Rate My Professor Xóchitl López-Lozano

Xóchitl López-Lozano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy within the College of Sciences at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She holds a B.Sc. in Physics, M.Sc. in Physics, and Ph.D. in Physics, all from Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Her research specializations encompass condensed matter theory, optical spectroscopy, and the physics of nanostructures. As a faculty member in the Physics and Astronomy department, she contributes to graduate programs, as noted in departmental handbooks, and participates in research symposia, including a presentation on symmetry at the 2026 College of Sciences Research Symposium. López-Lozano is ACUE-certified in higher education, recognizing her effective teaching practices, and is listed among participants in the ACUE Effective Teaching Practices program at UTSA.

López-Lozano's scholarly work focuses on computational studies of nanomaterials, particularly gold nanoclusters and nanowires. Key publications include 'Aspect-ratio- and size-dependent emergence of the surface-plasmon resonance in gold nanorods – an ab initio TDDFT study' published in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics in 2014; 'Atomic and electronic properties of quasi-one-dimensional MoS2 nanowires' in Journal of Materials Research in 2013; 'In Search of the Quantum-Electronic Origin of Color Change: The Case of Thiolate-Protected Gold Nanomolecules Au25(SC6H13)18' in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C in 2017; 'MicroED structure of Au146(p-MBA)57 at subatomic resolution reveals an icosahedral core and a decahedral shell' in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2017; 'Enantiospecific adsorption of cysteine on a chiral Au34 cluster' in The European Physical Journal D in 2015; and 'Visualizing screening in noble-metal clusters: static vs. dynamic response' in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics in 2023. She collaborates on significant projects, such as a multimillion-dollar UTSA initiative advancing space exploration through nuclear materials research led by Elizabeth Sooby. Her contributions appear in high-impact journals, advancing understanding of electronic and optical properties in nanostructures.