Allan MacDonald is a distinguished theoretical physicist renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to condensed matter physics. He currently holds the prestigious Sid W. Richardson Foundation Regents Chair Professor position in the Department of Physics at The University of Texas at Austin, where he has been a faculty member since 2000. Born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1951, he completed his undergraduate studies at St. Francis Xavier University before earning his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Toronto in 1978 under the supervision of S.H. Vosko. Prior to his appointment at UT Austin, he spent significant time at the National Research Council of Canada's research laboratories in Ottawa and served on the faculty at Indiana University, establishing himself as a leading voice in theoretical condensed matter physics.
Professor MacDonald's research has profoundly shaped the understanding of electron behavior in low-dimensional systems, particularly through his pioneering work on the quantum Hall effect and his prediction of the magic angle in twisted bilayer graphene that enables superconductivity. His theoretical framework for understanding correlated electron states in two-dimensional materials has become fundamental to the field, with his 2018 work catalyzing a revolution in condensed matter physics that has generated thousands of experimental and theoretical studies worldwide. He has made seminal contributions to the theory of quantum Hall ferromagnetism in graphene, developing the SU(4) quantum Hall ferromagnetism model, and advancing understanding of spintronics, metal-semiconductor interactions, and bilayer quantum systems. His work on the theoretical foundations of electronic structure in complex materials has established new paradigms for understanding electron interactions in condensed matter systems.
As a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 2010, MacDonald has significantly influenced the trajectory of condensed matter physics through his mentorship of numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to establish their own successful careers. His receipt of the 2020 Wolf Prize in Physics, alongside the prestigious Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize and Herzberg Medal, underscores the transformative impact of his theoretical insights on the broader physics community. Currently leading an active research group at UT Austin, he continues to explore novel electronic phenomena in two-dimensional materials, with recent work focusing on interaction effects in quantum Hall systems and the potential for new electronic phases in layered materials. MacDonald remains at the forefront of theoretical condensed matter physics, driving forward our understanding of quantum materials and their potential applications in next-generation electronic technologies.
