Daniel Rhodes

Daniel Rhodes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with an affiliate appointment in Physics. He leads the Rhodes Lab, focusing on novel 2D and bulk materials for correlated phenomena, superconductivity, and multiferroicity. His research combines crystal growth, nanofabrication, and magnetotransport to study quantum materials and 2D heterostructures.

Rhodes earned his PhD in Physics from Florida State University (2016) and completed a postdoc at Columbia University (2016–2019) under Prof. James Hone. He joined UW-Madison in 2020.

Research interests include synthesizing materials with non-hexagonal symmetry to enable unique electrical transport, studying growth parameters in transition metal dichalcogenides using scanning probe microscopy, and exploring defects and nucleation processes. Key achievements include the NSF CAREER Award (2024) and a Grainger Assistant Professorship (2021).

Recent publications span topics like terahertz sensing in topological semimetals, spin-selective magneto-conductivity, and twisted bilayer physics. His group actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students in Materials Science and Engineering, with notable advisees including Yangchen He and Zizhong Li.

Rhodes also teaches courses such as Materials Fundamentals (M S & E 550) and Microprocessing of Materials (M S & E 333). His work bridges fundamental material science with applications in optoelectronics and quantum technologies.