Xie Chen

Xie Chen is the Eddleman Professor of Theoretical Physics and Director of the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology, within the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy. Chen holds a B.S. from Tsinghua University, China, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They joined Caltech as an Assistant Professor in 2014, advancing to Professor in 2019, and became the Eddleman Professor in 2024. Chen also serves as Director, beginning in 2025. Their research focuses on theoretical physics.

Xie Chen is a researcher at the California Institute of Technology, specializing in condensed matter theory and quantum information theory. Their work explores symmetry-protected topological orders, quantum entanglement, and topological phases of matter. Chen's research includes the classification of gapped symmetric phases, the study of fracton phases, and the investigation of non-Abelian topological orders. They have contributed to understanding the interplay between quantum information and quantum matter, particularly through the lens of surface topological order and long-range quantum entanglement. Their publications often address the role of symmetry in protecting topological phases and the emergence of gapless edge excitations.