Stephen Brockerhoff
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background
I am currently a 4th year student at The Cooper Union, a small engineering college in New York City, where I will soon graduate with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Electrical Engineering. My main interests are in quantum computing and solid state physics. Prior to my experience this summer, my research experiences have included research in open quantum systems at my home institution and a summer internship at NYU where I did band structure calculations for SiGe heterostructures and photolithography for fabricating superconducting qubit resonators.
IRTE research overview
As a part of the Global Quantum Leap 2025 cohort, I was an intern at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) in Jülich, Germany. At FZJ I worked at PGI-9, the semiconductor nanoelectronics department, under the supervision of Professor Thomas Schäpers. My research project entailed measuring anisotropic magnetoresistance, nonreciprocal transport, and Shubnikov de-Haas oscillation in microscopic Bi2Te3 hall bars structures.
Experience living in Jülich and working in the lab
I lived in Jülich for roughly 11 weeks. Jülich is a pretty small city, but there are quite a few nice restaurants and shops, and I enjoyed exploring the area. Notably, Jülich is a short train ride away from Aachen, which I also frequented. A lot of lab members I worked with this summer actually live in Aachen and commute to Jülich for work during the week. I had a great experience working at FZJ. My labmates were very nice and taught me a lot about experimental physics. I feel like I gained a lot of valuable skills that I will carry forward, and I got an inside perspective as to how graduate student life is in Germany. Overall, I felt welcomed and the environment was very supportive.
Other highlights or weekend travels
During my time in Europe I traveled a lot over the weekends. I went to several cities in Germany, such as Aachen, Cologne, Berlin, and Dresden. I also explored several places outside of Germany, including Brussels, Antwerp, and Amsterdam. Getting around in Europe is very convenient due to their robust public transit, so I would encourage anyone staying in Europe to explore a lot.
Overall impressions of your experience
I would describe my overall experience as very enriching, both culturally and intellectually. I learned a lot about experimental condensed matter physics and gained hands-on skills that I can apply to future research. On a personal level, living and working in Germany pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and I grew a lot from immersing myself in a new culture. The program broadened my horizons and strengthened my motivation to pursue a career in quantum research. I strongly recommend the IRTE program to anyone seeking to expand their scientific expertise while immersing themselves in a unique cultural and professional setting.