Our Team – Dr.Yohannes Abate Nano Optics Research Group

Yohannes Abate is the Susan Dasher and Charles Dasher MD Professor of Physics at the University of Georgia and Founding Director of the Quantum Science & Engineering Program (https://quantum.uga.edu/). Abate’s condensed matter physics research interests include investigation of nanoscale and quantum phenomena and interactions in two-dimensional materials, oxide materials, and quantum emitters. Particularly his group is fascinated by how non-equilibrium or collective quantum phenomena that occur at the atomic scale result in nanoscale emergent behavior in quantum materials. His group implements various terahertz, infrared, optical spectroscopy and scanning probe techniques with diffraction unlimited spatial resolution.

Professor Abate joined the University of Georgia (UGA) as an associate professor of physics in August 2017. He received his PhD in Physics at the University of Iowa in 2006. From 2006-2009 he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In September of 2009 he has spent time as a Visiting Scientist at the Nano-Photonics Laboratory, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Martinsried, Germany. Before joining UGA faculty, he was a member of the faculty (2014-2017) at Georgia State University and (2009-2014) California State University. His awards include NSF Career Award (2016), Scialog Collaborative Innovative Award, Research Corporation for Science Advancement (2015), Most Valuable Professor, California State University, Long Beach (2014), Luis Alvarez Award for Best Experimental Research (American Physical Society CA Section) (2008) and The 2000 International Publication Award (University of the Philippines, Diliman) (2000). He received the BS degree in physics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and MS degree in physics from the National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines, Diliman. He is a member of the American Physical Society and Materials Research Society.