image: Yang Zhang
Credit: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Assistant Professor Yang Zhang hadn't planned to go to Greece this summer, much less prepare an invited lecture. But when he learned he'd been chosen for the 2024 International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Early Career Scientist Prize in Computational Physics, he was happy to put together some last-minute travel plans.
Watching Galaxies Form
The IUPAP comprises 20 international Commissions representing different subfields of physics. Each Commission recognizes outstanding physicists in the first stages of their careers with the Early Career Scientist Prize. C20, the Commission on Computational Physics, selected Zhang for this year's award. He was cited "for his significant and innovative achievements in computational study of topological bands and quantum anomalous Hall states in two-dimensional semiconductors."
As the C20 website explains, computational physics is where a computer becomes the basic tool for exploring natural laws. When experiments are impossible or impractical, computation provides simulated studies with closely-controlled conditions. Where data are overwhelming or unwieldy in terms of volume or intricacy, computational codes and models can work through them more easily.
Zhang has been intrigued by the field's possibilities since his early studies.
"I first got interested in computational physics during my undergraduate research internship with Dr. Sverre Aarseth of the University of Cambridge Institute of Astronomy, he said. "Seeing a galaxy form on the computer screen was mesmerizing. I learned to tweak parameters and to optimize the program even at hardware level, gaining a deeper understanding of the physics and computational techniques involved. The blend of physical intuition, mathematical rigor, and computational creativity ignited my passion for the field and set me on the path to further studies and research in computational physics."
Zhang has taken that passion and applied it to quantum materials, helping build UT's research and teaching expertise in this growing and critical field.
Physics Professor and Department Head Adrian Del Maestro explained that Zhang "is driving innovation in quantum materials research by translating the latest advances in artificial intelligence and applying them to extraordinarily challenging problems in strongly interacting quantum systems."
He added that with his strong collaboration network, Yang's research has a truly global impact. At the same time, he has a unique gift for developing new algorithmic methods and communicating these discoveries to UT's undergraduate and graduate students.
Del Maestro works with Zhang through their leadership roles in UT's Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, a National Science Foundation-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). Both hold joint appointments in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
An Unexpected Honor
Zhang joined UT in 2023 after a postdoctoral appointment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology following completion of a PhD at the Max Planck Institute Dresden. He has won several awards, including two Overall Winner Awards in the World Supercomputing Contest, the SFB Best Doctoral Thesis Award, the Tschirnhaus Medal from the Leibniz Association, and the Otto-Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society. Now he adds the prestigious IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize to that list.
"Receiving this award means a great deal to me," Zhang said. "It recognizes my hard work and dedication in computational quantum matter and highlights the importance of my method development, as well as my contributions in semiconductor superlattice. This recognition motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge in developing methods for large-scale quantum systems and inspires me to mentor future scientists."
Zhang was surprised to learn he had won the prize, as nominees may have up to eight years of research experience after finishing a doctoral degree and he was about four years past his PhD when he learned he had been nominated.
"This award was an unexpected but deeply appreciated honor," he explained. "I believe recent breakthroughs in fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects played a significant role in earning this recognition, and I am grateful for the support and acknowledgment of my work in this exciting field."
Zhang will accept the prize at the 35th IUPAP International Conference on Computational Physics (CCP2024) to be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, July 7-12. As part of his recognition, he's invited to deliver a lecture. Though his summer agenda hadn't included the conference, he said he "quickly organized my travel arrangements and prepared for the event."