Research Areas

AI and Physical Sciences

The AI and Physical Sciences research area unites faculty from diverse fields and programs, including physics, biophysics, chemical physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics, to drive innovation at the intersection of AI, machine learning (ML), and the physical sciences. This research area emphasizes the unique role of physics—particularly statistical physics, quantum mechanics, and nonlinear dynamics—in developing next-generation AI methods. Through this program, students can explore a broad range of application areas. UMD’s strength in these disciplines positions it as a leader in shaping an AI-first approach to the physical sciences, fostering advances that push both fields forward.

Personnel

Maissam BarkeshliVictor GalitskiMichelle GirvanChris JarzynskiWolfgang LosertPraytush Tiwary

Research Areas

AI approaches for next-generation molecular structure and dynamics prediction
Statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics approaches to AI
Convergence of Neurophysics and AI (Biocomputing)

AI

The AI and Physical Sciences research areas unites faculty from diverse fields and programs, including physics, biophysics, chemical physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics, to drive innovation at the intersection of AI, machine learning (ML), and the physical sciences. This research area emphasizes the unique role of physics—particularly statistical physics, quantum mechanics, and nonlinear dynamics—in developing next-generation AI methods. Through this program, students can explore a broad range of application areas. UMD’s strength in these disciplines positions it as a leader in shaping an AI-first approach to the physical sciences, fostering advances that push both fields forward.

Personnel

AI People

Barkeshli, Maissam
Girvan, Michelle
Jarzynski, Christopher
Losert, Wolfgang
Tiwary, Pratyush

Research Areas

AI approaches for next-generation molecular structure and dynamics prediction
statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics approaches to AI
Convergence of Neurophysics and AI (Biocomputing)

Quantum Science and Technology

Quantum researchers study systems that harness the rules of the low-energy microscopic world to process information in new ways, distinct from conventional digital logic. The field brings together theorists and experimentalists who study a variety of systems, from neutral atoms and ions to photonic chips and topological materials. Major future applications of quantum information science include quantum computers capable of finding speedy solutions to certain computational problems, machines tailormade for simulating quantum physics and high-precision sensors.

Personnel

Research Areas

Quantum computation, experiment and theory
Quantum networks
Quantum simulation
Quantum materials (superconductivity, magnetism, strongly correlated electron physics, and topological matter)
Quantum sensors
Theoretical condensed matter physics
Quantum optics
Atomic physics-based precision measurements
Strong field physics
Bose Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases

Related Centers and Institutes:

Condensed Matter Theory Center

Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics

Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS)

Joint Quantum Institute

Quantum Materials Center

Quantum Technology Center

Physics Frontiers Center

With more than 30 research groups and centers, we are exploring an abundance of physics concepts. Our laboratories and theoretical centers consistently generate provocative results. And collaborations with peer institutions, government agencies and private industry open up even more opportunities for discovery. From College Park to the South Pole, the University of Maryland is impacting the field of physics worldwide.