The 35th Annual

Kay Malmstrom Lecture in Physics

Can Artificial Intelligence Discover New States of Matter? A Malmstrom lecture presentation by Eun-Ah Kim

Can Artificial Intelligence Discover New States of Matter?

with guest lecturer Eun-Ah Kim PhD, Hans A. Bethe Professor of Physics at Cornell University and director of the National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Materials Institute

When: Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Where: Sundin Music Hall, 麻豆视频APK,

Check back soon for registration information.

Matter can do far more than exist as a solid, liquid, or gas. Under extreme conditions, electrons can pair and flow without resistance, while subtle interactions can cause them to organize into entirely new patterns. Discovering these states of matter not only deepens our understanding of nature but can also open new possibilities for technology.

Yet observing these phenomena is remarkably challenging. Quantum mechanics prevents scientists from directly observing individual electrons, leaving researchers to infer their behavior from complex experimental measurements. At the same time, modern instruments generate extraordinary volumes of data. A single X-ray scattering experiment can produce terabytes of information in an afternoon.

In this lecture, Professor Eun-Ah Kim will describe how her group is using machine learning to help bridge this gap. Rather than simply fitting experimental data, their approach develops representations that preserve the underlying physics, enabling researchers to identify patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.

Kim will share two examples of this approach in action: the discovery of a long-sought state of matter known as a Bragg glass in X-ray scattering data, and the prediction of a new nickelate superconductor. In the latter case, the predicted material was synthesized and experimentally tested, with its transition temperature matching the machine鈥檚 prediction to within a tenth of a degree.

These discoveries point to a provocative question at the intersection of physics and artificial intelligence: Can machines discover new states of matter? Kim argues that AI can help us find what we could not otherwise see鈥攂ut determining which questions are worth asking remains a uniquely human endeavor.

Eun-Ah Kim PhD

Hans A. Bethe Professor of Physics at Cornell University and director of the National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Materials Institute


Eun-Ah Kim's research lies at the intersection of quantum many-body physics and artificial intelligence, where she explores how computational methods can help scientists understand complex quantum systems and accelerate the discovery of new materials.

Her current research includes using artificial intelligence to aid fault-tolerant quantum simulation of highly entangled states and to accelerate materials discovery. Her work brings together theoretical physics, machine learning, and computational approaches to address some of the most challenging questions in modern condensed matter physics.

Her contributions to physics have been recognized with numerous honors, including a Radcliffe Fellowship, two Simons Fellowships for Theoretical Physics, and election as a Fellow of the American Physical Society. She earned her PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana鈥揅hampaign and completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University before joining the Cornell faculty in 2008.

Eun-Ah Kim, Malmstrom Lecture guest speaker

About the Malmstrom Lectures in Physics

The Kay Malmstrom Lecture in Physics, part of the Emma K. and Carl R. N. Malmstrom Chair in Physics, is an annual symposium on contemporary issues and research in physics. Through this generous gift, Carl R. N. Malmstrom 鈥36 gives 麻豆视频APK students access to the outstanding scientific minds of our time. Even after his death in 2010, Carl鈥檚 legacy of supporting 麻豆视频APK students continues to fund collaborative research opportunities, scholarships, and this lecture.

