Roberto Merlin

Roberto Merlin is a Peter A. Franken Collegiate Professor of Physics and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the University of Michigan. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he earned an M.S. in 1973 from the University of Buenos Aires and a Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Stuttgart under Manuel Cardona. After postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois, he joined the University of Michigan Physics faculty in 1980 and holds a joint appointment in EECS since 2000. He has held visiting positions at institutions including Max-Planck-Institut FKF, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and ETH Zurich.

Merlin's research focuses on experimental condensed matter physics, particularly ultrafast optical techniques like spontaneous and impulsive Raman spectroscopy. His work spans coherent phonon dynamics, metamaterials for subwavelength focusing, and light-induced phase transitions in quantum materials. Recent publications address magnetophononics, phonon Bloch oscillations, and radiation-less interference in evanescent-field plates, reflecting his interdisciplinary interests in optics, quantum mechanics, and materials science.

His scientific contributions have been recognized by fellowships from the American Physical Society (1996), Optical Society of America (2000), and Simons Foundation (2013), along with the Frank Isakson Prize (2006) and Ellis R. Lippincott Award (2017). He has served in leadership roles for APS committees and conference chairs, and his editorial work includes Physical Review Letters and Solid State Communications.