Chirality is a very active field of research in organic chemistry, closely linked to the concept of
symmetry. Topology, a well-established concept in mathematics, has nowadays become essential
to describe condensed matter. At its core are chiral electron states on the bulk, surfaces and
edges of the condensed matter systems, in which spin and momentum of the electrons are
locked parallel or anti-parallel to each other. Magnetic and non-magnetic Weyl semimetals, for
example, exhibit chiral bulk states that have enabled the realization of predictions from high
energy and astrophysics involving the chiral quantum number, such as the chiral anomaly, the
mixed axial-gravitational anomaly and axions. Chiral topological crystals exhibit excellent chiral
surface states and different orbital angular momentum for the enantiomers, which can be
advantageous in catalysis. The potential for connecting chirality as a quantum number to other
chiral phenomena across different areas of science, including the asymmetry of matter and
antimatter and the homochirality of life, brings topological materials to the fore.
Claudia Felser studied chemistry and physics at the University of Cologne, completing her
diploma in solid state chemistry (1989) and her doctorate in physical chemistry (1994). After
postdoctoral fellowships at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart (Germany) and the CNRS in
Nantes (France), she joined the University of Mainz in 1996 as an assistant professor (C1)
becoming a full professor there in 2003 (C4). She is currently Director at the Max Planck Institute
for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden. In 2001 Felser received Order of Merit
(Landesverdienstorden) of the state Rheinland Pfalz for the foundation of the first NAT-LAB at the
University Mainz with a focus in female school students. She is fellow of the IEEE Magnetic
Society, American Physical Society, Institute of Physics, London, CIFAR Canada and the Materials
Research Society of India. In 2018, she became a member of the Leopoldina, the German
National Academy of Sciences, and acatech, the German National Academy of Science and
Engineering. In 2011 and again in 2017, she received an ERC Advanced grant. In 2019, Claudia
Felser was awarded the APS James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials together with Bernevig
(Princeton) and Dai (Hongkong). In 2020, she was elected to the United States National Academy
of Engineering (NAE) and in 2021 to the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS). She
was awarded the Max Born Prize of DPG (German Physical Society) and IOP (Institute of Physics),
the Liebig Medal of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), and the Wilhelm-Ostwald-Medal of the
Saxon Academy of Science in 2022. Also in 2022, she was elected to the Akademie für
Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz as a member. Together with Bernevig, Claudia Felser
was awarded the Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society in 2023. Most recently, she
has been appointed to the Hall of Fame of German Research. Her research foci are the design,
synthesis, and physical characterization of new quantum materials, in particular, Heusler
compounds, and topological materials for energy conversion and spintronics.
Chirality is a very active field of research in organic chemistry, closely linked to the concept of
symmetry. Topology, a well-established concept in mathematics, has nowadays become essential
to describe condensed matter. At its core are chiral electron states on the bulk, surfaces and
edges of the condensed matter systems, in which spin and momentum of the electrons are
locked parallel or anti-parallel to each other. Magnetic and non-magnetic Weyl semimetals, for
example, exhibit chiral bulk states that have enabled the realization of predictions from high
energy and astrophysics involving the chiral quantum number, such as the chiral anomaly, the
mixed axial-gravitational anomaly and axions. Chiral topological crystals exhibit excellent chiral
surface states and different orbital angular momentum for the enantiomers, which can be
advantageous in catalysis. The potential for connecting chirality as a quantum number to other
chiral phenomena across different areas of science, including the asymmetry of matter and
antimatter and the homochirality of life, brings topological materials to the fore.
Claudia Felser studied chemistry and physics at the University of Cologne, completing her
diploma in solid state chemistry (1989) and her doctorate in physical chemistry (1994). After
postdoctoral fellowships at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart (Germany) and the CNRS in
Nantes (France), she joined the University of Mainz in 1996 as an assistant professor (C1)
becoming a full professor there in 2003 (C4). She is currently Director at the Max Planck Institute
for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden. In 2001 Felser received Order of Merit
(Landesverdienstorden) of the state Rheinland Pfalz for the foundation of the first NAT-LAB at the
University Mainz with a focus in female school students. She is fellow of the IEEE Magnetic
Society, American Physical Society, Institute of Physics, London, CIFAR Canada and the Materials
Research Society of India. In 2018, she became a member of the Leopoldina, the German
National Academy of Sciences, and acatech, the German National Academy of Science and
Engineering. In 2011 and again in 2017, she received an ERC Advanced grant. In 2019, Claudia
Felser was awarded the APS James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials together with Bernevig
(Princeton) and Dai (Hongkong). In 2020, she was elected to the United States National Academy
of Engineering (NAE) and in 2021 to the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS). She
was awarded the Max Born Prize of DPG (German Physical Society) and IOP (Institute of Physics),
the Liebig Medal of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), and the Wilhelm-Ostwald-Medal of the
Saxon Academy of Science in 2022. Also in 2022, she was elected to the Akademie für
Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz as a member. Together with Bernevig, Claudia Felser
was awarded the Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society in 2023. Most recently, she
has been appointed to the Hall of Fame of German Research. Her research foci are the design,
synthesis, and physical characterization of new quantum materials, in particular, Heusler
compounds, and topological materials for energy conversion and spintronics.
