Michael Zaletel's research focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics and its intersection with quantum information and computational approaches. He aims to understand the behavior of electrons in 'quantum' materials where entanglement and the strong interactions between electrons conspire to form new phases of matter. In addition to pen-and-paper calculations, he is particularly interested in using ideas from quantum information to help design computational algorithms which can efficiently model these materials.

Aside from the fundamental interest of exploring 'emergent' phenomena that can arise from the interplay of quantum mechanics and many particles, he hopes to find new ways to harness these materials for the control and processing of quantum information.