I hold a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Monash University, awarded for a thesis on tailoring the electronic structure of graphene via molecular adsorption. My doctoral research was condensed matter physics in substance: it used density functional theory to understand how molecular dipoles and charge transfer reshape the electronic bands of a two-dimensional crystal, and it produced first-author work including a paper in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. My undergraduate degree is a B.Eng. in the same discipline, completed through the Monash–Central South University “2+2” program.

Since my PhD, my research has been firmly physics-led. For seven years I was a Research Fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronic Technologies (FLEET), a physics-led national Centre headquartered in the Monash School of Physics and Astronomy, working on topological materials, Berry-curvature transport and spintronics. Since 2024, my appointment has spanned the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the School of Physics and Astronomy. My work appears in physics journals including npj Quantum Materials, Physical Review Applied, Physical Review Materials, Physical Review B and New Journal of Physics, and I review for Nature Communications and Communications Physics. My qualification is therefore in a closely related discipline, and my research career has been that of a theoretical condensed matter physicist.

My research is in the theoretical condensed matter physics of quantum materials. I study how topology, Berry curvature and quantum geometry determine the electronic, magnetic, optical and transport responses of real materials, and how those responses can be engineered into low-energy quantum devices. I combine first-principles calculations, Wannier-function tight-binding models and quantum-transport theory, and I work closely with experimental physicists so that each prediction is tested in real films and devices.

Topological quantum matter. As first author, I identified pyrite-type OsX₂ (X = Se, Te) as topological and showed how its surface spin current can be selectively controlled (npj Quantum Materials, 2019). I then led a five-year program on two-dimensional bismuth, the “Bismuth trilogy”, progressing from Wannier-based tight-binding models (New Journal of Physics, 2021) to unconventional spin texture from bulk–edge interactions (Materials Today Physics, 2023, first author) and the stabilisation and control of topological edge states (Materials Today Physics, 2025, corresponding author). I have also contributed to the crossover from a 2D ferromagnetic insulator to a wide-gap quantum anomalous Hall insulator in MnBi₂Te₄ (ACS Nano, 2021, co-first author) and to topological phonons and avoided crossings in Mg₃Bi_2-xSb_x (Nature Communications, 2026, co-first author).

Berry curvature, quantum geometry and magnetism. In the Weyl ferromagnet Co₂MnGa, I established the Berry-curvature origin of the thickness-dependent anomalous Hall effect (npj Quantum Materials, 2021, co-first author). I then showed that a giant Berry curvature survives complete structural disorder in amorphous Co₂MnGa (Matter, 2025, co-first author), a result showing that a topological response does not require long-range crystalline order. I also provided the theoretical modelling for the room-temperature quantum metric effect in the kagome magnet TbMn₆Sn₆ (Nature Communications, 2025), and contributed to spin–orbit torque (Nano Letters, 2023) and spin-wave band engineering (Advanced Materials, 2025) in the same materials family.

Optical physics. Light is a precise, non-contact probe of quantum-geometric band structure. I led the electronic-structure analysis that established the band-structure origin of giant, temperature-independent ultraviolet circular dichroism in Co₂MnX (X = Ga, Ge) Heusler films (Physical Review Applied, 2025), and contributed theory to a study using optical spectroscopy to probe atomic disorder in Co₂MnGa (Physical Review Materials, 2023). I would expand this direction with the School's optics and meta-optics community.

Quantum device design. I am lead inventor on a US patent application for a new transistor architecture, Lead CI of an A$650,000 AEA Ignite project prototyping that device, and a Key Participant in an ARC Linkage Project developing a low-energy topological transistor. These projects take my theory all the way from band structure to a fabricated device.

Below is the research program I would build in the School, and what I would deliver over the next five years:

Relative to opportunity. My appointments have been research-focused, with teaching a small share of my time. Within that context, I have built six years of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience and designed a complete course.

Proven course design and delivery. As Lecturer in Computational Materials Science at Central South University (2017–2019, 2023–2024), delivered on behalf of Monash through the Monash–CSU “2+2” program, I designed the course from the ground up. I developed the curriculum, lectures, tutorials and assessments, covering condensed-matter fundamentals, density functional theory, high-performance computing and applied modelling. The course builds towards an assessed group mini-assignment, and the complete materials are openly available on GitHub (github.com/yyfforce/CMS_Lec_Notes_CSU_Monash).

