ASU Department of Physics’ Fulbright US Scholar to research quantum materials in India

Arizona State University physicist Arunima Singh is advancing research at the intersection of quantum materials, machine learning and next-generation electronics — work that has now earned her international recognition.

Singh, an associate professor in ASU's Department of Physics and a graduate faculty member of the materials science and engineering program, has received a prestigious 2026–27 Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award. During her residency at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, India, she will collaborate on the machine-learning-enabled design of quantum material-semiconductor heterostructures.

“My group’s expertise in data science and computational modeling complements their expertise in growing and experimentally characterizing quantum materials,” said Singh, who primarily researches computational material physics, using quantum-mechanical simulations, machine learning and data science to understand and design materials — particularly their surfaces, interfaces and heterostructures for electronic, energy and quantum technologies.

Heterostructures combine quantum materials and semiconductors at atomically precise interfaces for applications in spintronics, neuromorphic computing and advanced sensing. The goal of this project is to uncover the fundamental rules governing these interfaces and establish growth protocols for creating stable, scalable and energy-efficient materials.

Singh's past honors include receiving the Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award and being Thrust co-lead at ULTRA, a DOE-Energy Frontier Research Center. Currently, she serves as the principal investigator of the Computational Materials Design Lab, which supports research on data-driven first-principles simulations of complex surfaces and interfaces. The lab's work develops and uses quantum mechanical simulations as well as molecular dynamics simulations to push the boundaries of knowledge in nanomaterials, 2D materials and surface dominant-phenomena.

While in India, she’ll mentor students, deliver seminars and develop long-term research and educational partnerships between ASU and institutions in the country. She also plans to visit schools and colleges for STEM outreach, particularly in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, to share her journey from growing up in a small village in India to becoming a physics professor in the United States.

Singh says she most looks forward to the opportunity to work with researchers and students at TIFR and to connecting computational predictions directly with experiments.

“I am excited about engaging with students through seminars and outreach, particularly young people from communities where access to scientific opportunities and mentorship may be limited,” said Singh. “On a personal level, I am looking forward to spending this time in India with my family and helping my children deepen their connection to their cultural roots.”

Singh says the Fulbright award comes during a time of expansion in her research, moving from semiconductors into quantum technologies — an industry seeing rapid growth in the Phoenix metro-area — and she hopes to strengthen that direction at ASU.

“It is especially meaningful to return to the country where I grew up, contribute to its scientific and educational communities and help build lasting connections between researchers and students in India and the United States,” said Singh.