Aravind Devarakonda Named Moore Fellow in Materials Synthesis

Columbia Engineering Assistant Professor Aravind Devarakonda has been named a Moore Fellow in Materials Synthesis . The four-year, $1.2 million dollar grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will support Devarakondas efforts to synthesize quantum materials with unique physical properties of potential use in emerging quantum technologies, like quantum computers and sensors.

Devarakonda joined Columbia Engineerings Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics in January 2024, after working with Columbia researchers, including physicist Cory Dean and chemist Xavier Roy, as a Simons Junior Fellow since 2021. The goal of his new group is to advance our understanding of the quantum mechanical behavior of solids, and ultimately find ways to tailor their properties, which he hopes to achieve by combining elements of physics, chemistry, and material science.

The Moore grant in particular will support Devarakondas efforts to create materials that feature both strong interactions among their electrons and topology a subtle feature of the electrons wavefunction that can be used to create quantum states that are impervious to noisy environments, he explained.

Establishing that a material has these unusual features requires precise physical measurements at cryogenic temperatures approaching absolute zero. But before that, creating materials requires some chemistry intuition.

The periodic table is large, and it can seem daunting to choose what to grow, Devarakonda said. This is where we rely on principles from physics and chemistry, a treasure trove of literature, and our own practical experience gained over time. Once we've picked a target material, based on the chemical makeup we can then choose the appropriate crystal growth technique. Of course, actually synthesizing the chosen material can still be challenging.

Devarakonda also plans to go one step further. With this support from the Moore Foundation we want to go beyond traditional ways of synthesizing materials. We are now afforded the freedom to try and come up with new ways to synthesize them. Devarakonda believes this is where were likely to find the real surprises. I'm optimistic this will reveal classes of materials that have never been seen before.