News in brief

Research News

Fibre twist creates a new pathway for light

Researchers from Cambridge, Bath and international partners have developed a new optical fi bre that keeps light on course even through bends, twists or structural imperfections.

Published in Nature Photonics, the work introduces a controlled twist during fibre fabrication that creates topologically protected pathways, causing light to fl ow around defects rather than scatter from them. The result is far more robust signal transmission, with potential applications in high speed communications, precision sensing and quantum technologies.

Anton Souslov of the Cavendish Laboratory was among the co-authors

Analytical breakthrough sheds new light on quasicrystals

Researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory have answered a longstanding question about quasicrystals – extraordinary materials whose atoms form ordered but never-repeating patterns, found in everything from meteorites to the debris of the fi rst atomic bomb test. A new theoretical study, published with an Editors’ suggestion in Physical Review B, shows for the first time how true energy gaps can arise in quasicrystals, bringing our understanding of these materials meaningfully closer to that of ordinary periodic crystals.

The work, led by PhD student Emmanuel Gottlob in Ulrich Schneider’s Many body Quantum Dynamics Group, provides analytical tools capable of making exact predictions valid in the infinite-size limit – a significant step forward for both theory and future experiments.

Topological excitons open new frontier in organic semiconductors

Researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory, working with colleagues from Cambridge’s Department of Materials Science and the University of Manchester, have discovered a new class of topological excitons in organic semiconductors – and shown that their inherent topology significantly enhances how they move through a material.

Published across two papers in Nature Communications, the work builds on the topological tradition associated with former Cavendish Laboratory members Kosterlitz, Thouless and Haldane, whose Nobel Prize-winning insights now underpin everything from superconductors to quantum computers. The new findings suggest that the chemical structure of organic semiconductors can be tuned to control this topology, with promising implications for more efficient solar cells, LEDs and other optoelectronic devices.

Nu Quantum opens state-of-the-art trapped-ion qubit networking lab in Cambridge

Nu Quantum, a spin-out from the Cavendish Laboratory has opened anew state-of-the-art trapped-ion networking laboratory in Cambridge, their first dedicated industrial R&D facility for distributed quantum computing in the UK and Europe.

Mete Atatüre, Head of the Cavendish Laboratory and Founding Advisor at Nu Quantum, highlighted the significance of industry-led research in keeping the UK at the forefront of quantum science and technology. He noted that quantum interconnection remains a critical bottleneck, and the new test bed will help push the limits of networked quantum systems at industrially relevant scales.

Atomic-scale contamination found to impact performance of wafer-scale 2D Materials

Chenyang Zhao, Sam Lambrick, Ke Wang, Shaoliang Guan, Aleksandar Radić, David Ward, and Boyao Liu from the Surface Physics Group, led by Andy Jardine at the Cavendish Laboratory - have used the CORDE Atom Scattering facility to uncover how even trace levels of contamination can alter the behaviour of atomically thin materials. A new study published in Advanced Functional Materials demonstrates how scanning helium microscopy can detect sub-monolayer contamination across wafer-scale 2D materials, revealing contamination invisible to conventional techniques.

The work shows that tiny amounts of adventitious carbon are enough to disrupt atomic-scale order on MoS₂ surfaces, potentially affecting the performance, reliability and reproducibility of next-generation 2D-material devices. The research was carried out in part at CORDE, supporting access to advanced characterisation capabilities at the Cavendish Laboratory.

Awards and recognition

Nicola Marzari wins 2025 Feynman Theory Prize for Nanotechnology

Nicola Marzari has been awarded the 2025 Feynman Prize in Theory, recognising his contributions to nanotechnology.

Marzari has been honoured ‘for developing the theoretical and computational infrastructure that underpins modern atomically precise materials discovery’, and receives this award alongside Nobel laureate Ben L. Feringa from the University of Groningen.

A leading figure in materials modelling, he was appointed Cavendish Professor of Physics in September 2025. His research is dedicated to the development and application of electronic-structure simulations to understand, predict, and design the properties and performance of novel materials and devices.

Congratulations to our three 2026 Research Culture Nominees!

Many congratulations to our three Cavendish colleagues, Sinah Legner, Oliwia Zawadzka and Sarah Bohndiek, for their nomination in the Research Culture Celebration, for their contributions to building and sustaining a positive and supportive Research Culture at the University of Cambridge. As Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said in her remarks:

‘A healthy research culture underpins academic excellence: it is not a luxury or an add-on.’

The Research Culture Celebration event was the culmination of a two-week Research Culture Festival at the University of Cambridge.

Ray Dolby Centre wins regional architecture award

Alumni who have visited the Cavendish’s new home will not be surprised to hear that the Ray Dolby Centre has won the Best New Building category at the Greater Cambridge Design and Construction Awards 2026, with a further highly commended for engineering-led design.

Opened in May 2025, the building drew warm praise from judges, who described it as ‘stunning’ and an exemplar of function-led design – one that meets the exacting demands of cutting-edge research, from clean rooms to vibration-free zones, while remaining genuinely welcoming to visitors.

Those who haven’t yet made the trip to West Cambridge will find plenty of reason to do so.

Department news

Marcos Guimarães, new Associate Professor in the Physics of Energy Materials

We are pleased to welcome Marcos Guimarães to the Cavendish Laboratory as our new Associate Professor in the Physics of Energy Materials.

Marcos joins us from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) where his group has been established since 2019, having previously held positions at Cornell University and Eindhoven University of Technology.