Research-led graduate training. I regularly deliver DFT workshops and tutorials for Master's and PhD students at Monash. My focus is not simply on running software, but on helping students select, justify and validate the computational method appropriate to their research question.

A clear teaching philosophy. I teach physical principles and reasoning before software implementation, giving students knowledge that remains useful as computational tools evolve. I make abstract concepts such as Bloch states, Berry phase and topological invariants accessible through interactive visualisation, worked examples and authentic research problems. This approach develops both technical competence and the confidence to apply knowledge independently.

Contribution to the School. I would contribute immediately to undergraduate and graduate subjects in quantum mechanics, solid-state and condensed matter physics, and computational physics, and I would be glad to act as subject coordinator and supervise sessional tutors. Above, I show how I would re-design my course as a 12-week graduate subject in computational condensed matter physics, complementing the School's existing strengths.

AI in physics education. I would integrate AI tools openly into the learning experience. For example, students can use tools such as Google NotebookLM to work through dense primary literature, and AI agents to set up and check calculations. At the same time, I would shift assessment weight towards derivation, physical reasoning and the critique of results. A student who can tell when a plausible-looking answer is wrong is the graduate our field needs, and that capability has to be taught and assessed deliberately.

Research impact and momentum. My publication record comprises 43 refereed original research articles, attracting more than 1,200 citations with an h-index of 19, verifiable on my Google Scholar profile. I have published 15 papers in the last three years, including six in journals with impact factors above 10. My citation count has more than doubled over the same period, demonstrating the growing visibility and influence of my research.

Leading high-impact research. I hold first, co-first or corresponding authorship on papers in Nature Communications, Matter, ACS Nano, npj Quantum Materials and Materials Today Physics. In these studies, I shaped the research questions, developed the theoretical frameworks, directed the computational methodology and interpreted the results. My work spans topological and magnetic quantum materials, Berry-curvature and quantum-geometric responses, magneto-optics and device-relevant quantum transport.

Peer recognition and outputs beyond publications. I have presented at major international forums, including the American Physical Society March Meeting and the International Conference on Two-Dimensional Materials. I also review for Nature Communications and Communications Physics, demonstrating recognition of my expertise by leading journals. My broader research outputs include a US patent application as lead inventor, openly available research code and course materials, and public contributions to scientific knowledge.

Commensurate with opportunity. Most of this record was built as a theorist in a research-fellow role, without an independent group, and much of it through collaboration with experiment. Relative to that opportunity, I believe the record shows both quality and a clear upward trajectory. I would build on it by leading an internationally visible program in quantum-materials theory at Melbourne, targeting journals such as Physical Review Letters and Nature Communications.

Established supervision experience. I have mentored or co-supervised nine PhD candidates, including five graduates and four current candidates. I have also supervised three Bachelor's and Master's research students and examined two PhD theses within my Department. This experience has prepared me to take full responsibility as a principal supervisor.

Developing independent researchers. My goal is to develop students who can identify, test and defend their own research questions. I provide close guidance during the first project, often working through calculations alongside the student, then progressively transfer responsibility for methodological and research decisions. I also train students to challenge their own conclusions, because a theoretical result is not robust until its assumptions and limitations have been tested.

Timely completion and strong outcomes. I agree milestones with each student at the outset and review them regularly, so that problems with a calculation or a manuscript are caught early rather than at the end of candidature. Researchers I have mentored have progressed to first-author publications in Advanced Science, ACS Nano and Nano Letters. One former candidate now holds a joint postdoctoral appointment at the University of Cambridge and King's College London.

At Melbourne, I would supervise Honours, Master's and PhD research projects, and build a focused group of three to four HDR candidates within five years. I would actively pursue co-supervision with experimental colleagues in condensed matter, optics and quantum technology, giving students training that spans theory and experiment.

My research depends on coordinating people with different expertise, priorities and measures of success. I communicate complex ideas clearly and build productive relationships through preparation, listening and reliable follow-through.

• Communication across audiences. I communicate research clearly to physicists, engineers, intellectual-property professionals, students and the public, adapting the technical depth while maintaining accuracy. With our industry partner, TQ Transistors, I have expanded the use of interactive visualisations and schematics so that our physics is accessible to engineers and patent attorneys.

• Public engagement. With FLEET, I contributed to quantum-science outreach at Melbourne Knowledge Week, to content shared through FLEET's X and YouTube channels, and to Wikipedia. I maintain an active science-communication presence on X and GitHub, and would be glad to contribute to the School's outreach, including the July Lectures in Physics.

