John Sous

John Sous

Assistant Professor

University of California San Diego

About

Since July 2023, I am an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Before that I was a Gordon & Betty Moore Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, before which I was a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University. I obtained a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2019.

My research focuses on the study of materials in which quantum correlations act to stabilize novel electronic states of matter with functionalities that can be useful in applied research, such as energy applications. My research aims to gain a general, unifying understanding of interactions in these many-body systems. I progress in this effort by studying model systems that capture experiment in some instances, or by identifying universal features common amongst many experimental realizations in others. I am particularly interested in correlated quantum materials, ultracold atoms and molecules, and dynamics of non-linearly and optically driven systems. My research relies on a carefully tailored combination of analytical and numerical techniques.

When not working, I contemplate how science can positively affect society. Otherwise, I enjoy running, biking and absorbing culture.

I enjoy working with undergraduate and graduate students. UCSD undergrads and grads: Feel free to reach out to me, I am working on a number of exciting research directions that require analytical and/or computational work, and you are welcome to join.

Education

  • Ph.D., Theoretical Physics, 2019

    The University of British Columbia

  • M.Sc., Chemical Physics, 2013

    University of Waterloo

Awards, selected

Gordon & Betty Moore Postdoctoral Fellowship

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) Postdoctoral Fellowship

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Short-Term Research Grant Scholarship

Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (ITAMP) Visiting Fellowship

The University of British Columbia Four Year Doctoral Fellowship.

Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Assistant Professor

University of California, San Diego

Jul 2023 – Present
 
 
 
 
 

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials (GLAM), Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics (SITP) and Department of Physics, Stanford University

May 2022 – Aug 2023
 
 
 
 
 

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids and Departments of Physics & Chemistry, Columbia University

Mar 2019 – Apr 2022
 
 
 
 
 

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Fellow

Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich

Oct 2018 – Feb 2019
 
 
 
 
 

Visiting fellow

Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (ITAMP), Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Department of Physics, Harvard University

Sep 2018 – Oct 2018
 
 
 
 
 

Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (ITAMP) Visiting Fellow

Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (ITAMP), Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Department of Physics, Harvard University

Aug 2017 – Apr 2018
 
 
 
 
 

Ph.D. student

Department of Physics & Astronomy and Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (SBQMI), The University of British Columbia

Sep 2013 – Feb 2019
 
 
 
 
 

M.Sc. student

Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo

Feb 2011 – Aug 2013

Research

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Invited Talks, selected

Fracton-like quasiparticles in hole-doped antiferromagnets

An electron-phonon mechanism for electron pairing and high-temperature superconductivity?

Contact