Early Career U of A Scientist Receives Two Prestigious Awards

Kyle Seyler, assistant professor of optical sciences, recently received two prestigious awards for early career researchers:  the Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Research Program (ECRP) award of approximately $875,000 over five years; and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) grant of approximately $450,000 for three years. 

Both Seyler's projects focus on novel materials with exciting quantum mechanical properties. His research uses ultrafast laser light—very short laser pulses—to understand and control those quantum properties. "There's always a physical platform—such as atoms, ions, or materials—at the heart of any quantum application," he says. "The crucial first step is understanding how these materials behave at their most basic level."

First on Seyler's list of reasons for his early career successes are his doctoral and postdoc advisors, Xiaodong Xu at the University of Washington and David Hsieh at Caltech. "They've been hugely influential. Both of them went beyond the details of the science to support me as a person. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them."

In addition to mentoring, Seyler attributes his success to presenting innovative ideas with thoughtful objectives in a well-written proposal, mentioning that Research Development Services (RDS) support made a big difference. 

"The DOE was my first big proposal, and, to be honest, it was a bit overwhelming. It was helpful to have somebody who, even if they don't know the specifics of quantum, can shape the narrative to make it more compelling. There's a strategy to proposal writing that goes beyond just having good scientific ideas."

Seyler conducts much of his work in a cryostat that lowers the temperature of the materials to a few degrees above absolute zero (-456 Fahrenheit). He acknowledges that this may limit the immediate applicability of his research, but his focus remains on fundamental discoveries. The big open question for his lab is: How can we harness light-matter interactions at the nanoscale to discover, understand, and control new electronic phenomena in quantum materials? "We are material explorers. Figuring out how novel materials respond to new conditions—that basic line of inquiry—has led to countless discoveries that are the foundation for technologies that benefit humanity," he says.

 Beyond receiving the awarded funds, Seyler anticipates dedicating an enormous amount of skill, time, energy and focus to fabricating the required quantum nanomaterials—bespoke 2D materials stacked on top of each other like Legos. “This is challenging and precise work that can’t be automated by a robot yet, so my students get to do it," he says with a smile. “Fortunately, University of Arizona optics and physics students are some of the best in the nation, so I'm not worried."