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Distinguished Professor of Physics Peter Hirschfeld has been named a 2022 recipient of the prestigious John Bardeen Prize, sponsored by the University of Illinois. Hirschfeld was honored for his groundbreaking studies exploring the nature and potential of superconductivity.

Superconductivity, which occurs when an electrical charge can move through a material without resistance, has the potential to enable a variety of technological advances. Although physicists have worked to uncover many of the mechanisms involved over the last few decades, the phenomenon still holds many of the greatest mysteries in materials physics.

Hirschfeld has devoted most of his career to finding or designing materials that can conduct electricity entirely without electrical resistance at room temperature — a discovery Hirschfeld deems the “holy grail” of his field. Currently, metallic conductors must be cooled to extremely low temperatures to become superconductors. If materials could superconduct at room temperature, it would save enormous quantities of energy and revolutionize transportation, electrical power transmission and magnet technology.

Hirschfeld’s research focuses on understanding how superconductivity works in new classes of materials. By investigating unconventional materials whose behaviors seem to defy scientific theory in experimental probes, Hirschfeld has stretched the field’s potential.  Recently, he has embraced artificial intelligence techniques in the search for new materials that could superconduct at higher temperatures.

The John Bardeen Prize will be presented at a special ceremony at the upcoming Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity (M2S) conference in Vancouver. The international prize, created in 1991 by the organizers of the M2S Conference and awarded every three years, is named for the only person ever to have won two Nobel physics prizes. This year, Hirschfeld was honored alongside two other winners, Jörg Schmalian (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and Mohit Randeria (The Ohio State University).

Hirschfeld expressed gratitude for the colleagues that nominated him for the award.

“It’s significant because it recognizes that my work with many students and collaborators has influenced the way people think about superconductivity,” Hirschfeld said.

Learn more about the Hirschfeld Research Group here.