Fehmi Yasin's journey into physics began in high school with a teacher who did more than just assign homework – he helped Yasin see his potential. “I had a really great high school physics teacher who was honest with me and inspiring,” Yasin said. “He introduced me to the interesting world of solving problems and understanding the physical world around us.”
Those early classes, especially honors and AP physics, laid the foundation for a path Yasin had not considered before. “He helped me realize I could do something fulfilling – solving problems – and even get paid for it,” he said. That revelation set him on a trajectory that would take him from small-town New Jersey to research programs across the United States, to five years of cutting-edge work in Japan, and eventually to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he now explores the fundamental science of quantum materials.
Today, Yasin is an Alvin M. Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellow at ORNL, where he uses state-of-the-art electron microscopy to study quantum materials – specifically, the magnetic patterns hidden deep within them. These patterns, such as magnetic skyrmions, are tiny, whirlpool-like structures that could serve as next-generation information carriers due to their unique stability and energy efficiency. “These spin textures could be the next generation of information carriers because of their energy-efficient manipulability, long lifetimes, and topological protection,” Yasin said. In simpler terms, Yasin is helping build the future of information technology – at the atomic scale.
To do so, he investigates how these quantum materials behave under extreme conditions, such as ultra-low temperatures and in the absence of magnetic fields. These are significant technical hurdles, but they are also areas in which ORNL is investing heavily and positioned to lead. “We want to image these textures in zero-field conditions and at atomic resolution,” Yasin explained. “That’s where Oak Ridge is uniquely equipped to push boundaries.”
Yasin’s academic journey reflects both intellectual curiosity and a steady expansion of his technical toolkit. As an undergraduate, he participated in Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Oregon. “I got to learn a little more about the industry of academia and what a research scientist actually does,” he said. “It’s easy to fall into the often-paralyzing mental trap of believing the people around you are much smarter than you. But after years of experience, you realize, ‘Oh, I can actually do this.’”
At the University of Oregon, he worked on developing electron interferometers – delicate instruments that use electrons to image the internal magnetic and electrostatic structures of materials with sub-nanometer precision. This work laid the groundwork for advances in both materials science and biology, enabling new techniques for imaging with less damage to delicate samples. “That project taught me how blending creativity with technical expertise can lead to impactful results,” Yasin said.
During the final year of his PhD, Yasin received a fellowship through the National Science Foundation to work in Japan with Dr. Toshiaki Tanigaki. There, he expanded his electron interferometer design to include tunable path separation – the largest of its kind in the world at the time. He later joined RIKEN, one of Japan’s premier research institutes, as a postdoctoral researcher, where he contributed to the discovery of new types of magnetic spin textures and advanced 3D imaging techniques. “Japan was fantastic,” he said. “I spent five years there during COVID, doing magnetic research and publishing on the three-dimensional topological charge transitions measured in hybrid strings between skyrmion and antiskyrmion states.”
His time in Japan was not just professionally significant – it was also where he met his wife. Together, they climbed the Japanese Alps and explored the country’s rich cultural traditions. “We were climbing volcanoes and mountains. Now, we’re continuing that tradition with our daughter in the Smokies.”
Joining ORNL in 2024, Yasin continues to push the boundaries of what can be seen and understood at the smallest scales. One of his goals is to combine real-space imaging with in-situ transport measurements – essentially, being able to see and measure a material’s atomic structure and its electrical behavior at the same time. “Usually, you interpret signals from transport measurements using theory,” he explained. “I want to go a step further and see the real-space picture of what causes these properties.”
This integration of measurement techniques would represent a leap forward in how scientists understand the link between structure and behavior in quantum materials – information that could pave the way for entirely new technologies. “With ORNL’s facilities and the innovative engineering happening here, we have the opportunity to lead the nation in these efforts,” Yasin said.
Outside the lab, Yasin’s life is just as rich and curious. He and his wife are avid gardeners and fermenters. Their homegrown vegetables become hot sauce, kimchi, miso, and even natto, a traditional Japanese fermented soybean dish. “Fermentation is magical,” he said. “It’s not just about taste – it’s about preserving knowledge and promoting sustainability.” Although he didn’t love natto immediately, he admits its umami flavor eventually won him over.
He is also a dedicated outdoorsman and music fan. “We’ve been climbing all the Smoky Mountains here,” he said. “In Japan, we climbed the Alps and different volcanoes.” Karaoke is another shared pastime, with Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” among his favorites.
The sense of community in East Tennessee has also been a pleasant surprise. Thanks in part to companies like Denso and cultural organizations in the region, Yasin and his family have found a vibrant Japanese community. His daughter will attend Japanese Saturday school to stay connected to her cultural heritage – an important touchstone for the family.
Looking ahead, Yasin is eager to use ORNL’s upcoming technological capabilities to accelerate discovery. A helium-cooled, zero-field monochromated scanning transmission electron microscope – set to arrive in 2026 – will allow researchers to image materials with unprecedented detail at cryogenic temperatures. “These tools will help us tackle some of the biggest challenges in materials science,” Yasin said.
But for Yasin, the journey is about more than tools or discoveries – it is about curiosity and the drive to understand the world. “The ability to solve problems that could improve people’s lives is what drew me to physics in the first place,” he said. From climbing mountains to imaging atoms, Yasin’s work continues to bridge imagination and innovation – one problem at a time.
ORNL’s Distinguished Staff Fellowship program aims to cultivate future scientific leaders by providing dedicated mentors, world-leading scientific resources and enriching research opportunities at a national laboratory. Fellowships are awarded to outstanding early-career scientists and engineers who demonstrate success within their academic, professional and technical areas. Fellowships are awarded for fundamental, experimental and computational sciences in a wide range of science areas. Factsheets about the lab’s fellows are available here.
ORNL continues to empower the pursuit of quantum innovation, advancing world-leading scientific discovery to enable a quantum revolution that promises to transform a vast range of technologies critical to American competitiveness. These traits are embodied by ORNL’s celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025. Click here to learn more about quantum science at ORNL.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science. — Neil Gillette
