Univ.-Prof. Dr. habil.
Andrii Chumak

About

Andrii Chumak is Full Professor of Experimental Solid State Physics at the University of Vienna, where he leads the Nanomagnetism and Magnonics Research Unit at the Faculty of Physics. His group operates at the frontier of classical spin-wave physics, quantum magnonics, and spintronics. The central question: how can magnons — the quantised excitations of spin waves — carry and process information in next-generation low-power computing and RF technologies?

After completing his PhD at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (2009) and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kaiserslautern, Prof. Chumak built an internationally recognised research programme in Kaiserslautern before being appointed Full Professor in Vienna in 2019. He has received two grants from the European Research Council (ERC) and is recognised as one of the leading figures shaping modern magnonics.

Career

Current Position

Since 2019: Full Professor (Univ.-Prof.) of Experimental Physics Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Austria — Head of the Nanomagnetism and Magnonics Research Unit

Previous Positions

2017 – 2019: Assistant Professor of Experimental Physics & Leader of ERC Research Group Faculty of Physics, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany

2016 – 2017: Privatdozent of Experimental Physics Faculty of Physics, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany

2008 – 2016: Postdoctoral Researcher & Research Associate Faculty of Physics, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany — group of Prof. B. Hillebrands

2004: Visiting Researcher Department of Physics, Colorado State University, USA — group of Prof. C. Patton

Education

2016: Habilitation in Experimental Physics University of Kaiserslautern, Germany — “Magnonic crystals for magnon-based data processing” (group of Prof. B. Hillebrands)
2009: PhD in Radiophysics (with distinction) Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine — “Parametric restoration of elastically-scattered spin-wave signals” (advisor: Prof. G. A. Melkov)
1999 – 2005: Master’s and Bachelor’s in Radiophysics and Electronics (with Honours) Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine

Main Research Interests and Achievements

Magnonics

Investigation of spin waves (magnons) in nano- and micro-scale structures, and the development of magnonic logic gates, circuits, and unconventional computing architectures. This direction builds on the comprehensive studies of magnonic crystals (JPD Review 2017) – periodic magnetic structures – for spin-wave manipulation and data processing, including a dynamic all-linear time-reversal crystal (Nat. Commun. 2010). Key milestones include the first proof-of-concept magnon transistor (Nat. Commun. 2014), which carries and processes information entirely by magnons rather than electrons, and the first nanoscale spin-wave directional coupler (Nat. Electro. 2020) used for a magnonic half-adder. In the frames of the ERC StG MagnonCircuits, the group has also pioneered spin-wave physics in sub-100 nm structures, including the first fabrication and characterisation of spin waves in 50 nm waveguides with the discovery of “exchange unpinning” (Phys. Rev. Lett.2019) and single-mode magnon transport at the nanoscale (Nano Letters 2020).

Inverse-Design Magnonics

A special focus since 2021 is the inverse-design paradigm (Nat. Comm. 2021): rather than designing device geometry by intuition, the desired functionality is specified first, and a feedback-based algorithm derives the optimal layout. In 2025, the first universal inverse-design device was experimentally realised without the use of numerical simulations (Nat. Elect. 2025) — a major step toward programmable magnonic chips.

Quantum Magnonics and Cryogenic Spin Waves

Exploration of magnons at millikelvin temperatures and their interaction with superconducting qubits for quantum information applications, covering magnon transport in quantum hybrid structures, paramagnonics, magnon-qubit entanglement, magneto-optical quantum systems, and the characterisation of ultra-low-damping YIG systems down to the quantum limit. A recent highlight is the discovery of an ideal diamagnetic substrate for YIG in quantum magnonics (Commun. Mat.2026) and the discovery of long-living magnons with lifetimes up to 18 µs (Sci. Adv. 2026).

Nonlinear Spin-Wave Physics

Parametric instability, multi-magnon scattering, wavefront reversal, and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of magnons. A central achievement is a conceptually new mechanism for BEC of quasiparticles based on rapid phonon cooling rather than a coherent source (Nat. Nanotechno. 2020), opening a new route to creating and controlling quantum magnonic states. Another milestone is the discovery of deep nonlinear self-normalisation in nanoscale waveguides (Sci. Adv. 2023), which allowed for the realisation of the first magnonic repeater (Nat. Com. 2024).

Spin-Orbit and Magnon Spintronics

Spin pumping, spin-transfer torque (STT), spin Hall effect (SHE), and spin Seebeck effect (SSE) as tools to excite and detect magnons. This direction was shaped by the landmark review “Magnon Spintronics” (Nat. Phys. 2015), which defined the research field internationally.

RF Applications and 5G/6G Technology

Development of nanoscale low-loss spin-wave-based RF devices, including frequency-selective limiters (Phys. Rev. Applied 2025), delay lines (J. Appl. Phys. 2025), and filters suitable for 5G and 6G wireless communication. This direction is supported by the ERC Proof of Concept Grant 5G-Spin (2022).

Supervision and Mentoring

• 2 group members successfully completed Habilitation or reached professorship, 3 ongoing.
• 9 postdoctoral researchers supervised at University of Vienna or TU Kaiserslautern, including one FWF ESPRIT and one MSCA fellows.
• 9 PhD students (3 ongoing), 14 Master’s students (7 ongoing), and 11 Bachelor’s (1 ongoing) students supervised.

Community Roles and Service

• Chair, Magnonics 2027 Conference, Vienna, 2–6 August 2027
• Head of the Condensed Matter Section, Austrian Physical Society (ÖPG) — since 2025
• Member, IEEE Magnetics Society Administrative Committee — 2024-2026
• Member, IEEE Magnetics Society Education Committee — since 2020
• Member, IEEE Magnetics Society Technical Committee — 2016–2024
• Full Member, Wolfgang Pauli Institute (WPI), Vienna — since 2020
• Member, International Advisory Committee of JEMS — 2020-2025
• Chair, WPI Workshop “Inverse-design magnonics”, Vienna, February 2024
• Co-Chair, 3rd International School on Magnonics, Kyiv, September 2018
• Chair, Nano-Magnonics 2018 Workshop, Diemerstein, February 2018
• Chair, WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Magnonics, Bad Honnef, January 2016
• Programme Committee: 3DMAG 2025, LT30, ICM 2024, Magnonics 2023, Intermag 2023, JEMS 2022, Intermag 2021, MAINZ Summer School 2018, and many others since 2012.
• Society memberships: IEEE MagSoc (since 2011; Senior Member since 2016), DPG (since 2011), ÖPG (since 2019), UPV (since 2019), EMA (since 2020).

Awards

2026: IEEE Magnetics Society Mid-Career Award – IEEE Magnetics Society
2022: ERC Proof of Concept Grant 5G-Spin (101082020) – European Research Council
2015: ERC Starting Grant MagnonCircuits (678309) – European Research Council
2004: Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement – National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine