Materials science and engineering research

Research in materials science and engineering spans a large number of topics within the MSE Graduate Faculty. Our researchers seek to improve the performance of materials in order to create innovative solutions for energy, security, and sustainability. Materials science and engineering research addresses a broad range of materials-driven challenges and benefits several industries. A complete list of MSE Graduate Faculty can be found here: https://graduateapps.asu.edu/graduate-faculty/degree/G3.

 

A partial list within certain research areas is given below.

Materials science and engineering faculty research interests

Catalytic materials

Peter Crozier

Peter Crozier
Professor
Graduate program chair, materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Seeing materials with Electrons: Synthesis, characterization and evolution of nanomaterials and nanostructures related to energy and the environment; strong emphasis on advanced electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy. Catalytic materials, electroceramics. photocatalysis.

Sandwip Dey

Sandwip Dey
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Adsorbents, catalysts and membranes for sustainable energy and clean water applications.

Jingyue Liu

Jingyue Liu
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Nanomaterial (0D, 1D, 2D and 3D) synthesis and characterization; Catalysis by supported metal atoms and clusters; Nanostructures for energy storage and conversion; Atomic scale understanding of synthesis-structure-performance relationships by advanced electron microscopy techniques.

Christopher Muhich

Christopher Muhich
Assistant Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Computational Chemistry (quantum simulations), metal oxide redox reactions, renewable/sustainable fuel generation and energy storage, materials design for environmental catalysis and remediation processes.

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Computational materials

Dhruv Bhate

Dhruv Bates
Associate Professor
School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks

Research Interests
Bio-Inspired Design; Architected Materials; Additive Manufacturing

James Adams

James Adams
President’s professor
Undergraduate program chair, materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Atomic-scale computer simulation to understand the structure, properties, processing and design of materials.

Kumar Ankit

Kumar Ankit
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Computational modeling of microstructure and defects’ evolution, Structure-processing correlations, Phase transformations, Deformation-reaction-convection couplings and pattern formation in materials processing and geoprocesses.

Antia S. Botana

Antia Sanchez Botana
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Density functional theory calculations, superconductivity, topological phases of matter, 2D and quantum magnetism, thermoelectricity.

Ralph Chamberlin

Ralph Chamberlin
Associate Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Theory of small-system thermodynamics, especially using computer simulations to study the local thermal and dynamic properties inside complex materials.

Stephen Goodnick

Stephen Goodnick
Professor and Deputy Director ASU Lightworks
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Solid state device physics, transport in nanostructures, nanoelectronic devices and circuits, computational electronics, RF and microwave devices, optoelectronic, energy conversion devices

Qijun Hong

Qijun Hong
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Density functional theory, deep learning, high temperature high pressure materials, materials design and discovery, database and infrastructure, prediction of materials properties

Yang Jiao

Yang Jiao
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Computational materials design; microstructure and effective properties of heterogeneous materials; multifunctional composites design and modeling; granular materials; biomaterials.

Richard King

Richard King
Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Defect-tolerant photovoltaic materials, materials for low-cost multijunction solar cells, carrier-selective contacts, recombination at semiconductor interfaces, layered van der Waals materials and devices, single-photon emission from nanostructured 2D materials, entangled photon-pair emission, metasurface photonic resonators, electromagnetic simulation of nanostructure arrays.

Christopher Muhich

Christopher Muhich
Assistant Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Computational Chemistry (quantum simulations), metal oxide redox reactions, renewable/sustainable fuel generation and energy storage, materials design for environmental catalysis and remediation processes.

Arunima K. Singh

Arunima K. Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Computational study of two-dimensional materials for nano-electronic and solar-energy conversion; high-throughput materials discovery through atomistic simulations; fundamental properties of materials’ interfaces; density functional theory simulations

Dragica Vasileska

Dragica Vasileska
Professor and ASU PLuS Alliance Fellow
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Computational electronics, semi-classical and quantum transport, Monte Carlo simulations, Green’s Functions, optoelectronics – photodetectors and solar cells modeling, diffusion-reaction modeling.

Houlong Zhuang

Houlong Zhuang
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Computational materials science, two-dimensional quantum materials, computational design of multi-principal-component alloys, computational electrochemistry.

