Abstract: Our research is in finding new materials that help physicists to study interesting electronic and magnetic properties in solids. We have commonly found these materials “the old way” through thinking about how chemistry and properties are linked, and then trying different ideas until a new material with good properties emerges. However in recent years we have explicitly been following up on the predictions of materials theorists, who increasingly are predicting that specific materials will have specific properties. This I would call “the new way” of finding new materials. In this talk I will present specific examples of new materials found “the old way” – geometrically frustrated magnets, gold compounds, topological insulators, and, briefly, several new materials found “the new way” – a strange 122 cluster superconductor, a ferromagnetic Weyl metal, and a material hosting “hourglass Fermions”.

Bio:  Prof. Robert J. Cava received his B.S degree from MIT in 1974, and Ph.D. from MIT in 1978. He is the Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry in Princeton University. He has extensive experience in emphasizing the relationships between chemistry, crystal structure, and electronic and magnetic properties of non-molecular solids. In addition, he study the properties and materials chemistry of superconductors, magnetic materials, transparent electronic conductors, dielectrics, thermoelectrics, topological insulators, geometrically frustrated magnets, and correlated electron systems.

He has received many awards, including the Matthias Prize in new superconducting materials, Wulff Award in materials science, John J. Carty Award for the advancement of science by National Academy of Science, McGroddy Prize in new materials, Linus pauling Award, Stephanie Kwolek Award in materials chemistry. In 2001 he was elected into U.S. National Academy of Sciences.