Skip to main content
Yuan Ping

Yuan Ping

Associate Professor

Ping Group’s research focuses on developing theoretical and computational methods such as first-principles many-body perturbation theory and open quantum dynamics based on density-matrix formalism, to understand and predict materials’ properties including optoelectronic, quasiparticle dynamics (excitons, polarons, magnons), and electronic transport properties at the atomistic levels, in solid-state systems, quantum defects, and heterogenous interfaces, for energy conversion, low power electronics, and quantum information applications. Recent research areas have emphasis on the interplay of spin-orbit, light-matter interaction with momentum transfer and optical orientation, symmetry and topology, as well as many-body interactions among quasiparticles in materials. Ping is the lead of DOE Computational Chemical Science center (ADEPTs), the thrust lead of spin phenomena of DOE Computational Materials Science Center (NENPQ), as well as the thrust lead of the Energy Frontier Research Center (CHOISE).
She is also an affiliated professor of physics department and chemistry department at UW-Madison.

  • PhD 2013, University of California, Davis
  • BS 2007, University of Science and Technology of China

  • Electronic excitation and spectroscopy from first-principles many-body theory
  • First-principles open quantum dynamics, with quantum scatterings of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions, for spin, electron, magnon, polarons, and exciton dynamics
  • Quantum defects as spin qubits’ optical readout and decoherence from first-principles
  • Spin-optronics, chiral-optics, and nonlinear optics properties of solids

  • 2022 Alfred P. Sloan, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
  • 2022 National Science Foundation, NSF CAREER Award
  • 2022 American Conference on Theoretical Chemistry, “Rising Talent” Speaker
  • 2021 ACS, Open Eye COMP Junior Faculty Award
  • 2021 Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Young Investigator Award Program (YIP)
  • 2020 Nature, Nature Research Award (shortlist) (Nominated)
  • 2018 Hellman Fellows
  • 2013 Materials, Materials Postdoctoral Fellowship

  • Grieder, A., Andrade, M. C., Takenaka, H., Ogitsu, T., Tan, L. Z., & Ping, Y. (2025). Carrier Localization and Spontaneous Formation of Two-Dimensional Polarization Domain in Halide Perovskites. Physical Review Letters, 135, 136301 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1103/4kyt-jj6w
  • Zhang, S., Park, T., Perez, E., Li, K., Wang, X., Wang, Y., Bazantes, J. D., Zhang, R., Sun, J., Fu, K. C., Seo, H., & Ping, Y. (2025). Deep Spin Defects in Zinc Oxide for High-Fidelity Single-Shot Readout. arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.00551v3 https://doi.org/arXiv:2502.00551v3
  • Fang, W., Simoni, J., & Ping, Y. (2025). Efficient method for calculating magnon-phonon coupling from first principles. Physical Review B, 111(10), 104431 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.111.104431
  • Simoni, J., Riva, G., & Ping, Y. (2025). First-principles open quantum dynamics for solids based on density-matrix formalism. Journal of Chemical Physics https://doi.org/arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.17936
  • Guo, C., Riva, G., Simoni, J., Xu, J., & Ping, Y. (2025). Phonon-Assisted Radiative Lifetimes and Exciton Dynamics from First Principles. Physical Review B (Letter), 112, L161111 https://doi.org/https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/10.1103/rycn-k95w
  • Grieder, A., Tu, S., & Ping, Y. (2025). Relation of Continuous Chirality Measure to Spin and Orbital Polarization, and Chiroptical Properties in Solids. Advanced Optical Materials https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1002/adom.202501190
  • Gao, X., Vaidya, S., Li, K., Dikshit, S., Zhang, S., Ju, P., Shen, K., Jin, Y., Ping, Y., & Li, T. (2025). Single nuclear spin detection and control in a van der Waals material. Nature , 643, 943 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09258-7
  • Simoni , J., Andrade, X., Fang, ., Grieder, A., Correa, A., Ogitsu, T., & Ping, Y. (2025). Spin non-Collinear Real-Time Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory and Implementation in the Modern GPU-Accelerated INQ code. APL Compuational Physics , Editor's pick , https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.21908 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0290737
  • Li, K., Dergachev, V. D., Dergachev, I. D., Zhang, S., Varganov, S. A., & Ping, Y. (2024). Excited-state dynamics and optically detected magnetic resonance of solid-state spin defects from first principles. Physical Review B, 110(18), 184302 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.110.184302
  • Xu, J., Li, K., Huynh, U. N., Fadel, M., Huang, J., Sundararaman, R., Vardeny, V., & Ping, Y. (2024). How spin relaxes and dephases in bulk halide perovskites. Nature Communications, 15(188) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42835-w

  • CHEM 980 - Seminar: Review of Current Research (Fall 2025)
  • CHEM 990 - Research (Fall 2025)
  • MS&E 699 - Independent Study (Fall 2025)
  • MS&E 760 - Molecular Modeling of Materials (Fall 2025)
  • MS&E 790 - Master's Research or Thesis (Fall 2025)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2025)
  • MS&E 990 - Research and Thesis (Fall 2025)
  • PHYSICS 990 - Research (Fall 2025)
  • CHEM 990 - Research (Summer 2025)
  • MS&E 699 - Independent Study (Summer 2025)
  • MS&E 790 - Master's Research or Thesis (Summer 2025)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2025)
  • MS&E 990 - Research and Thesis (Summer 2025)
  • CHEM 980 - Seminar: Review of Current Research (Spring 2025)
  • CHEM 990 - Research (Spring 2025)
  • MS&E 460 - Introduction to Computational Materials Science and Engineering (Spring 2025)
  • MS&E 790 - Master's Research or Thesis (Spring 2025)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2025)
  • MS&E 990 - Research and Thesis (Spring 2025)
  • MS&E 760 - Molecular Modeling of Materials (Fall 2024)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2024)
  • CHEM 990 - Research (Summer 2024)
  • MS&E 790 - Master's Research or Thesis (Summer 2024)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2024)
  • CHEM 980 - Seminar: Review of Current Research (Spring 2024)
  • CHEM 990 - Research (Spring 2024)
  • MS&E 460 - Introduction to Computational Materials Science and Engineering (Spring 2024)
  • MS&E 699 - Independent Study (Spring 2024)
  • MS&E 790 - Master's Research or Thesis (Spring 2024)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2024)
  • MS&E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)