180 young people – master’s and doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, etc. – from 42 countries. Among them, 29 have become professors themselves in 14 countries, another twenty work as researchers in the private sector, and ten are employed in national laboratories in Canada, France, or Italy. So I am really proud of the influence and the impact I have had on the training of young researchers, ”he concludes.