Leslie M. Schoop

2025 National Award Finalist — Faculty

Leslie M. Schoop

Current Position:
Professor of Chemistry

Institution:
Princeton University

Discipline:
Inorganic & Solid-State Chemistry

Recognized for: Pioneering quantum materials discovery by linking chemical bonding to unique electronic and magnetic behaviors, enabling breakthroughs in energy-efficient electronics, data storage, and quantum technology.

Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Solid State Chemistry, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry

Previous Positions:

Diploma in Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany (Advisor: Claudia Felser)
Ph.D., Princeton University, USA (Advisor: Robert Cava)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Germany (Advisor: Bettina Lotsch)
Assistant Professor, Princeton University
Associate Professor, Princeton University
Associated Faculty, Princeton Quantum Initiative, Princeton Department of Physics, Princeton Materials Institute
Director, Princeton Center for Complex Materials

Research Summary:

Leslie Schoop, PhD transforms the discovery of quantum materials by applying chemical logic to challenges traditionally addressed through physics. Schoop demonstrated how bonding patterns give rise to unusual electronic behaviors like topological conductivity and strong electron interactions, enabling targeted design over large-scale computational searches. This approach led to materials with record-setting electron mobility, novel magnetism, and promise for data storage and quantum computing. Schoop also pioneered printable quantum materials, expanding their accessibility for real-world technologies. By redefining how quantum materials are predicted and applied, Schoop connects chemistry, physics, and materials science to drive breakthroughs across disciplines.

“For developing a new understanding of quantum materials by uniquely connecting the fields of solid-state chemistry and condensed matter physics. Schoop predicts, synthesizes, and characterizes novel quantum materials, such as superconducting inks, new materials for data storage, or materials with exotic electronic and magnetic behavior by connecting concepts such as chemical bonding with properties of crystalline solid materials.”

Key Publications:

  1. L.M. Schoop, S. Klemenz, A. Hay, S. Teicher, A. Topp, J. Cano. The role of delocalized chemical bonding in square-net-based topological semimetals. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020. 
  2. L.M. Schoop, S. Lei, J. Lin, Y. Jia, M. Gray, A. Topp, G. Farahi, S. Klemenz, F. Rodolakis, J. McChesney, C. Ast, A. Yazdani, K. Burch, S. Wu, N. Ong. High mobility in a van der Waals layered antiferromagnetic metal. Sci. Adv., 2020. 
  3. L.M. Schoop, X. Song, R. Singha, G. Cheng, Y. Yeh, F. Kamm, J. Khoury, F. Pielnhofer, P. Batson, N. Yao. Synthesis of an aqueous, air-stable, superconducting 1T’-WS₂ monolayer-ink. Sci. Adv., 2023. 
  4. L.M. Schoop, G. Villalpando, M. Jovanovic, B. Hoff, Y. J, R. Singha, F. Yuan, H. Hu, D. Călugăru, N. Mathur, J. Khoury, S. Dulovic, B. Sigh, V. Plisson, C. Pollack, J. Moya, K. Burch, B. Bernevig. Accessing bands with extended quantum metric in kagome Cs₂Ni₃S₄ through soft chemical processing. Sci. Adv., 2024.

Other Honors:

2025 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
2024 Nanoscale Horizons Emerging Investigator
2022 NSF CAREER Award
2021 Office for Naval Research Young Investigator Award
2021 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow
2020 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Research Fellow
2019 EPiQS Materials Synthesis Investigator, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
2019 Beckman Young Investigator Award
2018 Named Outstanding Referee for the Journals of the American Physical Society

In the Media:

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