About
I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor and the director of the Advanced Nanoelectronics & Nanostructures Laboratory (ANNLab) in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona, with joint (by courtesy) appointments in the Department of Physics and the School of Electrical, Computing, and Software Engineering. My research group designs, builds and characterizes nanoelectronic devices based on low-dimensional semiconductors and quantum materials, including atomically precise 1D graphene nanoribbons and 2D materials, for computing and sensing. We also develop topological surface acoustic wave devices for next-generation wireless communication.
Honors
- Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow
- Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing Fellow
- Peterson Family Outstanding Early Career Faculty
Recent News
October 2026Prof. Mutlu was featured on Arizona Science (AZPM, NPR 89.1) in the episode “Exploring Advanced Nanoelectronics.”
October 2026Prof. Mutlu receives a 3-year Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant for nanoelectronics research.
October 2026Prof. Mutlu receives a 2-year Intel Scholarship & Fellowship Program grant supporting 6 graduate students.
September 2026Prof. Mutlu receives a 2-year REPLIQA grant with Google Quantum AI to develop nanosensors.
August 2026Prof. Mutlu joined the Early Career Editorial Board of Graphene and 2D Materials (Springer Nature).
Research
Nanosensors
We develop new types of nanosensors built from low-dimensional materials for extreme environments and biological sensing.
Nanoribbon Transistors
We grow atomically precise nanoribbons, integrate them into transistors, and study their electronic transport and device challenges.
Surface Acoustic Wave Devices
We design and study surface acoustic wave devices, working toward topological acoustics for future advanced wireless communication.
Recent Publications (Full list)
[ACS AMI]Electrical and Structural Response of Nine-Atom-Wide Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors to Gamma Irradiation PDF
K. Yumigeta, M. Yusufoglu, J. G. Federice, E. T. Hughes, A. M. Degirmenci, J. T. Njardarson, K. Simmons-Potter, B. G. Potter, Z. Mutlu
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2026 Front Cover
[Phys. Rev. Applied]Composite Superlattice Radio-Frequency Surface-Acoustic-Wave Devices PDF
F. Najmi, H. Yawit, W. Takeda, A. Basu, S. Biswas, Z. Mutlu, P. Lucas, K. Muralidharan, A. Alù, K. Runge, P. A. Deymier
Physical Review Applied, 2026
[Adv. Mater. Interfaces]Scalable Etch-Free Transfer of Low-Dimensional Materials from Metal Films to Diverse Substrates PDF
K. Yumigeta, M. Yusufoglu, M. Sarker, R. Raj, F. Daluisio, R. Holloway, H. Yawit, T. Sweepe, J. Battaglia, S. Janssen, A. C. Welch, P. DiPasquale, K. A. Mkhoyan, A. Sinitskii, Z. Mutlu
Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2026
[COPR’25]The Effect of Chalcopyrite Composition on Semiconducting Properties PDF
S. Patterson, J. Battaglia, A. Rieffer, Z. Mutlu, A. Wessman, I. Barton
12th International Copper Conference (COPR 2025), Springer, 2025
[APL]Schottky Barrier Formation and Band Realignment of Rare-Earth Tritelluride Charge Density Wave Material–Semiconductor Interfaces PDF
K. Yumigeta, J. Kopaczek, R. Banerjee, S. T. R. Moosavy, A. Yarra, B. Povilus, H. Ruddick, R. Sailus, M. Kumar, S. Lakhavade, Y. Ou, Z. Mutlu, S. A. Tongay
Applied Physics Letters, 2025
[APL]Schottky Barrier Formation and Band Realignment of Rare-Earth Tritelluride Charge Density Wave Material–Semiconductor Interfaces PDF
K. Yumigeta, J. Kopaczek, R. Banerjee, S. T. R. Moosavy, A. Yarra, B. Povilus, H. Ruddick, R. Sailus, M. Kumar, S. Lakhavade, Y. Ou, Z. Mutlu, S. A. Tongay
Applied Physics Letters, 2025
[ACS Nano]Coupling of Nondegenerate Topological Modes in Nitrogen Core-Doped Graphene Nanoribbons PDF
P. H. Jacobse, M. Pizzochero, E. C. H. Wen, G. Borin Barin, X. Li, Z. Mutlu, K. Müllen, E. Kaxiras, M. F. Crommie, F. R. Fischer
ACS Nano, 2025
[ACS Nano]Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors with Long-Term Stability and Reliability PDF
C. Dinh, M. Yusufoglu, K. Yumigeta, A. Kinikar, T. Sweepe, Z. Zeszut, Y.-J. Chang, C. Copic, S. Janssen, R. Holloway, J. Battaglia, A. Kuntubek, F. Zahin, Y. C. Lin, W. G. Vandenberghe, B. J. LeRoy, K. Müllen, R. Fasel, G. Borin Barin, Z. Mutlu
ACS Nano, 2024
[APR]Contact Engineering for Graphene Nanoribbon Devices PDF
Z. Mutlu, C. Dinh, G. Borin Barin, P. H. Jacobse, A. Kumar, D. Polley, H. Singh, Z. Wang, Y. C. Lin, A. Schwartzberg, M. F. Crommie, K. Müllen, P. Ruffieux, R. Fasel, J. Bokor
Applied Physics Reviews, 2023 Featured Article
[Carbon]Scaling and Statistics of Bottom-Up Synthesized Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors PDF
Y. C. Lin, Z. Mutlu, G. Borin Barin, Y. Hong, J. P. Llinas, A. Narita, H. Singh, K. Müllen, P. Ruffieux, R. Fasel, J. Bokor
Carbon, 2023
Selected Professional Activities
Lead Organizer, Symposium on Translating 1D and 2D Materials into Technology2027
MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit, Boston, MA
Member, Early Career Editorial Board2026 – Present
Graphene and 2D Materials (Springer Nature)
Contributing Author, SRC Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT) Roadmap 2.02025
Digital Processing and Workforce Development chapters, Semiconductor Research Corporation
General Chair, FUSENANO National Workshop2024
Molecules to Systems: The Future of Semiconductors with 1D and 2D Nanomaterials, Tucson, AZ
Work Experience
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ2022 – Present
Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ2024 – Present
Assistant Professor (by courtesy), Department of Physics and School of Electrical, Computing, and Software Engineering
University of California, Berkeley, CA2018 – 2022
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA2018 – 2022
Affiliate, Molecular Foundry
University of California, Riverside, CA2017 – 2018
Assistant Project Scientist, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of California, Riverside, CA2016 – 2017
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey2008 – 2010
Research Assistant, Department of Physics Education
Education
Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA
2011 – 2016Advisor: Cengiz S. Ozkan
Dissertation: “Crystal Growth and Phase Engineering of Two-Dimensional Metal Chalcogenides”
M.S. in Physics, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
2007 – 2009Advisor: Oğuz Doğan
B.S. in Physics Education, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
2002 – 2007