Carlos Silva Acuña

Carlos Silva Acuña is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal and Director of the Institut Courtois. He is an internationally recognized expert in ultrafast and nonlinear spectroscopy, and his research uses ultrafast and nonlinear spectroscopy to study the optical and electronic properties of advanced materials, including organic semiconductors, quantum materials, and photonic systems. His work draws on physics, chemistry, and materials science, with a focus on light–matter interactions.

Since becoming Director of the Institut Courtois in 2023, Dr. Silva has overseen the institute’s interdisciplinary research program, which brings together work in new materials, quantum physics, and artificial intelligence. The institute’s research involves collaborations among researchers in physics, chemistry, computer science, and engineering, as well as partnerships with academic and industry groups.

Prior to returning to the Université de Montréal, Dr. Silva was Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Materials Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as Co-Director of the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE). Earlier in his career, he held an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, following postdoctoral research there, and was a visiting professor at Imperial College London, the Italian Institute of Technology, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He previously held a Canada Research Chair in Organic Semiconductor Materials and currently holds the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Light-Matter Interactions in Photonic Materials.

Dr. Silva holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Minnesota and bachelor’s degrees in physics and chemistry from Luther College.

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