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PQI 2D Materials Workshop: Bridging Research Communities

July 8-9, 2025

7500 Wean Hall, Carnegie Mellon University

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Join us for a dynamic two-day workshop bringing together researchers in 2D materials from across Pittsburgh's universities. This collaborative gathering, supported by the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute (PQI), aims to foster synergistic connections between local research groups while showcasing cutting-edge work in this rapidly evolving field. Participants will share their current research through presentations, engage in roundtable discussions, and network with colleagues during informal sessions. The workshop will also feature keynote talks by leading researchers beyond Pittsburgh, providing fresh perspectives and potential partnership opportunities. A dedicated student poster session will highlight emerging research from graduate students. Whether your focus is synthesis, characterization, theory, or applications, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to strengthen Pittsburgh's 2D materials community and spark new collaborative initiatives.

Chair: Nathan Youngblood, University of Pittsburgh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Program Committee:
Ben Hunt, Carnegie Mellon University Department of Physics
David Snoke, University of Pittsburgh Department of Physics and Astronomy

Day 1: July 8, 2025

8:30 – 9:00 AM: Registration and Breakfast

9:00 – 9:05 AM: Welcome Remarks

Nathan Youngblood, Workshop Chair Associate Professor of ECE, University of Pittsburgh

9:05 – 10:00 AM: Keynote Session I - Chair: Nathan Youngblood

Cheng Gong, Associate Professor of ECE, University of Maryland
“Emerging Advances in 2D Magnets, Ferroelectrics, and Multiferroics”

10:00 – 10:30 AM: Coffee Break

10:30 – 12:10 AM: Session 1 – Magnetism and Topology in 2D Materials - Chair: David Snoke

10:30 – 10:55 AM: Ben Hunt, PQI Co-Director and Associate Professor of Physics, CMU

“Helical edge states in graphene on a ferroelectric substrate”

10:55 – 11:20 AM: Simranjeet Singh, Assistant Professor of Physics, CMU

2D Systems for Spintronics and Quantum Sensing

11:20 – 11:45 AM: Shubhayu Chatterjee, Assistant Professor of Physics, CMU

“Magnetism of Wigner molecules in twisted transition metal dichalcogenides”

11:45 – 12:10 PM: Li He, University of Pennsylvania, Physics
“Topological and quantum exciton-polaritons in 2D materials”

12:15 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch & Networking

1:30 – 2:20 PM: Session 2 – Materials Synthesis and Characterization - Chair: Susan Fullerton

1:30 – 1:55 PM: Haitao LiuDepartment Chair and Professor of Chemistry, Pitt

“Intrinsic Surface Properties of 2D Materials”

1:55 – 2:20 PM: Jyoti Katoch, Associate Professor of Physics, CMU

Probing Electronic Structure of van der Waals Heterostructures using in-operando nanoARPES

2:20 – 2:45 PM: Hui Deng, Professor of Physics & ECE and Associate Chair for Research and Facilities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

High Q microcavities and large area monolayers for transport and quantum geometry of polaritons

2:45 – 3:15 PM: Break

3:15 – 3:45 PM: Rohith Chandrasekar, Director of Advanced Materials at Leidos, Former DARPA Program Manager

“Engaging the DoD and Defense Industrial Base on 2D Quantum Materials R&D”

3:45 – 4:30 PM: Panel Discussion / Q&A

“DoD: Strategies and Opportunities for Engagement”
Moderator: Ben Hunt
Panelists: Rohith Chandrasekar, Rob Cunningham, Tania Paskova

4:30 – 5:15 PM: AMA Student + Faculty Round Table Discussions
5:30 PM: Reception & Dinner (TBD)

Day 2: July 9, 2025

8:30 – 9:00 AM: Breakfast

9:00 – 10:00 AM: Keynote Session II - Chair: Nathan Youngblood

Steven Koester, Frank M. Freimann Professor of Microelectronics and Director of Notre Dame’s Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Department of ECE, Notre Dame
“Exploiting the unique properties of 2D materials for electronic, photonic and sensing applications”

10:00 – 10:30 AM: Coffee Break

10:30 – 11:45 AM: Session 3 – Electronic Transport and Device Applications - Chair: Ben Hunt

10:30 – 10:55 AM: Susan Fullerton, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bicentennial Board of Visitors Faculty Fellow and Vice Chair of Education, Pitt

Ionic Gating Strategies for Enhanced Electronic Control in 2D Materials

10:55 – 11:20 AM: Xu Zhang, Assistant Professor of ECE, CMU

“2D Semiconductors for Extreme Transistor Scaling Beyond Silicon”

11:20 – 11:45 AM: TBD, Pitt, ECE

TBD

11:45 AM – 1:00 PM: Lunch & Networking

1:00 – 2:15 AM: Session 4 – Twisted Structures and Quantum Phenomena - Chair: Sufei Shi

1:00 – 1:25 PM: David Snoke, PQI Co-Director and Distinguished Professor of Physics, Pitt

Excitonic pairing of electrons in TMD bilayer structures

1:25 – 1:50 PM: Grigory Tarnopolskiy, Assistant Professor of Physics, CMU

“Capturing the Entire Spectrum of Moiré Materials via Discrete WKB”

1:50 – 2:15 PM: Sufei Shi, Associate Professor of Physics, CMU

“Correlated Excitons in Moire Superlattices”

2:15 – 2:45 PM: Coffee Break

2:45 – 3:45 PM: Panel Discussion & Collaborative Opportunities

“Future Directions in 2D Materials Research: Bridging Communities”
Moderator: Nathan Youngblood
Panelists:
Ben Hunt, Steven Koester, Cheng Gong, David Snoke

3:45 – 4:00 PM: Closing Remarks from PQI Directors

Ben Hunt, CMU, Physics
David Snoke, Pitt, Physics