Xiaodong Xu is a Boeing Distinguished Professor in Department of Physics, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He was born in China, received his B.S. degree in Applied Physics from University of Science and Technology of China in 2002, and PhD degree in Physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2008. After his postdoctoral training at Center of Nanoscale Systems at Cornell University, he joined the University of Washington, Seattle as a faculty in 2010.

Prof. Xu has made seminal contributions to the field of two-dimensional (2D) quantum materials, which hold promises for transformative quantum electronics and photonics. He has published over eighty papers in the family of Nature and Science magazines, which are the most prestigious journals in the Science and Engineering communities. His achievements have set the directions of many research groups around the world, including starting the field of 2D valleytronics, 2D semiconductor heterostructure optics, 2D magnetism, and quantum spin Hall effects in 2D materials. These works address the major challenges facing by humanity that require the development of new technologies and material innovations to meet escalating demands on information, computing, and energy. He has been a Highly Cited Researcher (top 1% in the field) by Clarivate Analytics since 2018. In addition to research, he is a committed educator with numerous past mentees in both industry and Academia. He is also a community builder. For instance, the quantum material program at University of Washington has achieved significant growth and become an elite one in the past 10 years through faculty recruitment, facility development, and securing large scale grants.

Prof. Xu is a fellow of both American Physical Society and Optical Society of America. He has won many awards, including AAAFM-Heeger Award (2019), U. Washington Faculty Research Award (2018), Cottrell Scholar Award (2014), the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Young Scientist Prize in Physics of Semiconductors (2014), Department of Energy Early Career Award, National Science Foundation Early Career Award (2012), and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Young Faculty Award (2011).