After the synthesis of graphene and the materials described by the Dirac equation, the actual modeling of novel materials is fed with concepts and techniques traditionally belonging to high energy physics. Maria Vozmediano’s background in quantum field theory, cosmology and superstrings gave her an original perspective that resulted in significant contributions to the understanding to these condensed matter systems.

Her pioneering work on how long-range Coulomb interactions renormalise the Fermi velocity in graphene is a seminal reference in the field.

Her mechanism for emergent non-Fermi liquid behaviour caused by Coulomb interactions was also extremely influential, and remains one of her most cited works.
More recently, her contributions have established to what extent strain in Dirac and Weyl materials can be modeled using curved backgrounds and emergent gauge fields.
Her expertise on this topic allowed her to spearhead contemporary research on exotic transport phenomena related to quantum field theory anomalies.

She has co-authored several reviews on these topics, including “Gauge fields in graphene” with more than 1000 citations.
She has been the advisor of several PhD thesis on graphene and topological insulators prior to both Nobel Prizes using methods of cosmology and effective actions. Her pedagogical skills and her love for the blackboard have also benefited several scientists spreading her original view of the field.

With this workshop we celebrate all of her outstanding scientific contributions to theoretical physics and honor her capacity and responsability as a mentor.