Malayali Oxford Scientist Gets Prestigious Royal Society Award
The story of Dr Safeer CK is an inspiration to all. Dr Safeer, a faculty member in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford, is a leading young researcher in the field of spintronics, a technology with the potential to revolutionise next-generation electronics. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Royal Society University Research Fellowship, securing individual funding worth £1.85 million (Rs 19,73,48,195.00).
Hailing from Kerala’s Malappuram, Dr Safeer’s journey to Oxford, and to bagging the exalted Royal Society University Research fellowship, have enough power to galvanise young minds to set out in pursuit of their dreams. He shows that nothing is too high for your hand to reach out.
University of Oxford is the one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The second-oldest university of the planet has always been dream destination for almost all the inquisitive Philomath.
Royal Society is the oldest continuously existing scientist academy, and Britain’s national academy of sciences. Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society is considered one of the greatest achievements in the world of science.
To have a clear image on how high the Society is, world famous scientists like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein and famous Indian scientists like Ramanujan and CV Raman have been elected as Royal Society Fellows.
Dr Safeer in front of Royal Society.
Safeer was selected for the award for his research into creating future computers using nanomaterials that are only one atom thick.
With this recognition, he established the Oxford-MIND group, located at the prestigious Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford Physics. The group focuses on building future brain-inspired computing architectures and advancing the frontiers of spintronics and 2D materials research.
Safeer was among the five shortlisted candidates for the Oxford University. The five were sieved out from hundreds of applications.
The scientist started his academic journey from the small picturesque village of Mongam. He started off from Mongam Ummul Qura Higher Secondary School and finished his schooling from Morayur V.H.M Higher Secondary School.
Completing his journey from Hansraj College of Delhi University in Physics, Safeer flew to France for his post-graduation in Joseph Fourier University, along with the scholarship provided by the Indian science ministry and France government. Safeer was among the 12 who secured the scholarship from India.
Keeping up his journey forward, Safeer went on to earn his doctorate in Nanophysics from Spintec laboratory which is a part of the French Atomic Centre. He also received Marie Curie Individual Fellowship, one of Europe’s most prestigious and competitive research awards.
Dr Safeer CK
Over his career, Safeer has so far published 18 research articles, including papers in the Natural journals, which highlight some of the most significant scientific discoveries worldwide. He also holds three international patents for novel magnetic memory technologies.
During his doctorate at SPINTEC-France, Safeer contributed to the development of the ‘spin-orbit torque memory’ concept, one of the most impactful discoveries in spintronics in the past decade. As a postdoctoral researcher at CIC nanoGUNE in Spain, he achieved a ground-breaking demonstration of the spin Hall effect in graphene, a major milestone in 2D materials spintronics.
Safeer was also a finalist for the Best Ph.D. Presentation Award by the American Physical Society, a significant acknowledgment of his early contributions to the field.
He has delivered more than 25 talks at international conferences across Asia, Europe, and America, sharing his pioneering insights and shaping the future of spintronics research. His work has fostered collaborations with leading researchers worldwide and major global technology companies such as Intel and Western Digital. In addition to his research, he teaches undergraduate Physics and Electronics courses at the University of Oxford.
Dr Safeer’s journey from Mongam to the highest of honours in world is a beckoning call for young minds with astronomical dreams. While Oxford University and Royal Society are considered completely out of reach by many, this scientist from Malappuram proves that nothing is too far from anyone’s reach.
