The Search for New Materials

Abstract: Although new materials are the engine that drives much of condensed matter physics, the conceptual process by which new materials are discovered is rarely discussed. In this talk, I will present strategies for discovering materials that challenge our physical understanding, drawing on approaches from chemical intuition to machine learning-enabled prediction. I will examine the bidirectional relationship between theory and experiment, showing how materials discovery both tests existing frameworks and motivates new theoretical developments. Examples ranging from quantum spin liquids to magnetic Kagome materials will illustrate these principles and their broader implications for the field.