Awards

Outstanding Dissertation in Magnetism Awards

GMAG will present up to three dissertation awards at the next APS Global Physics Summit. These awards will recognize up to three students who have conducted outstanding research leading to their dissertation and will consist of an invited talk in an appropriate session at the APS Global Physics Summit Meeting, $250 in travel reimbursement to the conference, and a $1,500 prize to the recipients. The student must be in the final year before graduating with a Ph.D., and both the student and the advisor must be current members of GMAG.

Student Dissertation Award Nominations should consist of:

  • Nominating letter

  • Extended abstract on the research (maximum of 3 pages, including figures and references)

  • The student’s CV and publication list

  • Contact information for the student

These nomination documents must be submitted by the student’s advisor or another senior researcher who knows the student’s work well.

Additionally, a compelling nominating letter will certainly include information on:

  • Quality and independence of the student’s work

  • Student’s presentation skills

  • Year the student began graduate school

  • Student’s expected completion date (must be after September 1, 2026, but before September 1, 2027 to be eligible for the 2025 APS Global Physics Summit Award)

  • Assessment of the student’s future potential as a research scientist

Nominations should completed by going to the nomination portal and logging in with your APS login credentials. Evaluation of the nominations will be conducted by the GMAG Executive Committee. Conflict of interest situations will be handled in accordance with APS guidelines. The award cycle opens July 6, 2026 and will close August 30, 2026.

Congratulations to the previous recipients of the GMAG Dissertation Award!

2025 Outstanding Dissertation in Magnetism Awards
Xiaoyu Guo, University of Michigan
Dissertation Title: “Magnetic Order and Spin Fluctuations in VdW Magnets Probed by Nonlinear Magneto-optics
Niclas Heinsdorf, MPI Stuttgart & University of British Columbia
Dissertation Title: “The Geometric Memory of Quantum Wave Functions
Yuan Zhu,  University of Michigan
Dissertation Title: “Transport and Magnetic Properties of Topological Quantum Materials

2024 Outstanding Dissertation in Magnetism Awards
Wen-Han Kao, University of Minnesota

Dissertation Title: “ Disorder effects in the Kitaev Spin Liquid”
Cecilie Glittum, University of Cambridge
Dissertation Title: “ Wonderland of frustration: Magnetic moments and itinerant electrons on the pyrochlore lattice”

2023 Outstanding Dissertation in Magnetism Awards
Rakshit Jain, Cornell University

Dissertation title: “ Spin physics from topological insulators and spin split antiferromagnets”
Evan Michael Smith, McMaster University
Dissertation Title: “ The Dipole-Octupole Quantum Spin Ice Candidate Pyrochlore Ce2Zr2O7