Electrical, optical and magnetic materials

Nicholas Rolston

Nicholas Rolston
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Study of the connection between material degradation in renewable energy materials and devices with the evolution of mechanical and environmental stress. Goal is to develop the next-generation of photovoltaics and battery technology using the paradigm of design for reliability.

Mariana Bertoni

Mariana Bertoni
Fulton Energy and Materials Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Solar absorbers and materials for energy conversion, semiconductors and oxides for carrier extraction, Synthesis and Defect Engineering, Correlative nano-scale characterization, In-situ and operando characterization, Synchrotron X-ray microscopy, X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, X-ray Ptychography.

Terry Alford

Terry Alford
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Materials properties for low-power electronics and novel integrated-circuit components formation and adhesion of sol-gel metal systems for biomedical applications.

Xiangfan Chen

Xiangfan Chen
Assistant Professor
The Polytechnic School

Research Interests
Advanced manufacturing (e.g. additive manufacturing); functional metamaterials/metasurfaces; optical/photonic devices; high-efficiency energy conversion systems; biomedical devices.

Sandwip Dey

Sandwip Dey
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Adsorbents, catalysts and membranes for sustainable energy and clean water applications.

Zhaoyang Fan

Zhaoyang Fan
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Novel electronic/photonic materials include phase-change materials and ionic conducting materials; Neuromorphic devices; Electrochemistry and advanced battery technology; Nanobiotechnology

Stephen Goodnick

Stephen Goodnick
Professor and Deputy Director ASU Lightworks
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Solid state device physics, transport in nanostructures, nanoelectronic devices and circuits, computational electronics, RF and microwave devices, optoelectronic, energy conversion devices

Jian Li

Jian Li
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Design and synthesis of organic semiconductor materials, study of the structure and electrical and optical properties of organic and inorganic molecules.

José Menéndez

José Menéndez
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Optical, structural, and transport properties of semiconductors materials, alloys, and nanostructures.

Robert Nemanich

Robert Nemanich
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Semiconductor surfaces, interfaces, and processing, with a focus towards electronic and optoelectronic applications

Fernando A. Ponce

Fernando A. Ponce
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Semiconductor materials for applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and high power electronics, atomic level characterization of materials and correlation with optical and electronic properties, high-angle annular dark field imaging, cathodoluminescence, electron holography, low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy.

David Smith

David Smith
Regents’ Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Development and applications of atomic-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy; oxide / semiconductor interfaces; solar-cells and optoelectronic devices; nanostructured materials; high-power III-nitride devices.

Trevor Thornton

Trevor Thornton
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Semiconductor device fabrication and characterization; RF and high power devices; electronic materials in extreme environments.

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Yong-Hang Zhang

Yong-Hang Zhang
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Molecular beam epitaxy of semiconductor materials, quantum structures, and applications in optoelectronic devices such as lasers, photodetectors, and solar cells.

Engineering education

Stephen Krause

Stephen Krause
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Engineering education, engineering outreach to K-12, education materials characterization.

Imaging and Electron microscopy

Mariana Bertoni

Mariana Bertoni
Fulton Energy and Materials Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Solar absorbers and materials for energy conversion, semiconductors and oxides for carrier extraction, Synthesis and Defect Engineering, Correlative nano-scale characterization, In-situ and operando characterization, Synchrotron X-ray microscopy, X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, X-ray Ptychography.

Peter Crozier

Peter Crozier
Professor
Graduate program chair, materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Seeing materials with Electrons: Synthesis, characterization and evolution of nanomaterials and nanostructures related to energy and the environment; strong emphasis on advanced electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy. Catalytic materials, electroceramics. photocatalysis.

Jingyue Liu

Jingyue Liu
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Nanomaterial (0D, 1D, 2D and 3D) synthesis and characterization; Catalysis by supported metal atoms and clusters; Nanostructures for energy storage and conversion; Atomic scale understanding of synthesis-structure-performance relationships by advanced electron microscopy techniques.

Fernando A. Ponce

Fernando A. Ponce
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Semiconductor materials for applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and high power electronics, atomic level characterization of materials and correlation with optical and electronic properties, high-angle annular dark field imaging, cathodoluminescence, electron holography, low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy.

Jagannathan Rajagopalan

Jagannathan Rajagopalan
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Novel synthesis and characterization of metallic and metallic alloy films with tailored nanostructures for structural and functional applications; Mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms of nanocrystalline metals and alloys; In-situ TEM tensile testing of thin films using MEMS; Microstructural evolution in immiscible, co-deposited alloys.

