Nicola Marzari is named Cavendish Professor of Physics

The Cavendish Laboratory - Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge is a temple of physics. Active since 1871 and named after the British chemist and physicist Henry Cavendish, it's been home to key discoveries such as the electron and the neutron, and 30 of its researchers have won the Nobel Prize.

The laboratory is associated to a chair, also created in 1871 and held by some of the most influential figures in the history of physics including James Clerk Maxwell, J J Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, William Lawrence Bragg, and Nevill Mott. The most recent holder, Professor Sir Richard Friend, served from 1995 to 2020 and did pioneering work on organic semiconductors. Only 9 scientists have held the title since 1871. 

Now the Cavendish laboratory has announced the appointment of MARVEL Director Nicola Marzari as the next Cavendish Professor of Physics. Marzari will take up the post in September 2026.

Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Cavendish Laboratory, said: “Professor Marzari’s research is dedicated to the development and application of novel electronic-structure theories, algorithms, and software to understand, predict, and ultimately design the properties of complex materials and complex states of matter".

“This field is now achieving its long sought holy grail: predictive accuracy, where first-principles, quantum mechanical simulations can accurately describe the behaviour of interacting electrons and ions; the ability to capture the complexity of the real world by bridging length and time scales and abstracting microscopic dynamics of particles and excitations into mesoscopic models; and the growing power of machine learning and artificial intelligence, which are rapidly reshaping our approaches to scientific discovery and understanding.

“We are delighted to welcome Nicola to our community in this distinguished role, as his innovative work perfectly complements the pioneering research underway at the Cavendish Laboratory.”

Commenting on his appointment,  Nicola Marzari said:

“The Cavendish Laboratory has been for 70 years a home and a beacon for condensed matter theory – and has delivered for 150 years innumerable breakthroughs in physics and beyond that reverberate worldwide.

“This appointment comes at a very special time, where the combination of human ingenuity and computational prowess, alongside both honed and novel capabilities, provides a never-ending playground for science.

“Yet, this excitement should be matched by a profound sense of responsibility, aiming to harness these capabilities to support a world under strain, and to contribute meaningfully to the well-being and, ideally, the flourishing of billions of humans and the ecosystems on which we all depend.”

Some text courtesy of the Cavendish Laboratory.