Hugh Churchill profile photo

Hugh Churchill Data-verified

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

◆ ARA Academy Federal Grant PI High Impact

Researcher

Last publication 2026 Last refreshed 2026-05-22

faculty

hchurch@uark.edu

23 h-index 128 pubs 5,476 cited

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Hugh Churchill's research focuses on quantum nanophysics and materials science, with a particular emphasis on topological insulators and spintronic applications. His work has investigated the magnetic-field-induced properties of antiferromagnetic topological insulators, such as Mn(Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_x$)$_2$Te$_4$, and the giant topological Hall effect observed in materials like Mn$_{2-x}$Zn$_x$Sb. Churchill also studies the manipulation of supercurrents in Josephson field-effect transistors using hexagonal boron nitride dielectrics and the effects of oxidation on magnetic domain behavior in nanoscale Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ for spintronics.

His research extends to the characterization and application of two-dimensional materials, including work on black phosphorus photoconductive terahertz antennas and the second-harmonic generation from MoSe$_2$ monolayers. Churchill has received significant federal funding, including a $3,000,000 NSF NRT-QISE grant focused on bridging 2D quantum materials and engineering in STEM education, and a $50,000 NSF I-Corps grant for the translation potential of robotically manufactured 2D layers. He also secured $367,823 from the NSF for the acquisition of a sputtering-evaporation system for thin film deposition.

With an h-index of 23 and over 5,000 citations across 129 publications, Churchill is recognized as a highly cited researcher. He collaborates extensively with colleagues at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, including Xuan-Bac Nguyen and Hoang-Quan Nguyen, as well as Rabindra Basnet at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Metrics

  • h-index: 23
  • Publications: 128
  • Citations: 5,476

Selected Publications

  • Evolution of magnetoresistance in the magnetic topological semimetals <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>NdS</mml:mi> <mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">b</mml:mi> <mml:mi>x</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">T</mml:mi> <mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">e</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mi>x</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> (2025)
    1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Diffusion-inspired quantum noise mitigation in parameterized quantum circuits (2025)
    4 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Quantum oscillation studies of the nodal line semimetal Ni3In2S2-Se (2025)
    6 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Large negative magnetoresistance in antiferromagnetic <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">G</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">d</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">S</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">e</mml:mi><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math> (2025)
    5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Hierarchical Quantum Control Gates for Functional MRI Understanding (2024)
    5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • QClusformer: A Quantum Transformer-based Framework for Unsupervised Visual Clustering (2024)
    10 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Hybrid Quantum Tabu Search for Solving the Vehicle Routing Problem (2024)
    9 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Biaxial strain tuning of excitons in monolayer <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>MoSe</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math> by high-temperature physical vapor deposition (2024)
  • Study of phase decoherence in GeSn (8%) through measurements of the weak antilocalization effect (2024)
    2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Diffusion-Inspired Quantum Noise Mitigation in Parameterized Quantum Circuits (2024)
    2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Insulator‐to‐Metal Transition and Isotropic Gigantic Magnetoresistance in Layered Magnetic Semiconductors (2024)
    10 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Substrate Interference and Strain in the Second-Harmonic Generation from MoSe<sub>2</sub> Monolayers (2024)
    10 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Quantum visual feature encoding revisited (2024)
    12 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Surface Roughness Measurement of Functionalized CVD Graphene and Hexagonal Boron Nitride Heterostructures Using Atomic Force Microscopy (2024)
    1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Quantum Visual Feature Encoding Revisited (2024)
    1 citation DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

ARA Academy 2021 ARA Fellow

Dr. Churchill is an Arkansas native who earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University and held a Pappalardo Fellowship at MIT before joining the University of Arkansas in 2015. The Churchill Lab combines expertise in nanofabrication with quantum transport and optoelectronic characterization to investigate the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of atomically thin 1D and 2D semiconductor quantum devices.

Policy Impact

Co-directs the MonArk NSF Quantum Foundry, securing major federal investment in quantum science and positioning Arkansas as a national player in quantum technology.

Growth Areas

['Materials Engineering Applications', 'Power Electronics, Advanced Packaging & Grid Management Systems']

Federal Grants 3 $3,417,823 total

NSF Co-PI Sep 2021 - Aug 2025

MRI: Acquisition of a Sputtering-Evaporation System for Thin Film Deposition

EPSCoR Co-Funding, Major Research Instrumentation $367,823
NSF Co-PI Aug 2023 - Jul 2028

NRT-QISE: Bridging the Gap Between 2D Quantum Materials and Engineering in STEM Education

EPSCoR Co-Funding, QISET-Quan Info Sci Eng & Tech, NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) $3,000,000

Collaboration Network

170 Collaborators 48 Institutions 11 Countries

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