Engineering professor receives prestigious Moore Foundation grant

Professor Adina Luican-Mayer was named to the Moore Foundation’s 2025 cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators. In October, the foundation announced 22 new investigators who are advancing the frontier of fundamental research in experimental physics.

Luican-Mayer, who joined the electrical and computer engineering department in 2025, was honored for her research on moiré-induced polarization in atomically thin materials, work that could uncover new phases of matter and enable ultra-compact, energy-efficient electronics.

The Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative provides each investigator $1.3 million over five years, giving these scientists the flexibility to accelerate breakthroughs and strengthen the experimental physics community. According to the foundation, the grant “allows creative individuals to pursue exciting research goals, try new ideas and explore areas that might not otherwise attract this level and duration of financial support from conventional funding sources.”

“We once again received proposals from amazing mid-career investigators who are taking their research to new levels,” said Theodore Hodapp, program director for the initiative at the foundation. “We are excited to see them join our existing cohorts of experimental physicists who are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the universe.”

All cohorts are brought together each year, resulting in new collaborations and research directions.

Gordon and Betty Moore contributed to science, technology, education and conservation for decades. Gordon was a leader in the semiconductor industry. He co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968. His rule-of-thumb prediction made in 1965, later dubbed “Moore’s Law,” became a guiding principle for the delivery of ever more powerful semiconductor chips at proportionally lower costs. Betty worked for Consolidated Engineering in advertising and public relations, then joined the Ford Foundation. In 2017, the couple was recognized as California’s most generous philanthropists.

The foundation is now accepting applications for the 2026 cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators. The deadline to apply is Oct. 14.

— Andrea Poet, College of Engineering