Kao Receives APS Dissertation Award

Dr. Wen-Han Kao, (Ph.D Physics 2024) a former student of Prof. Natalia Perkins, has been named one of only two recipients of the prestigious Dissertation Award from the American Physical Society's Group on Magnetism and its Applications (GMAG). The award was presented at the APS March Meeting.

Kao’s dissertation on “Disorder effects in the Kitaev spin liquid” addressed a long-standing open question in condensed matter theoretical physics, namely “how a quantum spin liquid (QSL) state responds to the various forms of disorder that are inevitable in real materials.” 

Following his graduation, Kao joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Research Associate, where he continues his journey into the fascinating world of quantum materials.