• Relationships with collaborators and staff. I coordinate a 10-person experimental and theory team across two Schools and an industry partner. In multidisciplinary meetings, I seek to understand each participant's position before presenting my assessment. This approach builds trust, resolves differences efficiently and supports decisions that partners can implement collectively. I work just as closely with professional and technical staff, responding promptly to operational and safety requests.

• Relationships with students. I aim to be approachable and consistent. I meet students regularly, explain expectations clearly and give honest, constructive feedback, so that students feel able to raise problems early.

Proven funding success. Since 2024, I have contributed to securing more than A$3.4 million in competitive government and industry research funding, in roles ranging from Key Participant and Co-CI to Lead CI. Most notably, I secured A$650,000 through Australia's Economic Accelerator Ignite program as Lead CI for From Lab to Fab: Advancing a New Low-Energy Transistor Towards Large-scale Manufacturing. I developed and led the application, demonstrating my ability to explain both the scientific significance and commercial potential of my research to reviewers beyond my discipline.

Government and industry partnerships. I am a Key Participant in a A$1.7 million ARC Linkage Project prototyping a low-energy topological transistor, in partnership with TQ Transistors. I am also a Co-CI on A$1.04 million in industry funding for the materials design of negative-capacitance field-effect transistors. These projects demonstrate my ability to build partnerships, align fundamental physics with industry priorities, and develop competitive proposals with clear pathways to translation.

Competitive computational resources. As Lead CI, I have independently secured major national computing allocations through the NCI Adapter Scheme, the NCI-Monash Computational Scheme and the Pawsey Fast Track Scheme. These separately peer-reviewed awards provide the capacity required for large-scale quantum-materials calculations.

A strong funding pipeline. My next step is to lead nationally competitive research programs. A continuing appointment would position me to lead ARC Discovery Project applications and pursue an ARC Future Fellowship, with a proposal on the disorder-oriented design of quantum materials already developed.

I build research links deliberately, and I sustain them by turning them into joint papers, grants and student projects.

Across departments. My closest partnerships sit outside my home Department, in the Monash School of Physics and Astronomy, where we have produced four co-authored papers (plus three under review) and two grants since 2024. For Monash's engagement with Jiangxi Copper, I identified relevant expertise across three departments, approached academics individually and briefed both sides before formal discussions.

Nationally. Seven years in FLEET gave me working relationships across a national network of physics groups. My collaborations at RMIT and other Australian institutions date from that period and remain active, supported by research visits to ANU, RMIT, UNSW and UQ, and by regular attendance at the Gordon Godfrey Workshop at UNSW.

Internationally. I have sustained a long-term trans-Tasman partnership with Victoria University of Wellington and the MacDiarmid Institute through joint projects, publications and reciprocal visits, supported by dedicated FLEET travel funding. This partnership produced much of my Berry-curvature and magneto-optics work. I also collaborate with groups in China, Japan and the United States on magnonics, spintronics and topological materials, and have hosted delegations from Central South University, Wuhan University of Technology and Shanghai University.

The School's advertised positions will expand its research in quantum technology and condensed matter physics. I already provide national leadership in the part of this agenda that connects quantum materials to low-energy devices.

• Leading a national translation program. As Lead CI of an AEA Ignite project, I set the research direction, assembled a team across two Schools and an industry partner, and am accountable for scientific and commercial milestones. AEA is a national program designed to move Australian research towards manufacturing, and the award reflects a national panel's assessment of both the physics and its potential.

• Leading a line of research that others build on. The Bismuth trilogy established a five-year line of work on two-dimensional topological bismuth, from foundational tight-binding models to device-relevant edge-state control. My work on disorder-tolerant Berry curvature has similarly opened a new direction in which structural disorder becomes a design variable rather than a defect.

• National research infrastructure. National computing is competitively assessed. I hold more than three million NCI and Pawsey service units as Lead CI, reflecting national peer assessment of my program, and I use these resources to support students and collaborators as well as my own projects.

• Leadership I would bring to Melbourne. I would contribute a theory-and-computation capability that links the School's Centres (see criterion 12), and convene a recurring workshop on computational quantum-materials physics open to theorists and experimentalists across the School, Faculty and national partners.

Working collaboratively is embedded in how I conduct my everyday research, and I have consistently taken on work that strengthens the institution beyond my own projects.

