Yuan Cao | Generated by AI
Yuan Cao is a distinguished researcher and academic known for his groundbreaking work in the field of electrical engineering and physics. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, a position he will officially start in July 2024.
Education and Early Career
Yuan Cao obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2014. He then pursued his graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 2016 and a Ph.D. in the same field in 2020.
Research and Contributions
Cao’s research primarily focuses on the electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of low-dimensional materials, particularly two-dimensional (2D) materials like graphene. His work involves engineering these properties and finding applications for them using cross-disciplinary approaches, including nanotechnology, metamaterials, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
One of his most notable contributions is the discovery that a stack of two sheets of graphene, when cooled to 1.7 K and exposed to an electric field, can act as either a superconductor or an insulator. This discovery was made under the supervision of Professor Pablo Jarillo-Herrero at MIT and was published in top science journals like Nature and Physical Review Letters.
Awards and Recognition
Cao has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to physics. In 2018, his research on superconductivity in twisted graphene was featured at the top of Nature’s 10 list and was named the ‘Physics Breakthrough of the Year.’ He has also been awarded the ‘TIME 100 Next for rising stars’ in 2019, the Sackler Prize in Physics in 2020, the McMillan Award in 2021, and the Richard L. Greene Dissertation Award in 2022.
Current Work and Future Directions
As an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley, Cao is looking for highly motivated graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to join his lab and contribute to his ongoing research in 2D materials, low-temperature electrical transport, nanophotonics, metamaterials, MEMS, and related fields.
Yuan Cao’s work continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with low-dimensional materials, and his contributions have significantly advanced the field of electrical engineering and physics.