Serena Eley

Serena Eley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Washington, where she joined as a tenure-track faculty member in January 2023. She is also a faculty member of the Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems and QuantumX at the University. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Colorado School of Mines.

Dr. Eley's research focuses on understanding the complex interplay between material disorder, thermal energy, spin, and charge in quantum materials and devices. Her work centers on superconductivity and magnetism, with particular emphasis on vortex dynamics, skyrmion dynamics, energy loss mechanisms in superconducting circuits, and next-generation spintronics. She leads the Eley Quantum Materials Group, which examines superconductors and magnets to find ways to fine-tune atomic disorder landscapes and leverage their unique properties for quantum technology development.

Her groundbreaking work includes achieving the maximum critical current ever measured in an iron-based superconductor, published in Nature Materials. Her research spans applications from quantum computing systems to medical, military, security, and power technologies. The publications demonstrate strong focus on quantum materials engineering, vortex physics, and the development of predictive design methodologies to replace traditional trial-and-error approaches in superconductor development.

Scientific awards and honors include:

• Henry Luce Scholar
• John Bardeen Award for doctoral dissertation
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award
• Joseph A. Johnson III Award for Excellence
• Goddard Award for Best Research Contribution
• Cottrell Scholars Award

Dr. Eley actively mentors students across multiple disciplines including electrical engineering, physics, and materials science. She has collaborated with UW colleagues like Jiun-Haw Chu in the physics department and has established the UW ECE Industry Mentors program connecting undergraduates with professionals at companies like Boeing, Airbus, Intel, and Rigetti Computing. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses while maintaining an active research program with state-of-the-art facilities including the Washington Nanofabrication Facility and the UW Molecular Engineering Materials Center.

Her laboratory work spans multiple research areas including the study of quantum vortices in superconductors, skyrmions in magnetic materials, and energy loss mechanisms in quantum circuits. She is leading efforts toward predictive design in a field that has traditionally relied on trial and error to discover and improve superconducting and magnetic materials.