Dr. Adam Wei Tsen, Associate Professor in Chemistry and faculty at the Institute for Quantum Computing, has been named an Endowed Chair in Nanotechnology, recognizing his internationally prominent research in nanotechnology. He will hold the position for five years with a possibility of a five-year renewal.
Tsen’s research sits at the intersection between fundamental materials science and device engineering. His research group studies two-dimensional quantum materials, which are materials that have quantum properties (like superconductivity, exotic forms of magnetism, and so on) and can also be reduced to two-dimensional or atomically thin forms.
Leveraging the ability to stack and artificially combine these two-dimensional quantum materials, Tsen’s team engineers heterostructures that can be tailored to exhibit different properties. They make electronic devices out of these materials to demonstrate new electronic, magnetic, or optical functionalities that can sometimes outperform traditional systems.
The breadth of this research requires a high level of interdisciplinary collaboration. Tsen’s team includes researchers from chemistry, physics, and engineering, who all bring their unique perspectives to the research.
“It helps to have people with different backgrounds precisely because our work is at the intersection between different fields,” he says. “Someone from a purely chemistry or physics background might not have a lot of exposure to devices and circuits. Someone from an engineering background might not know much about solid-state materials. These different types of expertise complement each other.”
It’s work he could only do at Waterloo. The strong nanotechnology program is a clear advantage, as is the critical mass of quantum researchers providing opportunities for collaboration. The facilities are also essential to his work.
“The nanotechnology infrastructure here is quite unique in Canada,” says Tsen. “A lot of our work requires the ability to make devices on extremely small materials (on the micron scale). We need to use the nanofabrication facilities to make electrical contacts and build complex heterostructures. Without that infrastructure, we wouldn’t be able to do the things that we do at all.”
The diversity of his work uniquely positions Tsen to bring together related areas of study to advance the field of nanotechnology.
“I think our work can bridge the gap between the materials, nanotechnology, quantum, and device communities more broadly,” he says. “As an Endowed Chair in Nanotechnology, I hope I can take some of the techniques we’ve developed for two-dimensional systems and adapt them to other materials like bulk crystals and thin films.”
Please join us in congratulating Tsen on his new role!