Position:  Assistant Professor, Department of Physics

Educational Background:  B.S. 2011, Shandong Normal University Shandong, China, M.S. 2014, Shandong Normal University, Shandong, China, Ph. D. 2018, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China

Research Interests: 

Computational Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Materials, First-Principles and Machine Learning-Driven Multiscale Simulations, Vibrational Properties and Emergent Phenomena in Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials

I am a condensed matter physicist with a passion for exploring the fundamental properties of nanoscale materials. My academic path began with a B.S. in Applied Physics and an M.S. in Condensed Matter Physics from Shandong Normal University, followed by a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) in 2018. I continued my research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, as a postdoctoral fellow, and was promoted to Research Assistant Professor in 2024. My research integrates quantum-mechanical calculations with machine learning (ML)-based simulations to investigate structural, electronic, magnetic, optical, vibrational, and thermal properties of diverse three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) materials. Working both independently and in close collaboration with experimental partners, I aim to advance physics by accounting for experimental observations, identifying new phenomena, resolving outstanding puzzles, and envisioning new technological applications. I have collaborated with leading experimentalists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia, and UCAS, ensuring that theoretical and experimental efforts progress in concert. This approach has led to more than 45 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, and Nano Letters. I have mentored undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds worldwide, emphasizing hands-on research training, critical thinking, and professional development. My goal is to equip students not only with technical expertise, but also with the confidence and communication skills needed to excel in their careers. Beyond research and teaching, I actively contribute to the scientific community through service and outreach, including chairing sessions at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting, reviewing for the National Science Foundation (NSF), and serving as a referee for leading physics journals. I am deeply committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in science.

Selected Publications

1. Xiong, G. Zhang, D.-L. Bao, and et. al. Visualizing stepwise evolution of carbon hybridization from sp3 to sp2 and to sp. Nature Communications 16, 690 (2025).
2. Xu, D.-L. Bao, A. Li, and et al. Single-atom vibrational spectroscopy with chemical-bonding sensitivity. Nature Materials 22, 612–618 (2023).
3. Wang, D.-L. Bao, C. T. Wang, and et. al. Twisted bilayer zigzag-graphene nanoribbons with stacking offset-tunable edge states. Nature Communications 14, 1018 (2023).
4. R. Hoglund, D.-L. Bao, A. O’Hara, and et. al. Emergent interface vibrational structure of oxide superlattices. Nature 601, 556-561 (2022).
5. Chen, X.-L. Zhang, Y.-Y. Zhang, D. Wang, D.-L. Bao, and et. al. Atomically precise, custom-design origami graphene nanostructures. Science 365, 1036-1040 (2019).
6. Zhong, D. Ebeling, J. Tashakert, Y. Gao, D.-L. Bao, and et. al. A. Schirmeisen. Symmetry breakdown of 4, 4 ″-diamino-p-terphenyl on a Cu (111) surface by lattice mismatch, Nature Communications 9, 3277(2018).
7. Lin, J. C. Lu, Y. Shao, Y. Y. Zhang, X. Wu, J. B. Pan, L. Gao, S. Y. Zhu, K. Qian, Y. F. Zhang, D. -L. Bao, and et. al. Intrinsically patterned two-dimensional materials for selective adsorption of molecules and nanoclusters, Nature Materials 16, 717-722(2017).