Kateryna Kusyak, a fifth-year Physics PhD candidate at Columbia University, has won the Klaus von Klitzing Prize for the best thesis for her research. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, and raised in Hamburg, Germany, a city with more bridges than any other in the world, Kusyak blends a background in nanoscience with a current focus on quantum materials.
“I look at how different wavelengths of light change the intrinsic properties of few atom layer thin quantum materials,” she explains, investigating how altering a material’s state impacts its electrical properties. Kusyak’s research, conducted within Columbia’s collaborative Max Planck-New York Center on Non-Equilibrium Quantum Phenomena, advances understanding of transport phenomena in these materials at terahertz frequencies and ultrafast timescales.
Kusyak’s THz Transmission Line Designs Win Klaus von Klitzing Prize
Prior to this achievement, Kusyak completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Hamburg, blending chemistry, physics, and mathematics within a nanoscience program. This interdisciplinary foundation helped her transition into electrical engineering-focused research during her master’s project developing transmission line designs. Kusyak utilized Columbia’s Angstrom high vacuum electron beam evaporator to fabricate the thin films essential to her device, demonstrating the university’s commitment to advanced materials research.
The university has five families of patents in this area, further underscoring its investment in innovation. Her early research included spectroscopy on organic compounds and the synthesis of catalytic nanoparticles in Padua, Italy, experiences that broadened her skillset before focusing on the electrical properties of nanoscale structures.
Columbia Physics PhD Focuses on Van der Waals Quantum Materials
Kateryna Kusyak fabricated thin films using Columbia University’s Angstrom high vacuum electron beam evaporator, a key step in her research into manipulating quantum materials with light. These aren’t bulk materials, but van der Waals materials, layers separable with minimal force, allowing precise dimensional control and offering a unique way to alter physical properties.
Kusyak’s work focuses on how terahertz frequencies impact these materials, investigating changes occurring on timescales from picoseconds to seconds and their effect on electrical behavior. This collaborative structure, alongside participation in the Max Planck Graduate Center for Quantum Materials, provides Kusyak with access to diverse expertise and resources.
McIver Lab Investigates Terahertz Frequency Transport Phenomena
The McIver Laboratory utilizes a multi-path laser array, a key tool for probing and manipulating matter with light, to investigate terahertz frequency transport phenomena in quantum materials. This focus extends beyond static properties, examining changes occurring on timescales ranging from picoseconds, trillionths of a second, to multiple seconds, and how disrupting equilibrium affects electrical characteristics. Columbia hosted a workshop to connect quantum research with industry on August 15, 2026.
Kusyak’s specialization in two-dimensional materials began with an early fascination with graphene, a single-atom-thick sheet of graphite. This foundational interest has driven her research into understanding how light interacts with these materials, and how that interaction can be harnessed to control their properties. The laboratory environment, she notes, fosters a supportive atmosphere where learning and experimentation are prioritized; “Everyone started somewhere and their confidence comes from the hours put in and nobody really cares if you don’t know something yet, just try your best and you’ll be fine.”
Optically Controlled States Aim for Low-Energy Electronic Applications
Controlling the quantum states within van der Waals materials using light offers a pathway toward significantly reducing energy consumption in future electronics, according to research at Columbia University. Kateryna Kusyak, a Physics PhD candidate, focuses on manipulating these layered materials with tailored wavelengths to alter their electrical properties, targeting hidden, topologically protected states for stabilization. This work builds upon her research in developing transmission line designs to investigate nano and micro sized structures, a key area of investigation for the McIver Laboratory where Kusyak conducts her research.
The potential for low-energy transistors stems from the unique characteristics of topological electronic materials, which exhibit lower dissipation and highly directional electrical conduction. This precise temporal control is achieved through multi-path laser arrays, critical tools within the McIver Lab used to both probe and manipulate matter with light.
The convenience of van der Waals materials, easily separated layers held together by weak forces, facilitates this dimensional control. “We hope that controlling these systems basic properties could lead to applications in low-energy-usage transistors, as optically controllable links between quantum processors, or other exciting applications,” Kusyak envisions, highlighting the broad impact of this research.
Source: https://quantum.columbia.edu/news/cni-labs-user-highlight-kateryna-kusyak-physics-phd-student
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