Who we are

We are a young and enthusiastic team working hard on the development of tomorrow's multifunctional nanomaterials.
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We are also a member of uOttawa's Nexus for Quantum Technologies (NEXQT) Institute.

What we do

We combine materials chemistry with physical and biomedical aspects to design and study novel lanthanide-based nanophosphors as multifunctional nanocarriers for near-infrared based bioimaging and energy conversion technologies.
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Lanthanide, cookie and chocolate lovers: Don't miss to check out Upconversion Photoluminescence and Materials Design Concepts for those with a Sweet Tooth!

News

  • October 2025 - Computational meets Materials Chemistry: PhD candidate Chris S. Conrad (Prof. Fink's group, Uni Tübingen) computed energy-levels of upconverting lanthanides and found an excellent match between experimental and computed spectra! Read more about it in J. Phys. Chem. C. Congrats, Chris et al!
  • September 2025 - One more paper out from Nan's PhD Thesis! Congratulations to Nan and co-authors Hana and Lucas for their work on nanothermometers that operate in the 1500 to 2000 nm spectral region. Read the story at Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers.
  • September 2025 - Happy New Academic Year! And welcome to our new group member, Lisa La (MSc) and Riccardo Speghini (PhD) - wishing you all the best for your graduate studies. Exciting to see our volunteers Aya and Lilianna and new group member Sari Warshawsky to start their Honour's projects with us.
  • August 2025 - In the mood for nano-tacos or -nano-berries? Fresh out of the microwave: Read more about morphology-controlled lanthanide-doped Gd2O2S 2D-nanostructures at J. Mater. Chem. C. Congratulations and a big thanks to Christian Homann, Regis Peeters, and all co-authors and collaborators!
  • Summer in the city - Time for some summer fun on the banks of Ottawa River and for a new group photo. For more photos, click here.
  • ​Summer 2025 - This summer, the group is lucky to host two visiting professors and one visiting postdoc! Welcome to the lab, Beatriz López and Sixto Giménez (both from Jaume I University, Spain) and Lesly Jimenez (AGH University of Krakow, Poland)!
  • 17 February 2025 - Congrats to Chris for his first paper being published! Read more about the the true atomistic structure of a disordered crystal: A computational study on the photon upconverting material β-NaYF4 and its Er3+-, Tm3+-, and Yb3+-doped derivates in Nanoscale.
  • February 2025 - Welcome to Dr. Nayara Serge and Dr. York Serge from University of São Paulo (Brazil) who will join us for one year as part of their FAPESP Postdoctoral Scholarship!
  • 07 February 2025 - Introducing our visitors from Germany and Brazil to some Canadian winter fun: the HemmerLab went snowshoeing at Parc de la Gatineau covered in fluffy snow. More photos here.

Announcements

UPCOMING CONFERENCES & EVENTS

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, don't miss the chance!

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The RISE program supports summer student exchanges among many universities across Canada. The RISE Group is a collection of scientists at nineteen institutions in Canada, whose research emphasizes the study of chemical or biochemical reaction mechanisms. See attached information and application form.
For more information and the application form see http://www.risecanada.ca and click here.