David Smith

David Smith
Regents’ Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Development and applications of atomic-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy; oxide / semiconductor interfaces; solar-cells and optoelectronic devices; nanostructured materials; high-power III-nitride devices.

Sandhya Susarla

Sandhya Susarla
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
The interplay between spin, charge, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom drive novel electronic and magnetic behavior in low-power microelectronic devices and quantum computers. Susarla group uses state-of-the-art analytical electron microscopy tools (4D-STEM and EELS) to unravel this relationship at the atomic scale.

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Ionics

Yoon Hwa

Yoon Hwa
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Synthesis of functional nanomaterials for the energy storage system; Electroanalytical chemistry, Metal 3D manufacturing such as laser powder bed fusion.

Nicholas Rolston

Nicholas Rolston
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Study of the connection between material degradation in renewable energy materials and devices with the evolution of mechanical and environmental stress. Goal is to develop the next-generation of photovoltaics and battery technology using the paradigm of design for reliability.

Candace Chan

Candace Chan
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Lithium-ion batteries and electrochemical capacitors; electrochemical energy storage, solar-to-fuel photoelectrochemistry, nanomaterial synthesis.

Peter Crozier

Peter Crozier
Professor
Graduate program chair, materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Seeing materials with Electrons: Synthesis, characterization and evolution of nanomaterials and nanostructures related to energy and the environment; strong emphasis on advanced electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy. Catalytic materials, electroceramics. photocatalysis.

Zhaoyang Fan

Zhaoyang Fan
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Novel electronic/photonic materials include phase-change materials and ionic conducting materials; Neuromorphic devices; Electrochemistry and advanced battery technology; Nanobiotechnology

Michael N. Kozicki

Michael Kozicki
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Digital and analog devices based on mass transport in electrolytes, integrated solid-state ionic memory devices, dendritic/fractal structures.

Linqin Mu

Richard King
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Designing advanced cathode materials for lithium batteries and beyond, understanding degradation mechanisms and interfacial chemistry in energy storage devices.

Low-dimensional materials

Richard King

Richard King
Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Defect-tolerant photovoltaic materials, materials for low-cost multijunction solar cells, carrier-selective contacts, recombination at semiconductor interfaces, layered van der Waals materials and devices, single-photon emission from nanostructured 2D materials, entangled photon-pair emission, metasurface photonic resonators, electromagnetic simulation of nanostructure arrays.

Sandhya Susarla

Sandhya Susarla
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
The interplay between spin, charge, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom drive novel electronic and magnetic behavior in low-power microelectronic devices and quantum computers. Susarla group uses state-of-the-art analytical electron microscopy tools (4D-STEM and EELS) to unravel this relationship at the atomic scale.

Sefaattin Tongay

Sefaattin Tongay
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Tongay’s research focuses on synthesis of next generation low-dimensional materials and understanding their optical, electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties using state-of-art experimental and theoretical techniques.

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Materials for energy and environmental applications

Yoon Hwa

Yoon Hwa
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Synthesis of functional nanomaterials for the energy storage system; Electroanalytical chemistry, Metal 3D manufacturing such as laser powder bed fusion.

Nicholas Rolston

Nicholas Rolston
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Study of the connection between material degradation in renewable energy materials and devices with the evolution of mechanical and environmental stress. Goal is to develop the next-generation of photovoltaics and battery technology using the paradigm of design for reliability.

Mariana Bertoni

Mariana Bertoni
Fulton Energy and Materials Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Solar absorbers and materials for energy conversion, semiconductors and oxides for carrier extraction, Synthesis and Defect Engineering, Correlative nano-scale characterization, In-situ and operando characterization, Synchrotron X-ray microscopy, X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, X-ray Ptychography.

Mariana Bertoni

Mariana Bertoni
Assistant Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Materials for energy conversion, Performance limiting defects: kinetics of formation and degradation, Advanced X-ray characterization across dimensions and scales, Correlative characterization approaches and big data analytics.

Candace Chan

Candace Chan
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Lithium-ion batteries and electrochemical capacitors; electrochemical energy storage, solar-to-fuel photoelectrochemistry, nanomaterial synthesis.

