There will be a farewell symposium “Big ideas for a complex world” on 30 & 31 October 2024.
From Yekaterinburg to Nijmegen
Misha Katsnelson’s academic career began in Russia. After completing his studies, Katsnelson began working in Yekaterinburg under the supervision of Sergey Vonsovsky. “I had the freedom to explore multiple areas instead of specializing too narrowly. That helped me develop a broad perspective on physics.”
Katsnelson’s first main project was to help Vonsovsky to complete a textbook on solid-state physics that had been left unfinished for decades. The book of Vonsovsky and Katsnelson was published in Russia, and later Katsnelson contributed new sections to the English version. “Completing it helped me understand everything clearly from the very beginning and laid a good foundation for the rest of my career.”
In 2004, Katsnelson made a significant move in his career, joining Radboud University as the head of the Theoretical Condensed Matter Group, where he continued to advance his research in Nijmegen. “It was the most fitting and best opportunity available for me at that time. Having been in Nijmegen often because of regular visits to my friend Sasha Lichtenstein, who was a professor here, the decision felt very natural.”
Areas of research
Looking back at his career, Katsnelson identifies three key areas of research: the theory of exchange interactions in magnetism, his work on graphene, and the innovative method for calculating electronic structures in strongly correlated systems. In all three areas, Katsnelson has left his mark. “Each of these contributions is equally important to me, even though graphene tends to get the most recognition”, Katsnelson emphasizes.
In their work in magnetism, Lichtenstein and Katsnelson developed a theory of exchange interactions in molecules and solids. “This theory is still widely used today to explain why materials like iron are ferromagnetic and chromium is antiferromagnetic.”
Graphene was a turning point. His collaboration with Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov, who later won the Nobel Prize for their work on graphene, shaped his career. “Working with Geim was mostly done by phone. “We did not have online meetings like Teams meetings in that time, so we had to discuss the complex concepts with formulas in our heads,” Katsnelson says. “It forced me to simplify the physics, which really changed how I communicate scientific ideas.”
The discovery of graphene linked material science to fundamental physics such as quantum field theory. “It was a significant moment in my career”, Katsnelson says. “The discovery of graphene opened a new world, requiring the rethinking of even basic concepts. From the start, it was highly interdisciplinary, and my broad scientific interests proved crucial.”
Katsnelson was regognized greatly for his work on graphene and it led to several major grants, valuable scientific collaborations, and greatly benefited the entire scientific activity, even in areas far from graphene. Answering the question on his feeling on Nobel Prize 2010 to Geim and Novoselov, he said: “My contribution to developing the language for this new world was essential, but the discovery is what matters most. It's fair that Andre and Kostya received the first Nobel Prize for graphene. This material is so important that I hope this is just the beginning.”
Another significant contribution to science, is Katsnelson’s innovative discovery, together with Sasha Lichtenstein and independently of Gabi Kotliar, of the DFT + DMFT method, which combines density functional theory with dynamical mean-field theory. This technique now is a standard in computational material science. “I worked with my friend Sasha Lichtenstein on this multidisciplinary research, combining computational materials science and quantum many-body theory. This collaboration built a new bridge between these fields, much like graphene connected materials science and fundamental physics. My greatest pleasure in science is helping to build such bridges.”
Working together in science
Katsnelson worked with many theoretical and experimental physicists. Working across disciplines of theoretical and experimental lines was sometimes challenging. “I worked together with experimentalists and sometimes, it was really hard to translate between theory and experiments, but those failures taught me invaluable lessons to go on.”
Since Katsnelson has been at Radboud University, he has been active in building one of the largest Europe’s condensed matter theory groups. But his journey was not without its challenges. “When I arrived at Radboud University, theoretical groups were small, not so popular, and it was difficult to attract students. But after our graphene work was recognized, this completely changed. Graphene has been essential to our group's success. Also, the unique infrastructure at HFML-FELIX was crucial for key experiments, such as discovery of the quantum Hall effect in graphene at room temperature."
Katsnelson is proud of the strong theory group that now is very successful. “I have always felt supported by the Institute for Molecules and Materials, especially in recent years. I have always felt happy in IMM, helping me when necessary, and we now have one of the most prominent theoretical groups worldwide.”
Take home message
Even after his retirement, Katsnelson will continue pursuing several research projects at Radboud University, ensuring his impact to many fields. His work will vary from ongoing studies of magnetism and two-dimensional materials to broader scientific inquiries, such as the foundations of quantum mechanics and the origins of complexity and even evolutionary biology.
Katsnelson feels most proud of the atmosphere he helped build. “I discovered new abilities in teaching and leadership. I am proud of what we have built here in Nijmegen, and I hope the next generation will continue to nurture and strengthen this environment after I step back, Katsnelson says. “One thing I have learned is that nothing happens automatically. If you care about something, whether it concerns a research group or a career, you need to take action to maintain it. It not handed to us; we must create it ourselves.”
As he approaches retirement, Katsnelson is thinking ahead about the future of his research field. “The most important advice I can give young scientists is to find a place where they have the freedom to explore what truly interests them. This have this kind of freedom was the most valuable part of my career, this was more important to me than particular research results.”
About Misha Katsnelson
Misha Katsnelson Professor Misha Katsnelson, well-known for his groundbreaking work in graphene, magnetism, superconductivity, and electron structure, leaves a great impact on the scientific community. As a pioneer in graphene research, Katsnelson collaborated closely with Nobel laureates André Geim and Kostya Novoselov on this revolutionary material, which has potential in future technologies like faster computer chips. Since 2004, he has led the Theory of Condensed Matter group at the Institute for Molecules and Materials of Radboud University. His work and achievements gave him numerous awards, including the 2010 Radboud Science Award, prestigious Spinoza Prize (2013) and Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics (2016), and the Order of the Dutch Lion in 2011.
