Andrea Cavalleri

Andrea Cavalleri is a renowned physicist affiliated with both the University of Hamburg and the University of Oxford as a Professor of Physics. He serves as Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter since 2013, having previously held leadership roles at the same institute and its predecessor departments.

• Laurea and PhD in Physics, University of Pavia (1994–1998)
• Postdoc, University of California, San Diego (1998–2001)
• Scientific staff, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2001–2005)

His research focuses on ultrafast science, superconductivity, and nonlinear phononics. He pioneered femtosecond x-ray experiments to study atomic-structural dynamics in solids and demonstrated light-induced superconductivity in cuprates and fullerites. Current work involves X-ray Free Electron Lasers for photo-induced phase transitions.

Selected publications highlight trends in ultrafast control of condensed matter phases, including superconducting plasma waves, Josephson solitons, and Dirac carrier dynamics in graphene. His work bridges experimental techniques with fundamental insights into quantum materials.

• Fellow of the American Physical Society (2011), Institute of Physics (2015), and AAAS (2016)
• Max Born Medal (2015), Dannie Heinemann Prize (2015), ERC Synergy Grant (2013)
• David Shirley Award (2004) and European Young Investigator Award (2004)

Cavalleri's research has driven the development of tools for studying non-equilibrium phenomena in complex solids, enabling new directions in materials science and quantum physics. He has held named lectureships at institutions like Collège de France and Uppsala University.