Prof Nicola Marzari

Professor Marzari’s research is dedicated to the development and application of novel electronic-structure theories, algorithms, and software to understand, predict, and ultimately design the properties of complex materials and complex states of matter.

This field is now achieving its long sought holy grail: predictive accuracy, where first-principles, quantum mechanical simulations can accurately describe the behaviour of interacting electrons and ions; the ability to capture the complexity of the real world by bridging length and time scales and abstracting microscopic dynamics of particles and excitations into mesoscopic models; and the growing power of machine learning and artificial intelligence, which are rapidly reshaping our approaches to scientific discovery and understanding.

Prof Marzari holds the prestigious Cavendish Professor of Physics chair. Established in 1871, this historic chair has played a central role in the leadership and direction of the Laboratory for over 150 years.

The Cavendish Professorship has been held by some of the most influential figures in the history of physics who, between them, changed completely our understanding of the physical world. Previous Cavendish Professors included James Clerk Maxwell, J J Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, and Nevill Mott.