Controlling and manipulating collective quantum states provides a route toward realizing phenomena that seldom occur in conventional materials. In this talk, I will discuss several examples of how interactions, interfaces, and the surrounding environment can be used to engineer superconductivity and quantum magnetism. First, I will discuss superconductivity in monolayer FeSe on SrTiO₃, where coupling to substrate phonons provides an example of how the environment can drastically modify superconducting properties. In particular, I will discuss how the interplay between substrate phonons, electronic correlations, and unconventional pairing can give rise to strongly enhanced superconductivity. I will then briefly discuss other routes toward engineering quantum states, including superconductivity in transition-metal dichalcogenide heterostructures, the coupling of superconductors to electromagnetic cavities, and the emergence of chiral spin-liquid phases in quantum magnets. These examples illustrate how tailoring interactions and environments can provide new ways of controlling superconducting and magnetic phases of matter.

Even Thingstad grew up in Norway, and completed his MSc and PhD in theoretical condensed matter physics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He subsequently moved to the University of Basel, Switzerland, as a postdoctoral researcher, working on superconductivity, quantum magnetism, and related problems in quantum materials. In 2026, one month ago, he joined King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) as an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department.

All faculty, researchers and students are invited to attend.