The 25‑Year‑Old Graphene Wrangler Revolutionizing Superconductivity
Yuan Cao, a 25‑year‑old physicist dubbed the “Nature狂魔,” has won the 2021 William L. McMillan Award for his groundbreaking work on twisted bilayer graphene superconductivity and boasts nine publications in Nature and Science, making him one of the youngest and most prolific researchers in condensed‑matter physics.
Yuan Cao Wins 2021 William L. McMillan Award
Just now, 95‑post “Graphene Wrangler” Yuan Cao received the highest youth physicist award in condensed‑matter physics for 2021, the William L. McMillan Award. At 25, he is nicknamed the “Nature狂魔” and has published nine papers in Nature and Science.
He was honored for his achievements in discovering and exploring superconductivity and related quantum phenomena in twisted bilayer graphene.
The award, established in 1986 by the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign physics department, annually recognizes one to two outstanding young researchers in condensed‑matter physics.
In the field of graphene superconductivity, Cao is celebrated as a Chinese “genius teen,” repeatedly drawing attention for his work.
He has authored eight Nature papers, including two back‑to‑back publications in 2018 and 2020, and a series of subsequent papers in 2021, totaling six Nature articles by March 2021 and an eighth in July 2021 on superconductivity in twisted trilayer graphene under strong magnetic fields.
His research identified symmetry‑breaking winding phases in magic‑angle twisted bilayer graphene, expanding a new frontier in condensed‑matter physics.
Born in 1996, Cao accelerated through primary and secondary education in three years, scoring 669 on the Chinese college entrance exam. At 14, he entered the University of Science and Technology of China’s elite “Yanjici Talent Class,” alongside other prodigies.
He received the prestigious Guo Moruo Scholarship in 2014, the highest honor for undergraduates at USTC, and in 2016 began his Ph.D. at MIT under Pablo Jarillo‑Herrero, a renowned graphene researcher with 17 Nature/Science papers and over 30,000 citations.
In 2018, at age 22, Cao discovered magic‑angle graphene, launching his “paper‑crazed” career and was named Nature’s 2018 Scientist of the Year, ranking first.
Beyond his academic accolades, Cao enjoys photography, stargazing, playing the violin, and also explores nanotechnology and computer science.
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