Xiangfan Chen

Xiangfan Chen
Assistant Professor
The Polytechnic School

Research Interests
Advanced manufacturing (e.g. additive manufacturing); functional metamaterials/metasurfaces; optical/photonic devices; high-efficiency energy conversion systems; biomedical devices.

Peter Crozier

Peter Crozier
Professor
Graduate program chair, materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Seeing materials with Electrons: Synthesis, characterization and evolution of nanomaterials and nanostructures related to energy and the environment; strong emphasis on advanced electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy. Catalytic materials, electroceramics. photocatalysis.

Heather Emady

Heather Emady
Associate Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Particulate process and product design, particle technology, granulation, granular flow, granular heat transfer, particle characterization, multiscale modeling

Zhaoyang Fan

Zhaoyang Fan
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Novel electronic/photonic materials include phase-change materials and ionic conducting materials; Neuromorphic devices; Electrochemistry and advanced battery technology; Nanobiotechnology

Cody Friesen

Cody Friesen
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Integrated storage devices (batteries); electrochemical energy storage; surface science.

Stephen Goodnick

Stephen Goodnick
Professor and Deputy Director ASU Lightworks
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Solid state device physics, transport in nanostructures, nanoelectronic devices and circuits, computational electronics, RF and microwave devices, optoelectronic, energy conversion devices

Zachary Holman

Zachary Holman
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Fabrication, characterization, and modeling of silicon, CdTe, perovskite, and silicon-based tandem solar cells; plasma synthesis and characterization of functional optical and electronic nanomaterials; vacuum deposition of thin films, including nanoparticulate films, and their use in solar, semiconductor, and glass applications.

Wonmo Kang

Wonmo Kang
Assistant Professor
Research Director, Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies
Electrical engineering

Research Interests
Conductors under extreme conditions; advanced manufacturing of graphene-metal composites; materials characterization; synthesis of multifunctional composites; dynamic responses of biological systems; cavitation in soft matter; mechanisms of mild traumatic brain injuries.

Richard King

Richard King
Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Defect-tolerant photovoltaic materials, materials for low-cost multijunction solar cells, carrier-selective contacts, recombination at semiconductor interfaces, layered van der Waals materials and devices, single-photon emission from nanostructured 2D materials, entangled photon-pair emission, metasurface photonic resonators, electromagnetic simulation of nanostructure arrays.

Linqin Mu

Richard King
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Designing advanced cathode materials for lithium batteries and beyond, understanding degradation mechanisms and interfacial chemistry in energy storage devices.

Christopher Muhich

Christopher Muhich
Assistant Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Computational Chemistry (quantum simulations), metal oxide redox reactions, renewable/sustainable fuel generation and energy storage, materials design for environmental catalysis and remediation processes.

Fernando A. Ponce

Fernando A. Ponce
Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Semiconductor materials for applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and high power electronics, atomic level characterization of materials and correlation with optical and electronic properties, high-angle annular dark field imaging, cathodoluminescence, electron holography, low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy.

Karl Sieradzki

Karl Sieradzki
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Mechanical properties and characterization of materials; electrochemistry and alloy corrosion; nanoporous materials; surface science.

David Smith

David Smith
Regents’ Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Development and applications of atomic-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy; oxide / semiconductor interfaces; solar-cells and optoelectronic devices; nanostructured materials; high-power III-nitride devices.

Meng Tao

Meng Tao
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Sustainable solar photovoltaics; New photovoltaic systems and applications; Electrochemical refining of silicon; Recycling of solar cells and modules; Substitution of silver in solar cells with aluminum.

Robert Wang

Robert Wang
Associate Professor

Research Interests
Thermal energy conversion, storage, and transport in nanostructured materials; thermoelectric power generation; thermal storage media; heat transfer, and phonon optics. Custom-design of colloidal nanoparticles, chemical precursors

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Yong-Hang Zhang

Yong-Hang Zhang
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Molecular beam epitaxy of semiconductor materials, quantum structures, and applications in optoelectronic devices such as lasers, photodetectors, and solar cells.

Membranes and separations

Matthew Green

Matthew Green
Associate Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Ion-containing block copolymers; membrane-based separations; water purification and desalination; membrane-based carbon capture; stimuli-responsive nanocomposites; amphiphilic solution assemblies

Kailong Jin

Kailong Jin
Assistant Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Interests
3D printing polymer nanocomposites, nanostructured polymer films, covalent organic frameworks (nanoporous polymers), and sustainable polymers for improved chemical circularity.

