Ruixing Zhang

Ruixing Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a joint appointment in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. He is affiliated with the Institute of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM) and the Condensed Matter Theory Center. His research focuses on theoretical topological quantum matter, exploring topological superconductivity, Majorana modes, and novel quantum phases in materials like iron-based superconductors and moiré systems.

Education: PhD in Physics from Penn State University (2018), BSc from University of Science and Technology of China (2012). Postdoctoral training at the Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland (2018-2021).

Research Interests:

• Topological insulators/semimetals
• Majorana materialization and topological quantum computing
• Floquet topological systems
• Twistronics and moiré physics
• Symmetry-protected topological phases

Selected Honors:

• 8th Peter Eklund Lecturing Award (2017)
• David C. Duncan Graduate Fellowship (2014-2016)
• Multiple teaching awards, including Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2015)

Advising & Labs: Leads a research group at South College and IAMM, advising graduate students and postdocs. Notable alumni include Lunhui Hu (now Assistant Professor at Zhejiang University). Active in theoretical and computational approaches to materials discovery.