Professor Md. Shafayat Hossain’s research seeks to (1) develop topological materials and devices, typically operated at liquid helium temperature, that can potentially function at room temperature and (2) understand and control the solid-state platforms for topological quantum computations, e.g., topological superconductors. His group at UCLA integrates scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, photocurrent microscopy, and transport to probe electronic symmetry breaking, topological signatures, and superconducting gap function at the atomic scale. His discoveries span room-temperature quantum spin Hall insulators [Nat. Mater. 21, 1111 (2022)], topological excitonic insulators [Nat. Phys. 21, 1250 (2025)], hybrid topological states in elemental solids [Nature 628, 527 (2024)], and unconventional kagome superconductivity [Nat. Phys. 21, 556 (2025)]—establishing design rules for next-generation, energy-efficient electronics and quantum computation. Current directions include how to materialize topologically protected transport at room temperature and understand the correlated and topological physics of kagome lattice materials to build the next-generation solid-state platform for quantum computation.

• Topological Exciton Insulator with Tunable Momentum Order, Nature Physics 21, 1250 (2025).
•  Hybrid Topological Quantum State in an Elemental Solid, Nature 628, 527 (2024).
• Unconventional Gapping Behavior in a Kagome Superconductor, Nature Physics 21, 556 (2025).
•  Evidence of a Room-Temperature Quantum Spin Hall Edge State, Nature Materials 21, 1111 (2022) (Cover Article).
•  Bloch Ferromagnetism of Composite Fermions, Nature Physics 17, 48 (2021).
• Boundary Modes of a Charge Density Wave in a Topological Material, Nature Physics 20, 1253 (2024). (Full publication list: Google Scholar)

1.  Phys. org featured our work on topological excitonic insulator, 2025
2.  Princeton Physics, Phys.org, EurekAlert!, Mirage News, ScienMag, and Bioengineer.org featured our work on chiral quantum state in a kagome superconductor, 2025.
3.  Phys. org featured our work on kagome superconductivity, 2025
4.  Phys. org featured our work on boundary modes of charge density wave, 2024
5.  The Quantum Insider, Phys.org, Science Alert, Today Headline, Nanowerk, Bioengineer.org, My Droll, SKY Nightly, Technology Networks, Scitech Daily, EurekAlert!, Tech Explorist, ScienMag, and Princeton Physics featured our work on discovery of a new quantum state in an elemental solid, 2024
6.  Phys.org, ScienMag, Bioengineer.org, Newscontinue, My Droll, MSN, EurekAlert!, and Princeton Physics featured our work on quantum interference of topological hinge modes, 2024
7.  Phys.org, EurekAlert!, SciTech Daily, Wonderful Engineering, New Atlas, Tech Explorist, Science Springs, Quantum Zeitgeist, and Princeton Physics featured our work on room-temperature quantum spin Hall state, 2022
8.  Physics and Phys.org featured our work on Wigner solid, 2022
9. EurekAlert!, Phys.org, ScienMag, Nanotechnology Now, Nanowerk, Sky Nightly, and Space Daily featured our work on unconventional, chiral charge density wave, 2021
10. Phys.org featured our experimental observation of Bloch ferromagnetism, 2021

1.  APS Forum on International Physics & Forum on Early Career Scientists Distinguished Student Award 2020
2.  APS Division of Materials Physics Ovshinsky Student Travel Award 2020
3.  Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science Award for Excellence 2019: Awarded to advanced graduate students who have performed at the highest level as scholars and researchers
4.  Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter QuantEmX Scientific Exchange Awards, 2016, 2017, and 2018
5.  First-Year Fellowship in Natural Sciences and Engineering, Princeton University, 2014-2015