Michele Simoncelli
Assistant Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
Michele Simoncelli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University.
His group's research ranges from quantum theories to real-world technologies, and is structured around three core streams: the formulation of equations that relate the quantum behavior of atoms to macroscopic experimental observables; the development of physics-aware AI simulation methods to quantitatively predict materials properties from first principles; and the integrated application of these approaches to design and discover materials for the storage and management of information or energy—innovating on existing technologies in collaboration with industry, or even exploring new ones.
Prior to joining Columbia in January 2025, he held the Crone Research Fellowship in the Physics Department at the University of Cambridge (2021–2024), where he worked on fundamental quantum theory and computational methods to describe the emergence of hybrid crystal-glass properties in materials with controlled degrees of atomistic disorder. He received his PhD from EPFL (Switzerland) in 2021 under the supervision of Nicola Marzari, presenting in his thesis novel microscopic and mesoscopic theories of thermal transport in solids: the Wigner transport equation, generalizing the semiclassical Peierls-Boltzmann equation, and the viscous heat equations, generalizing Fourier's law.
His scientific contributions have been honored with the Charles Haenny Prize for Physics (2025), the Swiss Physical Society Computational Physics Award (2023), the EPFL Doctorate Award (2022), and the Chorafas Award from the Weizmann Institute of Science (2020).
Additional Information
-
Professional Experience
- Jan 2025–: Assistant Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University
- Sep 2021–Dec 2024: Crone Research Fellow, Physics Department (Cavendish Laboratory), University of Cambridge.
-
Honors & Awards
- 2023: Swiss Physical Society award in Computational Physics sponsored by COMSOL, for ‘contributions to a modern theory of thermal transport in solids’.
- 2022: EPFL Doctorate Award, issued by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne to up to three PhD theses per year, chosen over >400 STEM theses, to recognize research work of ‘exceptional quality’.
- 2020: Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation Award, issued by the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) to recognize ‘research characterized by its high potential for practical applications’.
- 2017: Computational thinking award, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland).
- 2015: IDEX Paris-Saclay scholarship, awarded by Université Paris-Saclay (France) to “students worldwide to enroll in a prestigious French master’s degree".