Dr. Kristin Willa is a Senior R&I Scientist working at SICPA on the development of novel machine-readable features for banknote and security applications. After studying physics at ETH Zürich, Kristin Willa pursued a Ph.D. under the supervision of Bertram Batlogg, focusing on charge transport in organic semiconductors. In 2016, she joined the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago as a postdoctoral researcher, where she investigated topological superconductors and correlated electron materials. From 2018 to 2023, she continued her postdoctoral work at the Institute for Quantum Materials and Technologies (IQMT) at KIT in Karlsruhe, exploring phase transitions in magnetic and superconducting systems. Currently based at SICPA in Switzerland, Kristin’s research spans material characterization, integration into security applications, and the development of detection principles and dedicated devices.