Dr. Shu Heng Shao

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Shu-Heng Shao is an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on generalizing symmetry principles in quantum field theories and lattice models, with applications in high-energy physics, condensed matter theory, and quantum gravity. He explores the structural aspects of quantum field theories and lattice systems, particularly in the context of generalized symmetries and anomalies. His work emphasizes a novel type of symmetry known as non-invertible symmetries, which have significant implications for quantum systems such as the Ising model, Yang-Mills theories, and lattice gauge theories. His research leads to new constraints on renormalization group flows and the introduction of new conservation laws, offering new organizing principles for classifying phases of quantum matter. Born and raised in Taiwan, he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Physics from National Taiwan University in 2010 and completed his Ph.D. in Physics at Harvard University in 2016 under the supervision of Prof. Xi Yin. Shao was a long-term member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton before moving to the Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics at Stony Brook University, where he served as an assistant professor starting in 2021 before joining MIT faculty in 2024.

Research Interests

Awards

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Frontiers Science Award

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Simons Collaboration Ultra-Quantum Matter

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Frontiers Science Award

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National Science Foundation Award

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New World Mathematics Award