New Quantum Physicist Joins ISTA

In quantum materials, the interaction of countless electrons gives rise to surprising phenomena that are greater than the sum of their parts. The quantum materials specialist, Veronika Sunko, seeks to uncover the fundamental principles behind these emergent states of matter. She now joins the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) as an assistant professor, adding to the Institute’s diverse and thriving field of quantum science and technology.

In theoretical physics, symmetry shapes how scientists conceptualize materials, their behaviors, and their functional properties. Imagine a ball on top of a perfectly symmetrical hill with two perfectly symmetrical valleys on its sides. Although the ball is in a symmetric state, it exists in an unstable equilibrium before falling into one of the two valleys and reaching a more stable, but non-symmetric position. This phenomenon, called “spontaneous symmetry breaking,” also occurs in quantum materials. In fact, it is so important that broken symmetries define quantum states and determine their functional properties.

As a new assistant professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Sunko seeks to understand quantum materials through the subtle symmetry-breaking phenomena they exhibit. With her group, Symmetry Probes of Quantum Matter, she combines an array of experimental techniques with theoretical models to detect symmetry breaking and understand its causes and consequences, one material at a time. Currently, she is building a unique laboratory at ISTA, dedicated to developing and utilizing new optical probes of symmetry in quantum materials. The Sunko group will use these tools to discover, characterize, and tune novel quantum phenomena, uncovering emergent states of quantum matter.

Background & Awards

Originally from Croatia, Sunko completed a master’s in physics at the University of Zagreb before pursuing a PhD in condensed matter physics at the University of St Andrews in the UK and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Germany. Her doctoral thesis earned her various awards and recognitions, including the 2019 Springer Thesis Prize, the 2020 Richard L. Greene Dissertation Award from the American Physical Society, and the 2020 Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society. She was a Miller Fellow from 2021 to 2025 at the University of California, Berkeley, US, and a Minerva Fast Track Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids between 2020 and 2024. She is establishing her own research group at ISTA during the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025), adding her expertise to the Institute’s already diverse and growing community of quantum scientists.

When away from the lab, Sunko enjoys reading books, watching movies, going on hikes, and exploring new coffee shops with friends and family.