Prestigious Brown Investigator Award Goes to University of Michigan Physicist
Physicist Lu Li, interim chair and professor at the University of Michigan’s Department of Physics, has been selected as one of the eight esteemed scientists to join the 2026 class of Brown Investigators. This recognition, provided by the Brown Institute for Basic Sciences at Caltech, is accompanied by a grant of up to $2 million over five years, allowing Li to continue his groundbreaking work in the physical sciences.
This award highlights the commitment of the Brown Institute to foster scientific research with potential real-world applications, particularly in chemistry and physics. Li plans to utilize this funding to explore new methodologies in thermal transport and resonance measurements within high magnetic fields, aiming to investigate the electronic states of insulators.
The focus of Li’s research is on determining if magnetic fields can influence charge-less particles within specific insulators—a concept showcased in phenomena such as the aurora, where Earth’s magnetic fields interact with solar particles. “It is such an honor to be part of the Brown Investigator Award. With this support, I am more confident that the proposed experiments will work,” Li stated. “The success will open a new field in solid insulators. Given the rapid technological development in semiconductors and metals, I am sure society will see progress from this new research on insulators.”
Founded in 2020 by the Brown Science Foundation, the Investigator Awards reflect the belief in scientific discovery as a catalyst for enhancing the human condition. The Brown Institute for Basic Sciences seeks to support foundational scientific advancements that could lead to societal breakthroughs.
Ross Brown, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who inaugurated the institute in 2023, expressed his vision: “My hope is that these awards will provide talented mid-career researchers with stable and secure funding at a moment of their career when they are poised to make a significant impact in their field, giving them time to focus and develop their line of thinking.”
Past recipients of the award include Kerri Pratt from the University of Michigan, who received the 2024 award for her research on chemical compounds and mechanisms in the Arctic’s warming atmosphere. The selection of the new cohort involved nominations from 24 research universities nationwide, considering faculty who have secured tenure within the last decade and are engaged in innovative research. An independent scientific review board performed the evaluations to recommend the grant winners.
