UCI assistant professor of physics & astronomy Jing Xia has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, one of the most prestigious awards available to young faculty members. Recipients are “junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.” Xia, who came to UCI in 2011, will get $575,000 over five years to investigate competing quantum orders and emerging phases in a newly discovered state of matter called “topological Kondo insulators.”