Watanabe Group
Welcome to the Watanabe Group at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). We are a theoretical condensed matter physics group led by Prof. Haruki Watanabe, based jointly in the Department of Physics and the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study.
Our research aims to uncover universal properties of quantum many-body systems from a symmetry perspective. The group was originally founded in February 2016 at the University of Tokyo and relocated to HKUST in March 2026.
For the official HKUST group website, please visit watanabegroup.hkust.edu.hk.
News & Highlights
- March 2026: Rintaro Masaoka received the Dean's Award, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo.
- March 2026: The group relocated from the University of Tokyo to HKUST.
- March 2026: Seishiro Ono received the Young Scientist Award (Division 4) of the Physical Society of Japan.
- September 2025: Prof. Watanabe received the Particle Physics Medal (Japan Particle and Nuclear Theory Forum).
- September 2025: Seishiro Ono joined the Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, as Assistant Professor.
- May 2025: "Rigorous Lower Bound on Dynamical Exponents in Gapless Frustration-Free Systems" published in Physical Review X.
- March 2025: Sena Watanabe received the Tanaka Shoji Award (Outstanding Master's Thesis in Applied Physics, University of Tokyo).
- October 2024: "Critical Spontaneous Breaking of U(1) Symmetry at Zero Temperature in One Dimension" published in Physical Review Letters and selected as Editors' Suggestion.
- April 2024: Prof. Watanabe received the Commendation for Science and Technology (Young Scientists Prize), Minister of Education, Japan.
- March 2024: Prof. Watanabe received the Faculty of Engineering Best Teaching Award at the University of Tokyo.
- March 2023: Seishiro Ono received the Dean's Award, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo.
- September 2022: Prof. Watanabe received the New Horizons in Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.