Cui-Zu Chang

Cui-Zu Chang is a Professor of Physics at Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Department of Physics within the Eberly College of Science. He holds notable titles including the Henry W. Knerr Early Career Professorship and is recognized for pioneering work on the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect and topological materials. His research focuses on experimental condensed matter physics, particularly exploring quantum phenomena in engineered heterostructures and topological insulators.

Education: Ph.D. in Physics from Tsinghua University (2013), B.S. in Optical Engineering from Shandong University (2007). Before becoming a faculty member at Penn State in 2017, he was a Postdoc Research Associate at MIT (2013–2017).

Research Interests: Chang’s work emphasizes experimental exploration of QAH effect, Majorana physics, interface superconductivity, and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown quantum materials. His group investigates novel quantum phases in materials like MnBi₂Te₄ and Bi₂Se₃-based heterostructures, focusing on tunable topological states and their applications in quantum devices.

Publications: Over 120 peer-reviewed articles, including landmark papers in Nature, Science, and Physical Review Letters. Recent work includes studies on chiral edge currents, axion insulators, and superconductivity in topological heterostructures.

Awards: APS Fellow (2024), Rustum & Della Roy Award (2021), NSF CAREER Award (2019), and MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (2018).

Labs & Teams: Leads the Chang Group, focused on MBE fabrication and advanced characterization techniques (STM, ARPES, neutron scattering). Collaborates with theorists like Chao-Xing Liu and Allan MacDonald on QAH-related phenomena.