His research examines how charge, light, spin and magnetism interact in quantum and van der Waals materials at the nanoscale, with the aim of advancing more energy-efficient approaches to future information technologies.

Marcos will be sharing his time with University of Groningen until the end of 2027 when he will be moving to Cambridge full time.

New partnership with Uzbekistan university

The Cavendish Laboratory has signed its fi rst formal academic agreement with a university in Uzbekistan, establishing the BMU-Cavendish Development Initiative with British Management University (BMU) in Tashkent. The partnership opens the door to student and faculty exchange, joint research in areas including materials for AI and sustainable futures, and teaching and capacity-building collaborations.

It is the first agreement of its kind between the University of Cambridge and an Uzbek institution. The partnership benefits from the leadership of Siddharth S. Saxena, whose distinguished academic career bridges the Cavendish Laboratory and Central Asia, as he brings decades of engagement with Uzbekistan’s scientific and educational landscape to this historic collaboration, which was formalised during a visit to the Cavendish by BMU students and staff, representatives from the Uzbekistan Embassy, and the Cambridge Central Asia Forum.

Graduate Student Conference 2025

The first Graduate Student Conference took place at the Ray Dolby Centre in December 2025. With nearly 200 registered attendees, over 50 posters presented, six student talks and one keynote talk, it proved to be an excellent day for the dissemination of scientific research and networking amongst the Cavendish Community.

Highlights included a keynote speech by Oxford physicist Ard Louis and an award ceremony recognising student excellence. Rituparno Chowdhury received the Abdus Salam Prize, while Angelica Lola Danhaive and Skyla White earned Cavendish PhD Prizes. Ella Wood took the Cavendish Contribution Prize, and the Best Poster Prize was shared by William Brilliant, Zory Davoyan, and Aneesh Agarwal. Huge congratulations to all winners.

PhD Student Noam Mouelle secures fourth Boat Race victory

Noam Mouelle, PhD student at the Cavendish Laboratory, was competing his fourth Boat Race as a member of the Cambridge Men’s Blue Boat in April. Having already contributed to three consecutive victories, Noam made it a remarkable fourth win on the 6.8 km Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake.

Noam is a PhD student with the High Energy Physics Group, part of the National Atom Interferometry Observatory and Network, using Ultra Cold Atom Technologies to investigate dark matter.

Save the date for the next Cavendish Alumni Reunion

Following the 150^th anniversary alumni reunion in January 2025, we are looking forward to the next gathering at the Ray Dolby Centre on Friday 29 January 2027. Please mark your calendars for this special event.

Full details will be shared as the date approaches. We look forward to welcoming you back and celebrating together once again.

Richard Saunders (1953–2026)

The Cavendish has lost a valued colleague with the passing of Richard Saunders, who joined the Radio Astronomy Group in 1978 and spent his career making significant contributions to radio astronomy and observational cosmology.

His most celebrated achievement was leading the upgrade of the 5-km telescope at Lord’s Bridge into the world’s first dedicated 35 Sunyaev–Zeldovich instrument, which in 1993 produced the first-ever image of the SZ effect – work recognised with the William Hopkins Prize of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. He went on to contribute to several landmark CMB experiments and remained a dedicated mentor to research students until retirement.

He is greatly missed by colleagues, collaborators, and former students.

Farewell to…

Peter Sims retired in April after seven years of dedicated service to the Department’s IT Services.

We wish him all the very best for a happy and well-deserved retirement.

Mark Smith celebrates 35 Years of Service

Mark Smith, Undergraduate Laboratory Technician at the Cavendish, was recently recognised for 35 years of dedicated service to the University, marking a career that has spanned multiple departments and technical specialisms.

He first joined in December 1990 as a trainee technician in the Department of Chemistry, supporting undergraduate teaching laboratories, stores, and later working in David King’s surface science research group. Mark later joined the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, developing expertise in materials preparation and microscopy, before moving to the Cavendish Laboratory in 2001 as an undergraduate teaching technician, where he has remained ever since. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside valued colleagues and contributed to teaching and research support.

Many congratulations to Mark for reaching this impressive milestone.

Professional Services appointments

• Nolan Chandler – Stores/Yard Assistant
• Jonathan Cheng – Finance Administrator
• Eike Friedrich – Electronics Design Engineer
• Vanessa Hansen – Postgraduate Administrator (maternity cover)
• Kamaldeep – Facilities Assistant
• Suzanne Maton – Purchasing Assistant
• Himal Widooshaka Muwanwella – Research Laboratory Technician
• Joanne Roberts – Programme Coordinator for Impulse
• Lina Zvaginyte-Bagociene – Course Administrator

Alumni news

New book on prime numbers and the structure of spacetime

Cavendish Astrophysics alumnus (1997–2000) and Life Member of Clare Hall Sandi Setiawan has recently published a new book titled Primacohedron: Adelic Spectral Geometry of the Primes (Amazon, 2026).

The book explores a bold and interdisciplinary idea at the intersection ofnumber theory, geometry, and theoretical physics. Rather than treating prime numbers as purely abstract objects, Primacohedron presents a framework in which primes function as fundamental oscillators shaping time, curvature, and information. In this vision, spacetime itself emerges as a coherent spectral structure rooted in arithmetic.

Primacohedron contributes to ongoing conversations across mathematics and physics about the deep relationship between arithmetic structure and the fabric of the universe.