Taylor L. Hughes

Taylor L. Hughes is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics, particularly topological insulators/superconductors, quantum information/entanglement techniques, and mesoscopic transport in low-dimensional materials. His research also explores connections between high-energy physics, gravity, and condensed matter systems.

• Education: B.S. in Physics and Mathematics (2003, summa cum laude) from the University of Florida; Ph.D. in Physics (2009) from Stanford University under Shou-Cheng Zhang.

Research Interests:

• Topological insulators and superconductors
• Quantum entanglement in condensed matter
• Mesoscopic transport in heterostructures
• Topological order and quantum Hall effect
• Spin-orbit coupling and low-dimensional systems
• Interdisciplinary links to high-energy physics

Scientific Awards:

• Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar (2020, 2022)
• ONR Young Investigator Award (2015)
• University of Illinois Center for Advanced Study Fellowship (2014)
• NSF CAREER Award (2014)
• Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (2014)
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow (2013)

Teaching and Advising: Hughes has taught advanced courses including Condensed Matter Physics I (PHYS 560) and Special Topics in Physics (PHYS 598 CMX). He actively mentors highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students in computational and theoretical physics projects.