Cai Jiaqi, a 2019 graduate from the School of Physics at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), was honored with the 2025 William L. McMillan Award. This prestigious award, established by the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is highly regarded in the international condensed matter physics community and recognizes young scientists for their outstanding original achievements.

In the award citation, the review committee commended Cai "for the discovery of Fractional Anomalous Quantum Hall Physics in 2D Moire materials". This breakthrough challenges the long-held view that the fractional quantum Hall effect requires strong magnetic fields, opening new avenues for exploring topological quantum states and topological quantum computing without external magnetic fields. Previously, Cai's related research findings were published back-to-back in Nature in 2023, attracting widespread attention and high praise from global researchers.

Cai graduated with a bachelor's degree from the School of Physics at HUST in 2019. He then pursued a PhD at the University of Washington in the United States, earning his doctorate in 2024. Cai achieved this significant discovery during his doctoral studies under Professor Xu Xiaodong, which contributed to Professor Xu's receipt of the 2025 NAS Award for Scientific Discovery. Currently Cai serves as a Pappalardo Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Physics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), continuing to explore topological quantum phenomena in 2D Moire materials while collaborating closely with leading international teams.

According to the selection criteria, this year's awardees must have earned their PhD after 2020. Cai's recognition the year after his PhD highlights his exceptional innovation and outstanding achievements in condensed matter physics.

Alumnus Cai Jiaqi's award reflects HUST’s dedication to prioritizing students’ success and its continuous progress in cultivating globally competitive talent in fundamental research. The school adheres to the educational philosophy of “nurturing excellence through exceptional mentorship”, continuously building a high-level autonomous talent development system. This provides a strong foundation for the emergence of top-tier talent, as numerous outstanding young scientists with international influence have already been nurtured.

Written by: Gong Ziyu

Edited by: Han Leyao, Chang Wen, Peng Yumeng

Source: School of Physics