Probing electronic symmetry breaking in strain-tuned quantum matter

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This award is made as part of the FY 2021 Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPS-Ascend). Each fellowship supports a research and training project at a host institution in the mathematical and physical sciences, including applications to other disciplines, under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. This fellowship to Dr. Joshua Sanchez supports his research project entitled "Probing electronic symmetry breaking in strain-tuned quantum matter." The host institution for the fellowship is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Riccardo Comin.Dr. Sanchez's research focuses on mechanical strain tuning in quantum materials to investigate electronic symmetry breaking in quantum matter characterized by strong coupling of charge and lattice degrees of freedom. The fellow plans to broaden participation at local majority-minority community colleges through hosting lab tours at MIT and leading graduate-school application-writing workshops. In mentoring undergraduates, Dr. Sanchez will create travel opportunities for the students to large-scale x-ray facilities where they will perform first-hand x-ray measurements. With regards to outreach to the broader community Dr. Sanchez will work with the American Physical Society to make important cultural changes to create a more fostering environment for diverse students nationally.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.