Quantum Materials Leadership
Materials drive the technological world and the future of materials belongs to the quantum realm. UT’s condensed matter physicists are at the forefront of research to tease out what happens at the microscopic level to define, design, and create materials for a new age.
With expertise in theory and experiment and access to powerful tools, our faculty investigate what happens in strongly interacting electron systems and how quantum states of matter emerge and behave. They develop sophisticated computational frameworks for speeding up how to sort and describe subatomic constituents. With advanced instruments both on campus and at partner facilities, they synthesize novel quantum materials and devices and determine their structures and properties.
Our CMP faculty play a defining role in the university’s Quantum Materials for Future Technologies (QMFT) Research Cluster, which won an $18 million award from the National Science Foundation to establish a Materials Research and Engineering Center (MRSEC), one of only 20 such centers nationwide. Their contributions were crucial in bringing the Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing to fruition and physics faculty members now lead the center’s administration, as well as the artificial intelligence for quantum materials research team.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is rapidly emerging as a leader in quantum materials research and the physics faculty is central to that success.
Condensed Matter Physics Faculty — Theory
![Johnston, Steven](https://physics.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Steve-Johnston.webp)
![Moreo, Adriana](https://physics.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Adriana-Moreo.webp)
![Zhang, Ruixing](https://physics.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Ruixing-Zhang.webp)
![Zhang, Yang](https://physics.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Yang-Zhang.webp)
Condensed Matter Physics Faculty — Experiment
![Ko, Wonhee](https://physics.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Wonhee-Ko.webp)
![Lee, Joon Sue](https://physics.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Joon-Sue-Lee.webp)
Condensed Matter Physics Faculty — Emeritus
Condensed Matter Physics Highlights
- Alumni Association Honors Lee and Siopsis for Teaching and Distinguished Service
- Yang Zhang Wins Prestigious IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize
- Steve Johnston Named Bains Professor
- Elbio Dagotto Wins SEC Faculty Achievement Award
- Finding the Elusive Quantum Spin Liquid by Taking the Road Less Traveled
- UT Wins NSF Funding for the Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
- The Art of Science
- Stealing Electrons and Reversing Time
- Symmetry Breaking in Quantum Systems
- Elbio Dagotto Receives APS Adler Award in Materials Physics
- A Front Row Seat to Quantum Behavior
- Building Bridges for the Quantum Era
Condensed Matter Physics Media Mentions
Physics Faculty Honored for Excellence in Research and Teaching
UT College of Arts and Sciences News
March 28, 2024
Physics Faculty Honored For Excellence In Research And Teaching
UT College of Arts and Sciences
March 26, 2024
X-Rays Reveal Electronic Details of Nickel-based Superconductors
Brookhaven National Laboratory
April 17, 2023
UT professor shares physics of tearing down Tennessee goal posts
Knoxville News Sentinel
October 21, 2022
Facilities and Resources
Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (CAMM)
Institute for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing (IAMM)