Lucas K. Wagner

Lucas K. Wagner, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Department of Physics, specializes in quantum Monte Carlo methods and electronic structure theory for correlated materials. He earned a Ph.D. (2006) and B.S. (2002) in Physics and Applied Mathematics from North Carolina State University, followed by postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley (2007-2009) and MIT (2009-2011) before joining Illinois in 2011.

• Pioneered quantum Monte Carlo simulations for high-temperature superconductors (cuprates, VO2) and topological materials
• Developed QWalk and PySCF/PyQMC packages for massively parallel quantum calculations (1M+ threads)

His research bridges ab-initio simulations with data-driven analysis to derive effective physics of quantum systems. Recent work focuses on spin-orbit models, excited state calculations, and electronic phase transitions in 2D materials.

Scientific awards:

• Nordsieck award for teaching excellence (2020)

Teaching includes PHYS 460: Condensed Matter Physics and MSE 485: Atomic Scale Simulations at the University of Illinois.