John Carlson-Yunga ’27 awarded Goldwater Scholarship
St. Olaf College student John Carlson-Yunga ’27 has been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year.
The Goldwater Scholarship is a prestigious national competition for undergraduates who have shown significant achievement and potential in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering. The scholarships provide up to $7,500 per year for sophomores and juniors from across the country. Since 1995, 39 St. Olaf students have been named Goldwater Scholars.
Carlson-Yunga is a physics and mathematics major with a focus on condensed matter physics (the study of the interactions and properties of matter that result from electromagnetic reactions between atoms and electrons) and theoretical physics (which uses mathematical models to explain and predict natural phenomena).
“I find it interesting to think up new ways of how things actually work, and think of new ways to understand it,” he says. “I really like the sandbox environment that theoretical physics gives me, where I can utilize several theories, concepts, and ideas to create something new in the field.”
Carlson-Yunga’s interest in condensed matter physics sparked during his research with Associate Professor of Physics Prabal Adhikari during last summer’s Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) program. This research, which Carlson-Yunga has continued with Adhikari throughout the academic year, focuses on creating a variational quantum estimation algorithm — a hybrid algorithm that combines a parametrized quantum circuit and a classical optimization loop that expands the parameters of a quantum circuit.
“In condensed matter, you want to know qualitatively how some systems will shift and change as their properties do,” he explains. “Our main goal was to create our variational quantum estimation algorithm in order to find phase transitions between the possible qualitative states.”
The algorithm was used to observe phase transitions, magnetization changes, and ground state shifts in matter using numerical systems.
“Ground states give insight into the quantum properties of the system, but the problem is that it’s not always clear how to find the ground states,” Carlson-Yunga continues. “Most of the time there are analytical ways to solve them exactly, but sometimes that’s not enough and you need more approximate numerical methods, which is where the algorithm comes in.”
In addition to his research with Adhikari, Carlson-Yunga is part of the TRIO McNair Scholars Program, which helps to prepare low-income and first-generation students for graduate school, and a member of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honors Society and the Pi Epsilon Mathematics Honors Society. These organizations and the community within the Physics Department have contributed to some of Carlson-Yunga’s most valuable experiences at St. Olaf.
“The people in the Physics Department all want to help each other succeed, and we all know each other very well,” he says. “Being part of that community is my favorite part of being a physicist here at St. Olaf.”
That collaborative spirit played a large role in Carlson-Yunga’s application for the Goldwater Scholarship. Adhikari, who is also Carlson-Yunga’s research mentor, encouraged him to apply even though Carlson-Yunga was uncertain at first.
“I was a bit on the fence about applying, because of how hard it is to get the scholarship,” he says. “The Goldwater Scholarship looks for someone who thinks like a researcher, and Adhikari saw that I was someone who had the qualities of being a great researcher who had a very good chance of winning.”
Outside of his classes and research, Carlson-Yunga is an avid runner, and a member of the St. Olaf Running Club.
“It’s important for me to establish balance between physics and mathematics work and physical work, because it’s easy to get burned out in this field,” he explains. “I always try to make sure that I’m taking care of myself and interacting with the community.”
After college, Carlson-Yunga plans to attend graduate school for theoretical condensed matter physics in order to become a physics professor at a liberal arts college, just like St. Olaf.