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Explore with us the Light-Matter Roadmap!

Mission Statement

Our research aims to unlock the potential of controlled light-matter interactions by linking material science and quantum optics. Material science vastly relies on oversimplified field approaches and quantum optics is shaped by oversimplified material models, which diminishes their ability to describe many relevant phenomena. By introducing material-specificity to the latter and field-specificity to the former, our research paves the way for simulations of new modes of catalysis, quantum materials, and quantum information devices.

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Research

Research

We are working on all things light-matter interaction, from classical to quantum.

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Chemistry in Electric Fields

The electromagnetic field is commonly described with less accuracy than the atomic and electronic structure. However, within a family of recently proposed modes of catalysis, the electromagnetic field component is complex and a dynamical participant that can not be treated with the typical approximations. Our group is developing methodological tools and performing simulations that recognize the complexity of the electromagnetic field to identify essential features of its participation in the catalysis.

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Polaritonic Chemistry

Polaritonic chemistry is a nascent field that opens up new possibilities for controlling material properties and modifying chemical processes by taking advantage of the strong light-matter interaction that arises when matter is confined in optical cavities. We are exploring fundamental features of non-conventional cavities including their potential to change physio-chemical properties of materials and are developing scalable computational methods alike. For the latter, we are spearheading ab-initio quantum chemistry methods adapted to the explicit treatment of photons.

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Quantum Information

Photons are one of the best carriers of quantum information. However, the missing link between realistic experimentally achievable physical systems and the often highly simplified theoretically proposed mechanisms and protocols under perfect conditions hinder photonic qubits from being realized at a large scale. Therefore, we are exploring a material science perspective to the concept of  photonic qubits in order to explore the realistic potential of all-optical quantum information processors.

About

The Team

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NORAH HOFFMANN

Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator

Leopoldina Postdoctoral Fellow, 2023 Department of Chemistry at Columbia University, New York

IMPRS Doctoral Fellow, 2020

 Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamic of Matter, Hamburg

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MUHAMMAD HASYIM

Simons Postdoctoral Fellow

PhD Chemical Engineering, 2023

 University of California, Berkeley

BSc Chemical Engineering, 2017 

Pennsylvania State University

BSc Engineering Science, 2017

 Pennsylvania State University

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JILLIAN HOFFSTADT

Graduate Student

BSc Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2022

 University of Michigan

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IRÉN SIMKÓ

Simons Postdoctoral Fellow

PhD Chemistry, 2022

 Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest

MSc Chemistry, 2019

 Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest

BSc Chemistry, 2017

 Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest

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OLIVER TAN

Graduate Student

B.S. Chemistry and Biology, 2023

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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DAVIS WELAKUH

Guest Researcher

Simons Postdoctoral Fellow, 2024

New York University

Postdoc Scholar, 2023

 Harvard University

PhD Physics, 2021

 Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamic of Matter, Hamburg

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RHIANNON ZAROTIADIS  

Simons Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Sc. ETH Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences, 2023
ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

MSc Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences, 2019
ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

BSc Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences, 2018
ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

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YUCHEN WANG

Postdoctoral Associate

PhD Chemistry, 2024

 Kansas State University

BSc Chemistry, 2019

 Anhui Normal Univeristy

Join Us!

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Undergraduate Students

You want to start doing research? NYU undergraduate students can contact me here.

Graduate Students

You want to join the team? NYU graduate students can contact me here. Prospective graduate students should apply through NYU GSAS.

Postdocs

Interested in extending your knowledge about theory and simulations of light-matter interaction? Contact me here, we are hiring! 

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