Bio
Hello, my name is Brenden R. Ortiz. I joined the Correlated Electron Materials group (Materials Science and Technology Division, PSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Feb. 2023 as part of the Distinguished Staff Fellowship Program. Below are some abbreviated snippets of the work I am interested in and a bit of my educational background. Please see attached CV (or Google Scholar link) for a list of publications.
Research Focus: The realm of quantum mechanics is a strange and unintuitive world, but crystalline materials can serve as our window to glimpse the interplay between quantum mechanics and chemistry. The search for exotic phenomenon like topological superconductivity demand the development of new materials -- ones that offer a new platform to explore and understand the quantum world. My research focuses on the development of new material platforms that can serve to answer fundamental questions pertaining to correlated electronic, magnetic, and topologic phenomenon. Specifically I focus on the development of new geometrically frustrated metals, with a emphasis on the Kagome motif. Exemplified by our discovery of the AV3Sb5 kagome superconductors, materials that exhibit complex interplay between different correlated phenomenon (charge density waves, superconductivity in the case of AV3Sb5) can stimulate in-depth discussion amongst the condensed matter community, helping to formulate new questions and forge new routes forward. As such, I aim to provide streams of new single crystal materials for our community to use in the exploration of complex electronic, magnetic, and quantum phenomenon.
Prior Positions:
2019-2022: Elings Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
2013-2018: Graduate Research Assistant, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
Degrees:
PhD Material Science (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO) -- Accelerating the discovery and optimization of thermoelectric materials
BS Engineering Physics (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO)