Paihau—Robinson Research Institute

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Anne-Helene Puichaud

Anne-Helene Puichaud came to Paihau—Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington from France in 2013, for her PhD study.

Anne-Helene is investigating the influence of nano-sized defects in YBCO superconductors using transmission electron microscopy.

“I am about half way through my PhD now. I’ve already learned a lot about superconductivity and electron microscopy from people with quite different areas of expertise.”

She is also enjoying the opportunity to work with academics as well as people conducting research for industry. “I think the Robinson Research Institute is a great place to study because it’s part of the university but also works on real applications, such as transformers and MRI. This breadth of research will help me work out what I would like to do after my degree.”

Anne-Helene also values the team’s international collaborations, which have enabled her to spend time at the Center for Electron Nanoscopy at the Technical University of Denmark.

“I’ve worked on high end transmission electron microscopes for magnetic field imaging and had the opportunity to use a focus ion beam microscope as well as learning amazing techniques like electron holography.”