Zhehao Dai

Zhehao Dai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, affiliated with the Dietrich School. He holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics from MIT (2020) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley (2020-2024). His research focuses on strongly correlated electron systems, particularly gapless states in materials like high-temperature superconductors and pseudogap metals. He has pioneered novel mathematical and numerical methods using tensor network states to study low-dimensional quantum systems.

Research Interests include:

• Quantum many-body systems and topological phases
• Pair density waves and superconductivity mechanisms
• Tensor network state simulations and critical phenomena
• Photo-induced non-equilibrium phenomena

Recent work emphasizes developing isometric tensor network methods for fermionic systems and analyzing quantum Hall heterostructures. His studies bridge theoretical models with experimental observations in cuprates and other strongly correlated materials.

Advising & Grants: Currently mentoring early-career researchers in theoretical condensed matter physics. Previous postdoctoral work at Berkeley involved collaborative projects on advanced numerical methods.

Labs & Teams: Collaborates with experimental groups on topics like exciton condensate junctions and driven-dissipative systems. Active in the quantum materials theory community.