Valerie
Hsieh.

Physicist. Science communicator. Educator. Runner.

Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University, where her graduate research focused on the electronic and optical properties of 2D heterostructures using atomic force microscopy. Currently a Scientist at Exponent, Inc. in New York.

Passionate about science policy, inclusive pedagogy, and making difficult knowledge accessible — in the classroom, and on camera.

Valerie Hsieh
Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Twitter / X Google Scholar Strava Spotify vh2289 (at) columbia (dot) edu

Research & Professional Work

Experimental physicist specializing in nanoscale characterization, scanning probe microscopy, and semiconductor physics. Graduate research in the Dean Lab at Columbia focused on graphene-based moiré heterostructures and 2D materials, culminating in a thesis on probing how twisting atomic layers unlock exotic electronic behavior.

Hands-on expertise across materials synthesis, device fabrication, electron-beam lithography, thin-film deposition, and optical spectroscopy.

Further reading

What's in a Name Change? Solid State to Condensed Matter Physics With a Simple Twist, a 'Magic' Material Is Now the Big Thing in Physics — Quanta
Google Scholar → Exponent profile →

Exponent, Inc.

Scientist · EE & CS practice · New York

Multidisciplinary scientific consulting spanning product analysis, failure investigation, and materials science. Work draws directly on doctoral expertise in nanoscale characterization, AFM, device fabrication, and experimental data analysis.

Full profile at Exponent →

2026

Digital Science Communication Fellowship

Museum of Science, Boston — inaugural fellow

2025

Allan M. Sachs Teaching Award

Columbia University Dept. of Physics

2023

Science as Art Award

Materials Research Society — "Karl the Moiré Fog"

2020

Graduate Research Fellowship

U.S. Department of Energy

Selected publications

2025

Nano Letters

Macroscopic transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers from gold-tape exfoliation retain intrinsic properties

Olsen N, Yoon S, Holbrook M, Thinel M, Holtzman LN, Liu Y, Hsieh V, Li Y, Xu DD, et al.

2025

Frontiers in Electronic Materials

Characterizing sample degradation from synchrotron based X-ray measurements of ultra-thin exfoliated flakes

DiScala MF, Hsieh V, Jessen BS, Gu Y, Rizzo DJ, et al.

2024

ACS Nano · 18(43):29648–57

Charge transfer plasmonics in bespoke graphene/α-RuCl₃ cavities

Vitalone RA, Jessen BS, Jing R, Rizzo DJ, Xu S, Hsieh V, et al.

2023

Science · 381(6658):677–81

Programming twist angle and strain profiles in 2D materials

Kapfer M, Jessen BS, Eisele ME, Fu M, …, Hsieh V, …, Dean CR.

2023

Nano Letters · 23(8):3137–43

Domain-dependent surface adhesion in twisted few-layer graphene: platform for moiré-assisted chemistry

Hsieh V*, Halbertal D*, Finney NR, Zhu Z, Gerber E, Pizzochero M, Kucukbenli E, Schleder GR, Angeli M, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Kim EA, Kaxiras E, Hone JC, Dean CR, Basov DN.

arXiv
2023

Physical Review X · 13, 011026

Multilayered atomic relaxation in van der Waals heterostructures

Halbertal D, Klebl L, Hsieh V, Cook J, Carr S, Bian G, Dean CR, Kennes DM, Basov DN.

2022

Nature Communications · 13, 7587

Unconventional non-local relaxation dynamics in a twisted trilayer graphene moiré superlattice

Halbertal D, Turkel S, Ciccarino CJ, Profe JB, Finney N, Hsieh V, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Hone JC, Dean CR, Narang P, Pasupathy AN, Kennes DM, Basov DN.

2021

Nature Physics · 17, 374–380

Electrically tunable correlated and topological states in twisted monolayer–bilayer graphene

Chen S, He M, Zhang YH, Hsieh V, Fei Z, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Cobden DH, Xu X, Dean CR, Yankowitz M.

arXiv Press

Science Communication & Outreach

Press & Media

Advocacy & Scholarship

Science Olympiad

On YouTube

See all videos on YouTube →

Teaching

Valerie's teaching philosophy centers on making difficult knowledge accessible and building inclusive classrooms — from lab instruction to nationwide faculty workshops.

Recipient of the Allan M. Sachs Teaching Award from Columbia's Department of Physics, 2025.

Columbia University

Lecturer

Physics 1494: Introduction to Experimental Physics Lab

  • Fall 2023 — 177 students
  • Spring 2024 — 52 students
  • Fall 2024 — 131 students
  • Spring 2025 — 53 students

Senior Lead Teaching Fellow

2022–2023 · Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning

  • One of eight SLTFs supporting a cohort of 45 Lead Teaching Fellows
  • Created sustained pedagogical support for graduate instructors university-wide

CIRTL Instructor

Fall 2023

  • Two-part workshop for instructors nationwide through the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning
  • Facilitated for 125 participants at over 70 institutions

Lead Teaching Fellow

2021–2022 · Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning

  • Physics department representative for CTL
  • Developed pedagogical events for graduate instructors, fall 2021 and spring 2022

Teaching Assistant — Physics 1291, 1292, 1201

Laboratory & Recitation TA, 2020–2022

  • Kinematics, E&M, Intro Mechanics — over 150 students across sections

Private Tutor & Mentor

University of California, Berkeley

BASIS "Be A Scientist" Mentor

Willard Middle School — 7th grade, Fall 2019

  • Guided 4 students through 10-week independent science projects

Volunteer Tutor

Geometry, calculus, physics, chemistry — Spring 2018, 3 students

Athletics

Competitive ultimate frisbee player (2014-2024), marathoner (2023-present).

2024

Chinese Taipei Mixed National Team

2024 World Ultimate Championships, Gold Coast, Australia · Instagram

National Team · Worlds
2022–2024

Brooklyn Book Club

Select Flight qualifiers (2023) · Instagram

Select Flight Qualifiers
2021–2022

Columbia Curbside

2021

New York XIST

2021 Club National Championships qualifier

Club Nationals Qualifier
2016–2020

UC Berkeley Pie Queens

2017 College Championships qualifier · 2017 Southwest Region Freshman of the Year

College Championships · Freshman of the Year
2013–2016

Lexington High School Fooligals

2016 Northeastern Regional Championship finalists

Regional Finalists

Also: marathoner.

Marathon results →