Lia Krusin

Professor Lia Krusin is a distinguished faculty member in the Physics Department at the City College of New York (CCNY), part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. She leads the KrusinLab, a prominent research group focused on cutting-edge investigations in topological quantum materials. She serves as co-director of IRG1 (Heterostructures of van der Waals Materials) within the NSF MRSEC Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids (PAS³), a collaborative center led by CCNY and Columbia University with additional partners including Harvard University and Barnard College.

Her research primarily centers on topological insulators, where she has made groundbreaking discoveries including the singular robust room-temperature spin response from topological Dirac fermions and emergent surface superconductivity in topological materials. Dr. Krusin has pioneered innovative approaches using high-energy (2.5 MeV) electron beams to achieve stable topological insulators by compensating charged bulk defects and bringing the Fermi level back into the bulk gap. This work has established a route to intrinsic quantum transport of topological states unconstrained by bulk size limitations.

Her research group employs advanced techniques including Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), nanofabrication, and characterization using facilities like the Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) with 14 Tesla magnet capabilities. The lab explores multiple research thrusts: expanding available topological materials, measuring and controlling properties of atomically thin van der Waals materials, and creating new interfaces exhibiting emergent electronic phenomena.

Professor Krusin's publications span high-impact journals including Nature Materials, Nature Communications, and Physical Review Letters, with research focusing on quantum transport, spin response, superconductivity, and optical characterization of topological systems. Her recent work has particularly emphasized achieving stable charge neutrality points in topological materials and investigating emergent surface superconductivity.

• Fellow of the American Physical Society
• Recipient of ten IBM Invention Achievement Awards

Dr. Krusin maintains active collaborations with research groups at Columbia University, Harvard University, École Polytechnique (France), Virginia Tech, and the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. Her lab, located in the Center for Discovery & Innovation (CDI) building at 85 St. Nicholas Terrace, is associated with the CUNY ASRC NanoFabrication Facility. She actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students, welcoming new members to join her research group to explore the frontiers of quantum materials science.