Yong P. Chen

Quantum physics

The physicist, Yong P. Chen, explores and develops materials that are just a few atomic layers thick and in which quantum effects determine the behaviour of the electrons. He investigates how such unusual material properties can be utilised to develop new technologies for quantum physics. 

Yong P. Chen’s work focuses on what are known as quantum materials, which include graphene and topological materials whose electronic properties are fundamentally different from those of conventional solids. Chen studies how electrons move and interact in these nanoscale structures. He is particularly interested in the way different quantum systems can be combined to create completely new physical states. This research couples fundamental physics with potential applications in areas such as quantum electronics and future quantum computers. Chen’s work on graphene, topological insulators and superconducting quantum systems has contributed significantly to understanding modern quantum materials. His research helps to explain how electrons behave under extreme quantum physical conditions and may create the foundations for new technologies in the long term. 

In his role as Humboldt Professor for Nanotechnology Engineering, Yong P. Chen’s work on 2D materials will close research gaps at the Center for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology (CINSaT) at the University of Kassel. He is also foreseen as the co-director of the Nanostructure Technology Centre, which is currently being established and aims to become a leading nanotechnology centre.

Brief bio

Yong P. Chen completed his doctorate at Princeton University, United States, in 2005. He then became a postdoc at Rice University in Houston and subsequently held a professorship at Purdue University, Indiana, for many years. He is currently a professor of physics at Aarhus University in Denmark and principal investigator at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) at Tohoku University in Japan. Chen is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Physical Society (APS) and the international Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 

Yong P. Chen has been selected for a Humboldt Professorship and is currently conducting appointment negotiations with the German university that nominated him for the award. If the negotiations end successfully, the award will be granted in 2027.