Otto studied at Aalto University, Finland, under the supervision of Prof. Maarit Karppinen. For his PhD in inorganic materials chemistry, Otto investigated half-metallicity and quantum magnetism in strongly correlated oxides. He discovered the first quantum spin liquid candidate on the square lattice 30 years after it was first predicted by Nobel Laureate Philip W. Anderson.
After completing his PhD in 2018, Otto moved to the UK to join Dr Eddie Cussen’s group at the University of Sheffield. Otto was a PDRA in the Leverhulme Trust funded New Magnetic Materials Discovery project, where he investigated novel quantum states in oxides using muon and neutron techniques. Otto led the close collaboration with ISIS Neutron and Muon Source helping secure over 30 days of beamtime at central facilities.
Otto joined the School of Chemistry in 2021 as a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow.