Dr. Elbio Dagotto is a world-renowned theoretical physicist specializing in condensed matter systems and currently holds the prestigious position of Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a concurrent appointment as Distinguished Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received his Licenciado degree in 1983 and Ph.D. in 1985 from the Instituto Balseiro in Argentina, followed by postdoctoral research appointments at the University of Illinois and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara. Before joining UT and ORNL in 2004 with a 50-50 split appointment, he served as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and eventually Full Professor at Florida State University where he was associated with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. His distinguished career trajectory reflects his exceptional contributions to advancing the theoretical understanding of complex quantum materials.
Dr. Dagotto has authored or co-authored more than 450 publications that have collectively garnered over 30,000 citations, establishing him among the world's top most highly cited physicists as recognized in 2004. His pioneering theoretical framework for correlated electron systems revolutionized the understanding of complex materials including transition metal oxides, oxide interfaces, and iron-based high-temperature superconductors, earning him the 2023 David Adler Lectureship Award from the American Physical Society. His influential book Nanoscale Phase Separation and Colossal Magnetoresistance (2002) distilled vast literature into fundamental insights that continue to guide research in the field, while his computational techniques have become essential tools for investigating emergent phenomena in quantum materials. The profound impact of his work extends beyond academia, informing technological applications in spintronics, quantum computing, and advanced materials development.
Beyond his research excellence, Dr. Dagotto has served as a Divisional Editor of Physical Review Letters and as a Member of the Solid-State Sciences Committee at the National Academy of Sciences, significantly shaping the direction of condensed matter physics research. He has received numerous honors including the SEC Faculty Achievement Award (2024), UT Alexander Prize (2023), and multiple Teacher of the Year awards from the UT Society of Physics Students, reflecting his dual commitment to research and education. Currently, he leads the DOE-funded Field Work Proposal at ORNL titled Theoretical Studies of Complex Collective Phenomena, which secured $1.9 million to advance understanding of quantum phenomena in novel materials. As a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr. Dagotto continues to be a leading force in theoretical condensed matter physics, mentoring the next generation of scientists while pushing the boundaries of knowledge in correlated electron systems.
