Faculty Directory

You Zhou received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University and was a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard before joining the University of Maryland.

He is leading an experimental group studying the fundamental materials and device physics of quantum materials, to develop next-generation information and energy technologies. Particular materials systems include complex oxides with strong electron correlation effects, 2D materials, and their interfaces.

The You Zhou Research Group is hiring! Researchers with an interest and experience in correlated electronic systems, low-dimensional materials, nanophotonics and surface science are strongly encouraged to apply. If interested, please send your CV and a brief description of research interest to youzhou@umd.edu.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. Harvard University, 2015

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, 2023
• Outstanding Young Scientist, Maryland Academy of Sciences & Maryland Science Center, 2023
• IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Structure and Dynamics of Condensed Matter, 2023
• Department of Energy Early Career Award, 2022
• NSF CAREER Award, 2021
• Forbes 30 Under 30 – Science, 2018

• Materials synthesis
• 2D materials and heterostructures
• Transition metal oxides
• Electronic and optical materials and devices

Spring: ENMA 436/ENMA 636 Introduction to Quantum Materials and Devices

Selected Recent Publications

• Chiral optical nano-cavity with atomically thin mirrors. D. G. Suárez-Forero, R. Ni, S. Sarkar, M. J. Mehrabad, E. Mechtel, V. Simonyan, A. Grankin, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, S. Park, H. Jang, M. Hafezi, Y. Zhou. arXiv:2308.04574 (2023).

• Giant optical nonlinearity of Fermi polarons in atomically thin semiconductors. L. Gu, L. Zhang, R. Ni, M. Xie, D.S. Wild, S. Park, H. Jang, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, M. Hafezi, & Y. Zhou. arXiv:2306.11199 (2023).

• Excitonic Mott insulator in a Bose-Fermi-Hubbard system of moiré WS₂/WSe₂ heterobilayer. B. Gao, D.G. Suarez-Forero, S. Sarkar, T.S. Huang, D. Session, M.J. Mehrabad, R. Ni, M. Xie, J. Vannucci, S. Mittal, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, A. Imamoglu, Y. Zhou & M. Hafezi. arXiv:2304.09731 (2023).

• Controlling quantum phases of electrons and excitons in moiré superlattices. L. Zhang, R. Ni, & Y. Zhou. Journal of Applied Physics 133, 080901 (2023). [Invited]

• Bilayer Wigner crystals in a transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructure. Y. Zhou, J. Sung, E. Brutschea, I. Esterlis, Y. Wang, G. Scuri, R. J. Gelly, H. Heo, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, G. Zaránd, M. D. Lukin, P. Kim, E. Demler & H. Park. Nature 595, 48–52 (2021). 

• J. Sung, Y. Zhou, G. Scuri, V. Zolyomi, T. I. Andersen, H. Yoo, D. S. Wild, A. Y. Joe, R. J. Gelly, H. Heo, S. J. Magorrian, D. Berube, A. M. Valdivia, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, M. D. Lukin, P. Kim, V. I. Falko & H. Park. Broken mirror symmetry in excitonic response of reconstructed domains in twisted MoSe₂/MoSe₂ bilayers. Nature Nanotechnology, published online (2020). (News by Nature Nanotechnology)

• G. Scuri*, T. I. Andersen*, Y. Zhou*, D. S. Wild, J. Sung, R. J. Gelly, D. Berube, H. Heo, L. Shao, A. Y. Joe, A. M. Valdivia, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, M. Loncar, P. Kim, M. D. Lukin & H. Park. Electrically tunable valley dynamics in twisted WSe₂/WSe₂ bilayers. Physical Review Letter, 124, 217403 (2020). (News by Nature Reviews Materials)

• Y. Zhou, G. Scuri, J. Sung, R. Gelly, D.S. Wild, K. De Greve, A.Y. Joe, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, P. Kim, M.D. Lukin & H. Park. Controlling excitons in an atomically thin membrane with a mirror. Physical Review Letter 124, 027401 (2020). (Chosen as Editor’s suggestion)

• P. Roney, A. Shahsafi, Y. Zhou, Z. Zhang, Y. Xiao, C. Wan, R. Wambold, J. Salman, Z. Yu, J. Li, J. T. Sadowski, R. Comin, S. Ramanathan & M.A. Kats. Temperature-independent thermal radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116, 26402-26406 (2019).

• G. Scuri*, Y. Zhou*, A.A. High*, D.S. Wild*, C. Shu, K. De Greve, L.A. Jauregui, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, P. Kim, M. D. Lukin & H. Park. Large excitonic reflectivity of monolayer MoSe₂ encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride. Physical Review Letter 120, 037401 (2018). (News and Views by Nature)

• Y. Zhou*, G. Scuri*, D. S. Wild*, A.A. High*, A. Dibos, L.A. Jauregui, C. Shu, K. De Greve, K. Pistunova, A. Y. Joe, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, P. Kim, M.D. Lukin & H. Park. Probing dark excitons in atomically thin semiconductors via near-field coupling to surface plasmon polaritons. Nature Nanotechnology 12, 856–860 (2017). (News and Views by Nature Nanotechnology)

• Y. Zhou, X. Guan, H. Zhou, K. Ramadoss, S. Adam, H. Liu, S. Lee, J. Shi, M. Tsuchiya, D.D. Fong & S. Ramanathan. Strongly correlated perovskite fuel cells. Nature 534, 231–234 (2016). (News and Views by Nature Energy)

• Y. Zhou & S. Ramanathan. Mott memory and neuromorphic devices. Proceedings of the IEEE 103, 1289–1310 (2015)

• Y. Zhou*, J. Park*, J. Shi, M. Chhowalla, H. Park, D.A. Weitz & S. Ramanathan. Control of emergent properties at a correlated oxide interface with graphene. Nano Letters 15, 1627–1634 (2015).

• J. Shi*, Y. Zhou* & S. Ramanathan. Colossal resistance switching and band gap modulation in a perovskite nickelate by electron doping. Nature Communications 5, 5860 (2014)

• Y. Zhou, X. Chen, C. Ko, Z. Yang, C. Mouli & S. Ramanathan. Voltage-triggered ultrafast phase transition in vanadium dioxide switches. Electron Device Letters, IEEE 34, 220–222 (2013)