Prof. Tyrel M. McQueen (Johns Hopkins University) - New Frontiers of Materials Discovery

Abstract: Chemistry is all about understanding and controlling the properties of matter -- Where are the electrons? How do particular arrangements of atoms and bonds result in the zoo of behaviors known in matter? What new properties can be created by arranging atoms in unnatural configurations? Today, there are about 50 million known chemical compounds. Where and how will the next billion be discovered, and what new properties will they have [1]? In this talk, I will highlight the progress being made to address these questions, with a particular emphasis on the confluence of quantum materials, quantum information science, and data science. Examples will include our forays into closed loop coupling of human experiment and AI/ML prediction for superconductor discovery [2,3], the creation of approaches for the systematic design of complex materials [4], and the importance of advancing old and new materials synthesis methods [5,6]. As time permits, I will highlight how these methods come together to enable discovery of new chemistry, and new physics, and provide my perspective on the future of materials design, synthesis, and discovery. 1. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.8b00382 2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-023-01131-3 3. https://openreview.net/forum?id=SfEsK3O2KT 4. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c08941 5. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c03077 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-022-00527-6