F. Duncan Haldane, Princeton’s Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics, was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics “for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.” Considered key to finally realizing highly efficient and powerful quantum computers, topological materials exhibit unique properties, particularly great stability and efficient particle movement. Haldane shares the prize with David Thouless of the University of Washington and J. Michael Kosterlitz of Brown University.