Learn more about the recent research accomplishments, contributions, and awards of our Applied Physics faculty members and students.

Columbia Holds Quantum Industry Workshop

The event brought together industry and Columbia quantum faculty to explore emerging quantum research and discuss how best to bring it out of the lab. More
Aug 18 2026 | Columbia Engineering

Building the Fusion Future

John Labbate is part of Columbia Engineering’s Fusion Research Center, which is focused on clean energy’s next frontier. More
Jun 22 2026 | Columbia News

2025 Climate Week Photos

Columbia Engineering participated in Climate Week NYC, September 22-26, by hosting nine events that brought together an international group of experts leading More
Oct 10 2025 | Columbia Engineering News

How Layered Crystals Make Heat Swirl

A new study shows that layered crystals such as graphite and hBN can support fluid-like heat vortices and resonant temperature waves, opening new possibilities More
May 08 2026 | Columbia Quantum Initiative

2025 APAM REU News

20 undergraduate students participating in summer research with the Columbia Fusion Research Center. More
Jul 07 2025

2025 Sherwood Fusion Theory Conference

Elizabeth Paul, Assistant Professor of Applied Physics, hosted the 2025 Sherwood Fusion Theory Conference as chair of the Local Organizing Committee and member More
Jun 10 2025

Lighting the Way for Women in Science

From being the only woman in her physics class as an undergraduate to revolutionizing silicon photonics in the industry, Michal Lipson’s journey proves that More
Apr 08 2025 | Columbia Engineering

Laser-driving a 2D Material

Columbia Engineers pair vibrating particles, called phonons, with particles of light, called photons, to enhance the nonlinear optical properties of hexagonal More
Jan 04 2024 | By Ellen Neff | Photo Credit: Pixabay

Seeing More Deeply into Nanomaterials

New 3D imaging tool reveals engineered and self-assembled nanoparticle lattices with highest resolution yet—7nm—about 1/100,000 of the width of a human hair More
Apr 13 2022 | By Holly Evarts | Photo Credit: Oleg Gang/Columbia Engineering

Yu Named 2022 Optica Fellow

Nanfang Yu has been named a 2022 Optica Fellow "for the invention and development of metasurfaces and their application to imaging and cooling". More
Nov 19 2021

Mauel Featured in Newsweek

"Delivery of the first ITER Central Solenoid module is an exciting milestone for the demonstration of fusion energy . . . " More
Jun 21 2021 | Newsweek

Harnessing Quantum Properties to Create Single-Molecule Devices

Columbia team discovers 6nm-long single-molecule circuit with enormous on/off ratio due to quantum interference; finding could enable faster, smaller, and more More
Dec 07 2020 | By Holly Evarts | Image Credit: Julia Greenwald and Suman Gunasekaran/Columbia Engineering

Building Tough 3D Nanomaterials with DNA

Columbia Engineers use DNA nanotechnology to create highly resilient synthetic nanoparticle-based materials that can be processed through conventional More
Mar 19 2021 | By Holly Evarts | Photos and Animation Oleg Gang/Columbia Engineering

Is Nuclear Fusion Finally Within Reach?

"Imagine a society where we don’t have to worry about the supply of energy or the cost of sustainability." - Michael Mauel, Professor of Applied Physics More
Sep 15 2020 | By Ryan Mandelbaum | Columbia Engineering Magazine

Prof Oleg Gang Makes 3-D Nanosuperconductors with DNA

Complex 3-D nanoscale architectures based on DNA self-assembly can conduct electricity without resistance and may provide a platform for fabricating quantum More
Nov 10 2020 | By Ariana Manglaviti | Illustration Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory

Lipson on All Things Photonics

Prof. Michal Lipson was interviewed on the All Thing Photonics Podcast in the episode, “Silicon Photonics in the Fast Lane, Light on a Chip, and 20-Plus Years More
Sep 22 2020 | All Things Photonics

Quantum Leaps

There's much excitement about how quantum computers will transform communications technology. They may also very well hold a key to combating climate change. More
Oct 21 2020 | Columbia Engineering Magazine

Crunching The Numbers

Frictionless optical components increase computer performance while lowering energy consumption More
Aug 27 2020 | Columbia Engineering Magazine

Enabling New DNA-Based Therapy For Anti-Cancer Drug Delivery

Scientists designed a tunable peptide-like molecular coating that enables 3-D DNA origami to maintain their structural integrity and functionality in different More
Mar 13 2020 | By Brookhaven National Laboratory | Images Courtesy of Brookhaven National Laboratory

Beating the Heat in the Living Wings of Butterflies

Columbia engineers and Harvard biologists discover that butterflies have specialized behaviors and wing scales to protect the living parts of their wings. More
Jan 28 2020 | By Holly Evarts | Image Credit: Nanfang Yu and Cheng-Chia Tsai | Video Credit: Nanfang Yu and Jane Nisselson/Columbia Engineering

Nano-objects of Desire: Assembling Ordered Nanostructures in 3-D

Scientists establish new nanofabrication platform for directing nanomaterial components of different natures into 3-D arrays with prescribed organizations; More
Jan 13 2020 | Team Photo Credit: Columbia Engineering | Assembly Schematic Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory | Platform Schematic and Fluorescence Images: Courtesy of the Nature Materials Paper | VIDEO CREDIT: JANE NISSELSON/COLUMBIA ENGINEERING

AP News Archive