Leo Radzihovsky

Leo Radzihovsky is a Professor of Distinction in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, specializing in theoretical condensed matter physics. His research spans classical and quantum systems, including liquid crystals, superconductors, topological states, and quantum Hall effects, with a focus on universal collective behavior arising from strong interactions and fluctuations.

Education: B.S./M.S. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1988), M.S./Ph.D. from Harvard University (1989/1993). Postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago (1993–1995) before joining CU Boulder in 1995.

Research Interests: Degenerate atomic gases, superconductivity, quantum Hall systems, liquid crystals, and disordered systems. His work integrates field theory and renormalization group methods to study phase transitions and critical phenomena. Notable contributions include fracton phases, BKT transitions in super-Coulombic plasmas, and ferroelectric nematic phases.

Publications: Over 140 papers in leading journals, with recent works focusing on fracton matter, quantum fluids, and topological phases, reflecting his exploration of novel states of matter and their universal properties.

Awards: LeRoy Apker Award (1988), Sloan and Packard Fellowships, Simons Investigator (2014), and Fellow of the American Physical Society. He also co-founded the Boulder School for Condensed Matter and Materials Physics.

Grants/Leadership: NSF CAREER Award, Simons Foundation support, and leadership roles in the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research bridges classical 'soft' and quantum 'hard' condensed matter systems, emphasizing universality across scales.

Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary collaborations, including with experimental groups (e.g., Joseph Maclennan and Noel Clark on liquid crystals), and theoretical initiatives like the fracton-Elasticity duality framework.