Our group includes many talented undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs working on exciting projects.
Postdoc
Dr. Swati Chaudhary studies light-driven quantum materials. She is interested in non-linear optical responses from topological materials and other light-induced changes in band structure and topology. She also works on non-linear phononic drives to probe and control band topology as well as magnetism through direct modification of exchange interactions.
Graduate Students
Zexun Lin is investigating how light can be used to modify the electronic and magnetic properties of materials out-of-equilibrium. Outside of physics, Zexun enjoys painting and playing musical instruments.
Wesley Roberts is an NDSEG recipient. He is studying the influence of anisotropic magnetic exchange interactions on spin currents and exploring the real-time propagation of quantum entanglement in quenched Kitaev models.
Arpit Raj is investigating non-linear optical responses of materials with topological band structures, such as Weyl semimetals. He is also studying optical responses from Floquet topological band structures.
Abby Postlewaite is investigating second harmonic and higher harmonic generation as well as shift and injection currents in materials with topological band structures. She is an avid distance runner.
Nica Jane Ferrer is studying the influence of crystal symmetry and electron-electron interactions on the influence of magnetic anisotropy in rare-earth lean materials. She enjoys watching live sports, as well as artistic and musical performances.
Yasamin Masoumi Sefidkani is working on strongly out-of-equilibrium correlated electronic systems. She knows many languages and enjoys linquistics.
Undergraduate Students
Cy Elliott is studying spintronic systems. His hobbies include playing guitar, martial arts training, motorcycling, and he is President of the Northeastern Chess Club.
Jack Nedell a former undergraduate in the group (current Cornell physics PhD student), used machine learning to explore connections between real-space disorder in a material and the electrical conductivity. Outside of physics, Jack is an avid hiker and regularly leads hikes.
Dr. Martin Rodriguez-Vega, former postdoc, studied time-dependent Hamiltonian systems with an emphasis on Floquet band structures in twisted van der Waals materials and non-linear phononic control of magnetism and topological band structure. He has an outstanding track record of successful collaborations with a wide range of theoretical and experimental groups. He is currently an Editor at Physical Review Letters.
Dr. Bowen Ma, former PhD student, studied spin and thermal transport in magnetic insulating systems. Of particular interest were magnetic systems with spin-orbit coupling that leads to non-collinear magnetic orders. Such studies have implications for spin caloritronic systems. His hobbies include detective fiction, video games, and anime. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Hong Kong University.
Former PhD student Rakshanasreepriya (“Sree”) Kankanala , recipient of the Morelli Award for Excellence in Research as a first year graduate student, studied how light that selectively targets phonons can be used to modify the magnetic and topological properties of a material. She is continuing her studies in India.
Nicholas Hurley, former undergraduate in the group, studied the connection between magnetism and topology. His hobbies include playing the guitar and rock climbing.
Professor Benedetta Flebus, PhD University of Utrecht, Postdoc 2018-2019 (w/Allan MacDonald)–>Junior Faculty at Boston College.
Professor Michael Vogl, PhD 2020, “Flow equation approach to periodically driven systems and effective Floquet theory in the low-frequency regims”–>Joined faculty position at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
Ariel Barr, BS 2019, George H. Mitchell Grand Prize Recipient (Highest honor bestowed by the university for undergraduate research in any field.)–>Masters at Cambridge, UK–>PhD Program at MIT.
Dr. Pontus Laurell, PhD 2018, “Topological Magnons in Strongly Spin-orbit Coupled Magnetis”–>Joined Postdoc at Oak Ridge National Labs.
Dr. Qi Chen, PhD 2017, “Optical and Transport Properties of Systems with Topological Band Structures”–> Employment in Austin high tech sector.
Dr. Georgios Stamokostas, PhD 2017, “Strong spin-orbit effects in local moment models”–> Returned home to Greece for military service.
Dr. Rex Lundgren, PhD 2016, “Entanglement Spectra in Spin Chains”, Outstanding Dissertation Award, NSF Graduate Research Fellow–> Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), Maryland on a National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Dr. Xiaoting Zhou, PhD, Purdue University, Postdoc 2013-2015 –> National University of Singapore Postdoc
Dr. Hsiang-Hsuan Hung, PhD, UC San Diego, Postdoc 2012-2015 –> Data Science Fellowship, The Data Incubator
Dr. Xiang Hu, PhD 2015, “Topological States in Pyrochlore Iridate Films”, –> Cal State Northridge Postdoc
Professor Mehdi Kargarian, PhD, Sharif University, Iran, Postdoc 2010-2013 –> Sharif University, Faculty Member, 2020 ICTP Prize Recipient
Mr. Stewart Koppell, BS Physics, Math, Astronomy 2013 –> Stanford University Graduate Student
Dr. Victor Chua, PhD 2013, “Exactly Solvable Topolgical Spin Models” –> UIUC Postdoc
Dr. Andreas Rüegg, PhD, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, Postdoc 2009-2012 –> UC Berkeley Postdoc
Seth Whitsitt, BS Physics 2012, UT Unrestricted Endowed Presidential Scholar, Distingiushed Graduating Senior, Second Prize George H. Mitchell Award, Deans Honored Graduate –> Harvard Physics Graduate Student, Harvard Pierce Fellow (top fellowship for incomming students) and NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Dr. Jun Wen, PhD 2012, “Interaction Effects in Topological Insulators”, David Bruton, Jr. Fellowship –> Finance from Summer 2012
Dr. Vladimir A. Zyuzin, PhD 2012, “Bosonization Approach to Strongly Correlated Systems” –> University of Maryland Postdoc from Fall 2012
Mathew Quiroz (UT El Paso), Summer 2012 REU Student –> UIUC Physics Graduate Student
Pedram Razavi, Summer 2010 High School Intern, Intel Science Talent Search 2010 Semifinalist –> MIT Physics Undergraduate
Stuart A. Sevier, BS Physics 2010, UT College of Natural Sciences Intel Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship. –> UCLA Physics Graduate Student, NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Dr. C.-C. Joseph Wang, Postdoc 2009 –> Georgetown Postdoc
Dr. Dagim Tilahun, PhD 2008 (w/A. H. MacDonald) –> Patent Law