When
Monday, November 24, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Brian Kim
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
University of Arizona
"Emergent Phenomena in Hybrid 2D/3D Quantum Heterostructures"
Harshbarger Building, Room 118A-A1
ABSTRACT: Quantum materials host exotic states of matter with unique macroscopic phenomena, ranging from various correlated electron states to topological orders. The ability to deterministically create and manipulate their emergent properties with nanoscale precision is at the forefront of condensed matter research and underlies the future progress of new electronic, photonic and quantum technologies. The unique combination of 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials and 3D complex transition-metal oxides (which host strong electron correlations) offers unprecedented opportunities for designing functional properties at their interface. In this talk, I will explore emergent phenomena at these hybrid 2D/3D quantum heterostructures, with a particular focus on light-matter interactions mediated by polaritons—hybrid excitations capable of extreme light confinement. I will first discuss how integrating oxides into 2D materials enables novel polaritonic device platforms with precisely controllable light-matter interactions. I will further discuss emergent polaritonic cavity-based engineering of physical materials properties in 2D/3D heterostructures and their applications in next-generation devices.
BIOSKETCH: Brian Kim is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona. He received BS in electrical engineering from Northwestern University. He went onto receive MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University where he worked with Prof. Harold Hwang on complex oxide heterostructures and devices. He was then a post-doctoral researcher at Columbia University working with Prof. James Hone and Prof. Dmitri Basov on 2D materials and near-field nano-optics. His research group focuses on designing low-dimensional quantum materials and heterostructures for a new generation of electronic, photonic and quantum technologies. In his free time, Brian enjoys playing guitar and watching baseball.