91´«Ã½

Xuemei May Cheng is Professor of Physics, the Rachel C. Hale Professor in the Sciences and Mathematics, and Director of the Quantum  Materials, Sensing, and Education Center (QMSEC). She received her B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Microelectronics and Solid-State Electronics from Nanjing University. She continued her graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics in 2004 and 2006, respectively. After a postdoctoral fellowship in the X-ray Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory, she joined 91´«Ã½'s faculty in 2009. She has taught a broad range of physics lectures, laboratories, and seminars at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. 

Cheng has made significant contributions to nanomaterials and spintronics, spanning interface magnetism, topological spin textures, synchrotron x-ray applications in materials science, and advanced materials for biomedical and mechanical engineering. Recently, she has expanded her research to quantum materials and quantum sensing. She has published about 80 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, such as Science, Nature Physics, Advanced Materials, Nano Letters, and Physical Review Letters. Her research has garnered ~5,600 citations and an h-index of 29 (based on Google Scholar as of 10/1/2025), invited talks, editorial invitations, and election to the Advanced Photon Source Users Organization Steering Committee. She has established a robust and well-resourced research program at 91´«Ã½ with support from the College and external grants. She has received over $6.5M from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund her research, including an NSF CAREER award during her second year at the College and a recent $5M NSF ExpandQISE grant to establish the  (QMSEC) at 91´«Ã½.

She has engaged about 50 undergraduate and 8 graduate students in her research. Undergraduate and graduate students collaborate as dynamic partners in her lab and often participate as co-authors of her publications. Among her undergraduate thesis advisees, 83% have pursued graduate studies at top-tier research universities, with one recognized as a finalist for the prestigious 2018 Apker Award.

Teaching  Research  Service