Michel Gingras

Professor Gingras’ main interests are in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics, with a focus on systems with random disorder. He is also interested in strongly correlated classical and quantum condensed matter systems subject to strongly competing, or frustrated, interactions. Gingras’ lab frequently collaborates with experimentalists to test theoretical ideas developed in the group. They use a variety of analytical and computational methods, including large-scale numerical simulations, to address these areas of research.

• Quantum Magnetism
• Frustrated Classical and Quantum Magnetism
• Spin Ice
• Random Disordered Condensed Matter Systems
• Condensed Matter
• Quantum Science

Professor Gingras' main research interests are in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics, with a focus on systems with random disorder, as well as strongly correlated classical and quantum condensed matter systems subject to strongly competing, or frustrated, interactions. He often collaborates with experimentalists both in Canada and internationally, either trying to understand their results or to conceive new experiments to test theoretical ideas developed in his group. More generally, he is intrigued by problems that exhibit interesting and perplexing collective behaviour. To pursue this research, his students and post-docs employ a range of analytical methods as well as a wide variety of computational techniques, often performing large-scale numerical simulations using programs that we develop, test and run on various platforms. The number of students and post-docs in his group varies with time between 3-4 graduate students and a couple of post-docs. Professor Gingras always entertains the interest of potential graduate students and undergraduate students to join the group. Details on specific research projects can be found on Dr. Gingras' site.

• 1990 PhD Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• 1985 MSc Physics, Université Laval, Laval, Québec, Canada
• 1983 BSc Physics, Université Laval, Laval, Québec, Canada

• 2019, Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• 2014, Outstanding Referee Award, American Physical Society
• 2012, Killam Research Fellowship, Canada Council for the Arts
• 2011, Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society
• 2010, 2003, Canada Research Chair (Tier I)
• 2010, 2007, 2004, Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo
• 2009, Brockhouse Medal, Canadian Association of Physicists
• 2003, E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
• 2001, Herzberg Medal, Canadian Association of Physicists
• 2000, Inaugural recipient of the Award for Excellence in Research, University of Waterloo

• 2015-present, Oak Ridge National Lab, Reviewer
• 2003-present, Center for Neutron Research, Reviewer

• 2011-present American Physical Society, Elected Fellow
• ​1999-present Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Fellow of the Quantum Materials Program

• Member, Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute
• Member, Guelph-Waterloo Chemistry Graduate Program

• PHYS 234 - Quantum Physics 1
  • Taught in 2022, 2024
• PHYS 335 - Condensed Matter Physics
  • Taught in 2019, 2020
• PHYS 359 - Statistical Mechanics
  • Taught in 2019
• PHYS 435 - Current Topics in Condensed Matter Physics
  • Taught in 2023, 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Gingras, M.J.P. and McClarty, P.A., “Quantum Spin Ice: A Search for Gapless Quantum Spin Liquids in Pyrochlore Magnets”; Reports Progress in Physics (2014) volume 77, pp. 056501(1)-056501(26) .
• Gardner, J.S., Gingras, M.J.P. and Greedan, J.E., “Magnetic Pyrochlore Oxides”; Rev. Mod. Phys. (2010) volume 82, pp. 53-10.
• Gingras, M.J.P., “Observing Monopoles in a Magnetic Analog of Ice”, Science (2009) volume 326, pp. 375-376.
• Molavian, H.R., Gingras, M.J.P. and Canals, B., “Dynamically-Induced Frustration as a Route to a Quantum Spin Ice State in Tb2Ti2O7 via Virtual Crystal Field Excitations and Quantum Many-Body Effects”; Phys. Rev. Lett. (2007) volume 98, pp. 157204(1)-157204(4).
• Bramwell, S.T. and Gingras, M.J.P., “Spin Ice State in Frustrated Magnetic Pyrochlore Materials''; Science (2001) volume 294, pp. 1495-1501.