Past lectures

Year Title and Guest Lecturer
2025 鈥淨uantum Computers: Hype and Hope,鈥 Christopher Monroe PhD, Gilhuly Family Presidential Distinguished Professor at Duke University
2024 鈥淓xoplanets and the Search for Life Beyond Earth,鈥 Sara Seager PhD, astrophysicist and professor of physics, planetary science, and aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2023 鈥淏uilding a Quantum Computer,鈥 John Martinis PhD, professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara
2022 鈥淐osmic Messengers from Cosmic Accelerators: Theories and Mysteries of 鈥楥osmic Ray鈥 Proton Particles,鈥 Ellen Gould Zweibel PhD, William L. Kraushaar Professor of Astronomy and Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2021 鈥淎n Evening on Dark Matter Particles,鈥 Elena Aprile PhD, Columbia University
2020 鈥淢icroscopy in Motion: Understanding How Crystals Grow Through Electron Microscopy Movies,鈥 Frances M. Ross PhD, Columbia University
2019 "A Random Walk through Physics to the Nobel Prize," Dr. J. Michael Kosterlitz, 2016 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics for work on the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition
2018 "Mixed-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures for Electronic and Energy Applications," Dr. Mark C. Hersam, Northwestern University
2017 "What Can We Do with a Quantum Liquid?" Dr. Anthony J. Leggett, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003 Nobel Laureate for work on superfluidity
2016 "Soft Electronics for the Human Body," Dr. John A. Rogers, Northwestern University
2015 "More Than Moore: When Electronics Drive off the Roadmap," Dr. Mark A. Reed, Yale University
2014 "Relativity, Quantum Physics, and Graphene," Philip Kim, Harvard University
2013 "Innovating Your Own Future," Roger H. Appeldorn, 3M
2012 "When Freezing Cold is Not Cold Enough: New Forms of Matter Close to Absolute Zero Temperature," Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle, MIT, 2001 Nobel Laureate for research on Bose-Einstein condensation
2011 "Exploring the Warped Side of the Universe," Dr. Nergis Malvalvala, MIT (spring)
2011 "E=mc^2: Opening Windows on the World," Dr. Young-Kee Kim, University of Chicago (fall)
2010 "Neutrino Astronomy at the South Pole," Dr. Jordan Goodman, University of Maryland
2009 Superposition, Entanglement, and Raising Schr枚dinger鈥檚 Cat" Dr. David Wineland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2012 Nobel Laureate for developing research methods for measuring and manipulating individual quantum systems
2008 "How to Make Atoms Sing and Molecules Dance-Using Fast Light Pulses to Observe and Control Nature," Dr. Margaret Murname, University of Colorado at Boulder
2007 "Modern Cosmology & Superstring Theory: Can They Co-Exist?" Dr. Sylvester James Gates, Jr., University of Maryland
2006 "Stopping Time," Dr. Eric Mazur, Harvard University
2005

Malstrom Lecture, 2005 Dr. Ramon Lopez, Florida Institute of Technology
2004 "Stone Cold Science," Dr. Eric Cornell, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2001 Nobel Laureate for collaborative work involving Bose-Einstein Condensate.
2003 "Our Preposterous Universe," Dr. Sean Carroll, California Institute of Technology
2002 "Sunlight and Ice Crystals in the Skies of Antarctica," Dr. Robert Greenler, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2001 "The Physics of Star Trek," Dr. Lawrence Krauss, Case Western Reserve University
2000 "Almost Absolute Zero: The Story of Laser Cooling and Trapping," Dr. William D. Phillips, National Institute of Standards and Technology. 1997 Nobel Laureate for collaborative work involving the cooling and trapping of atoms with lasers.
1999 "Space Astronomy in the 21st Century," Dr. John C. Mather, Nasa Goddard Lab for Astronomy and Solar Physics. 2006 Nobel Laureate for collaborative discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
1998 "Voodoo Science," Dr. Robert Park, University of Maryland, author of the controversial weekly commentary, What's New, on science policy issues.
1997 "Quark: The Big And Small Of It," Dr. Melissa Franklin. Harvard University, The Top Quark.
1996 "So Many Galaxies... So Little Time," Dr. Margaret Geller Harvard University, Astronomer, recipient the MacArthur Fellowship
1995 "The Quark And The Jaguar," Dr. Murray Gell-Mann, California Institute of Technology, 1969 Nobel Laureate for classifying the elementary particles.
1994 "Science And The Human Condition," Dr. Daniel Kleppner MIT, quantum optics, and experimental atomic physics.
1993 "Rumors of Perfection: New Ideas About Cosmic Evolution," Timothy Ferris, University of California-Berkeley, Science writer and essayist, wrote and narrated the the PBS special "The Creation of the Universe."
1992 "The Cosmic Quark," Dr. Leon Lederman, University of Chicago, 1988 Nobel Laureate for collaborative work that led to development of a new tool for studying the weak nuclear force.
1991 (Dedication of Robbins Science Building) Dr. Arno A. Penzias, Bell Labs, 1978 Nobel Laureate with Robert K. Wilson for discovering the cosmic background radiation.

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