Yinghe Qi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab), has received the Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award, one of cryogenic engineering’s top international honors for early-career researchers.
The International Cryogenic Engineering Committee presents the Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award to a young researcher for outstanding work in cryogenic engineering. The award honors the Klippings’ contributions to the field and their commitment to involving the next generation of researchers. It is presented during the International Cryogenic Engineering Conference, held every two years and candidates must be 35 years of age or younger at the start of the conference.
Qi will receive the award at the 30th International Cryogenic Engineering Conference and International Cryogenic Materials Conference, scheduled for June 22–26 in Daejeon, South Korea.
“It is a privilege to be recognized by the cryogenic engineering community with this award,” Qi said. “I am incredibly thankful for the chance to work with Dr. Guo and our group at the MagLab. This environment has given me the support to tackle complex challenges in cryogenics, from dark matter detection to beamline vacuum break analysis and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such impactful research.”
Advancing dark matter detection and accelerator safety
Qi was nominated by Professor Wei Guo of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, who cited her “broad knowledge, rigorous analytical ability and exceptional experimental and computational skills.” Her work spans several major research fronts, most notably the design of a cryogenic platform for the TESSERACT Collaboration’s dark matter search and new safety models for particle accelerator beamlines.
TESSERACT, which stands for Transition-Edge Sensors with Sub-EV Resolution And Cryogenic Targets, searches for low-mass dark matter roughly a hundred to a thousand times lighter than a standard WIMP (weakly interacting massive particle). Florida State University researchers, including members of Guo’s lab, are part of the collaboration and much of the effort in designing the specialized cryostat used in these searches was led by Guo’s team at the MagLab.
“This is a highly competitive international honor that recognizes exceptional early-career contributions to cryogenic engineering and applied low-temperature science,” Guo said. “Dr. Qi’s work has made a strong impact in cryogenic heat transfer and safety-relevant cryogenic-system modeling.”
The impact of cryogenic engineering research
Qi’s research has produced results published in leading peer-reviewed journals and carries practical value for laboratories around the world. Her work on sudden vacuum-break events in cryogenic accelerator systems, known as beamline vacuum break analysis, addresses safety challenges for facilities such as particle accelerators that rely on liquid-helium-cooled beamlines.
Guo’s broader research program at the college and MagLab spans quantum fluids and solids, cryogenic platforms and quantum sensing and devices. Qi has been a central contributor within that group for more than two years. Beyond her research contributions, she has also been recognized as a dedicated mentor within the lab.
Guo offered his “strongest recommendation” for the award, citing Qi’s scientific maturity and breadth of expertise across multiple subfields of cryogenic engineering.
FSU Quantum Initiative
Guo is co-director of the FSU Quantum Initiative and leads the Cryogenics Lab at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, where his research focuses on cryogenics, with applications in quantum fluid dynamics, liquid-helium-based dark matter detection, cryogenic accelerator physics, quantum-fluid-based qubits and liquid hydrogen aviation.
The Klipping Award places Qi among a small group of early-career researchers recognized internationally for pushing the boundaries of low-temperature science. Her selection reflects both the depth of her individual contributions and the strength of the research environment at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the MagLab.