Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Quantum Materials: Haddin Forum

The Theodore Haddin Arts and Sciences Forum is an ongoing lecture series at UAB's College of Arts and Sciences. It is a venue for Arts and Sciences faculty to talk about their research with their colleagues, students, and members of the public, and is designed to celebrate faculty work and to launch new conversations.

Assistant Professor of Physics Cheng-Chien Chen, Ph.D. will present "Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Quantum Materials." Quantum mechanics is the language for describing material properties, by considering electron interaction and atomic bonding at the microscopic level. Recent years have seen growing interests in materials with prominent quantum effects, such as superconductivity, topological order, and multiferroic phenomena. This talk will discuss the design and discovery of novel quantum systems by first-principles quantum theory, evolutionary algorithm, and machine learning. The materials under study such as thermoelectrics, topological insulators, and superhard compounds will concern only fundamental sciences but also potential technological and industrial applications.