• University-level partnerships. As liaison for Monash's partnership with Jiangxi Copper, a Fortune 500 company, I coordinated a technical exchange across three departments. The engagement progressed from first contact to a formal Memorandum of Understanding in August 2024, and I am now working towards its first collaborative research project. I have also hosted visiting delegations from Central South University, Wuhan University of Technology and Shanghai University.

• Capacity building. My DFT workshops and tutorials build computational capability across research groups, not only my own. I also consult with the Monash Centre for Additive Manufacturing, helping connect industry partners with University expertise.

• School and Department activities. I have contributed to Department events, including the annual Open Day, working cooperatively with administrative and academic staff. I examine PhD theses within my Department, contributing to the quality assurance on which research training depends.

• At Melbourne. I would participate actively in School meetings, planning and committee work, contribute to Open Day and student-engagement activities, and support the teaching administration and academic affairs of the School. I would complete all University compliance training and declarations on time and promote the University's values of diversity, inclusion, ethics and integrity.

My research is already conducted in active partnership with industry and government-backed programs.

• Industry: a multi-year partnership taken to intellectual property. My relationship with the Australian start-up TQ Transistors has produced A$1.04 million in direct research investment, a US patent application (US63/848,509) on which I am lead inventor, a contribution to the company's subsequent US funding application, and the industry partnership underpinning both the AEA Ignite and ARC Linkage projects.

• Government-backed translation. Australia's Economic Accelerator funds research on its path to manufacturing. Leading an AEA Ignite project means being accountable to a funder that assesses commercial viability, which has taught me to explain what a physics result is worth in terms a non-specialist assessor can evaluate. I also hold competitive allocations on the Government-funded national computing facilities NCI and Pawsey.

• International corporate engagement. I established and led the Monash-side liaison with Jiangxi Copper, carrying the relationship from first contact through to a formal Memorandum of Understanding in August 2024, and now towards a first collaborative research project on thin-film growth.

My approach to partnerships is simple: start from the partner's problem rather than my own capability, deliver something small and useful early, and be honest about what theory cannot yet answer. At Melbourne, I would bring these partnerships and this approach to the School's quantum-technology and device programs.

My collaborative networks have been built in quantum physics from the start, and I maintain them over many years.

• A national quantum-physics network. FLEET brought together physicists working on topological materials, exciton superfluids and low-energy electronics. My seven years in that network produced long-running collaborations with the Monash School of Physics and Astronomy, including Prof. Michael Fuhrer's group, and with RMIT, which continue well beyond FLEET.

• A trans-Tasman quantum-materials partnership. With Dr Simon Granville at the Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, and the MacDiarmid Institute, I have developed a sustained program on Weyl ferromagnets that brings together thin-film growth, transport, magneto-optics and theory. This partnership has produced joint papers in npj Quantum Materials, Matter, Nano Letters, Physical Review Materials and Advanced Materials.

• International groups in magnonics and topological matter. Through these projects, I collaborate with experimental groups in China, Japan and the United States working on spin waves, spin–orbit torque and quantum-geometric transport.

I maintain networks by agreeing on objectives and responsibilities at the outset, communicating regularly rather than only when issues arise, sharing code and data openly, and recognising each partner's contribution fairly. At Melbourne, I would connect this network with the School's Centres of Excellence and the IBM Quantum Hub, creating new theory–experiment partnerships in quantum and optical physics, as shown below.

I am comfortable with, and have regularly undertaken, work outside standard hours. This has included international conference travel to the APS March Meeting and ICON-2DMAT, research visits to ANU, RMIT, UNSW, UQ and the MacDiarmid Institute in New Zealand, public outreach at Melbourne Knowledge Week, Open Day events, and meetings across time zones with collaborators in China, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.

I currently deliver several concurrent commitments with fixed deadlines: an AEA Ignite project with formal scientific and commercial milestones, an ARC Linkage Project, an industry research contract, national computing allocations that must be planned and used each quarter, and the supervision of PhD candidates. Over the past three years, I have also published 15 papers and delivered an intensive course on schedule.

I manage this by planning backwards from external deadlines, breaking each project into milestones with clear owners, and reviewing progress regularly. I plan computing budgets across the allocation period rather than reacting at the end, and I raise risks with collaborators early, when there is still time to adjust.

I understand and support the University's commitment to child safety under the Victorian Child Safe Standards. I will hold a current and valid Employee Working with Children Check before commencing the position, and will maintain it throughout my employment.