Humboldt Fellowship for Fangzhou Zhao

Fangzhou Zhao from the MPSD’s Theory group has been selected for a Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdocs. He will pursue first-principles calculation methods to investigate the light-matter interaction of 2D materials in optical cavities, using quantum electrodynamics density functional theory and time-dependent methods.

Having joined the MPSD in March of this year, Fangzhou investigates the correlated behavior of excitons (quasi-particles consisting of pairs of bound electrons and holes) in 2D materials and 2D materials in optical cavities.

“It is my great pleasure to be chosen as a Humboldt fellow,” says Fangzhou. “This will encourage me to pursue my research goal of developing computational methods for the investigation of excited state properties of materials.”

Fangzhou Zhao gained his B.Sc. in Physics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, followed by his M.A. and Ph.D in Physics at the University of California at Berkeley, U.S.A. His doctoral thesis focused on topological electronic properties and optical properties of graphene nanoribbons and carbon conjugated systems.

The Humboldt Research Fellowship is awarded to young scientists intending to carry out research projects of between six and 24 months’ duration at a host institution in Germany.