Congratulations to Prof. Julia Mundy, who was promoted to the position of John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences and of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in recognition of her outstanding research, teaching, and mentorship!
Mundy is making major contributions in the synthesis and characterization of quantum materials which has important implications for our understanding of emergent phenomena, including superconductivity and quantum spin liquids, as well as for future technological applications in quantum sensing, communications and computing. Of particular note, Mundy’s group discovered the first family of nickelates that superconduct (carry electricity without energy loss) intrinsically and can be tuned cleanly by dimensionality rather than disordered doping. Within a similar nickelate family, Mundy’s group also found a metallic antiferromagnet with an order-of-magnitude higher signature in angle-dependent magnetoresistance, which could open the door for new spintronics applications. Mundy’s breadth of impact is also exemplified by her group’s first synthesis of thin films of possible quantum spin liquid materials, and thick films of high optoelectronic coefficient materials
Mundy has mentored an astounding 49 junior scientists in her five years at Harvard, many of whom have expressed heartfelt gratitude for her kindness and the crucial role she has played in helping them to gain confidence, awards, graduate school acceptance, and dream jobs. She has been instrumental in securing additional funding from numerous sources to provide opportunities for dozens of students to pursue educational research free of financial concerns. For the last six years, Mundy has taught Physics 15A (introductory mechanics) and Physics / Applied Physics 195A (introduction to solid state physics), with off-charts teaching evaluations and steadily increasing enrollment spanning several schools and departments. She has an outstanding record of service, both within Harvard and at the national and international level as a conference organizer and journal editorial board member.