Jerry Lin

Jerry Lin
Regents’ Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Inorganic membranes; membrane and separation processes, carbon dioxide capture; adsorption and energy storage

Nanomaterials synthesis and characterization

Zhaoyang Fan

Zhaoyang Fan
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Novel electronic/photonic materials include phase-change materials and ionic conducting materials; Neuromorphic devices; Electrochemistry and advanced battery technology; Nanobiotechnology

Sefaattin Tongay

Sefaattin Tongay
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Tongay’s research focuses on synthesis of next generation low-dimensional materials and understanding their optical, electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties using state-of-art experimental and theoretical techniques.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Soft and biomaterials

Lenore Dai

Lenore Dai

Professor, Chemical engineering
Vice Dean of Faculty Administration, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Research Interests
Surface, interfacial, and colloidal science with emphases on functionalizing nanoparticles and liquid-liquid interfaces; environmentally responsive (“smart”) materials; novel polymers and polymer composites; rheology

Heather Emady

Heather Emady
Associate Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Particulate process and product design, particle technology, granulation, granular flow, granular heat transfer, particle characterization, multiscale modeling

Matthew Green

Matthew Green
Associate Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Ion-containing block copolymers; membrane-based separations; water purification and desalination; membrane-based carbon capture; stimuli-responsive nanocomposites; amphiphilic solution assemblies

Julianne Holloway

Julianne Holloway
Assistant Professor
Chemical engineering

Research Interests
Research group integrates biomaterial design with innovative manufacturing to control and direct stem cell behavior for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Kailong Jin

Kailong Jin
Assistant Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research Interests
3D printing polymer nanocomposites, nanostructured polymer films, covalent organic frameworks (nanoporous polymers), and sustainable polymers for improved chemical circularity.

Wonmo Kang

Wonmo Kang
Assistant Professor
Research Director, Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies
Electrical engineering

Research Interests
Conductors under extreme conditions; advanced manufacturing of graphene-metal composites; materials characterization; synthesis of multifunctional composites; dynamic responses of biological systems; cavitation in soft matter; mechanisms of mild traumatic brain injuries.

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Materials Synthesis and Manufacturing

Bruno Azeredo

Bruno Azeredo
Associate Professor
Manufacturing Systems and Networks

Research Interests
Synthesis of reactive nanoscale metallic materials via electrochemical methods, laser-matter interactions in advanced manufacturing, electrochemical machining of inorganic semiconductors

Yoon Hwa

Yoon Hwa
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Synthesis of functional nanomaterials for the energy storage system; Electroanalytical chemistry, Metal 3D manufacturing such as laser powder bed fusion.

Nicholas Rolston

Nicholas Rolston
Assistant Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Study of the connection between material degradation in renewable energy materials and devices with the evolution of mechanical and environmental stress. Goal is to develop the next-generation of photovoltaics and battery technology using the paradigm of design for reliability.

Zhaoyang Fan

Zhaoyang Fan
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Novel electronic/photonic materials include phase-change materials and ionic conducting materials; Neuromorphic devices; Electrochemistry and advanced battery technology; Nanobiotechnology

Sefaattin Tongay

Sefaattin Tongay
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Tongay’s research focuses on synthesis of next generation low-dimensional materials and understanding their optical, electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties using state-of-art experimental and theoretical techniques.

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Materials of the Universe

Candace Chan

Candace Chan
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Lithium-ion batteries and electrochemical capacitors; electrochemical energy storage, solar-to-fuel photoelectrochemistry, nanomaterial synthesis.

Qijun Hong

Qijun Hong
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Density functional theory, deep learning, high temperature high pressure materials, materials design and discovery, database and infrastructure, prediction of materials properties

Alexandra Navrotsky

Alexandra Navrotsky
Regents Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Solid state chemistry, thermodynamics and structure of materials. Energy materials (fuel cells, batteries and water splitting), nuclear energy materials, hybrid inorganic/organic materials, zeolites, material stability on Earth and other planets

Arunima K. Singh

Arunima K. Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Computational study of two-dimensional materials for nano-electronic and solar-energy conversion; high-throughput materials discovery through atomistic simulations; fundamental properties of materials’ interfaces; density functional theory simulations

David Smith

David Smith
Regents’ Professor
Department of Physics

Research Interests
Development and applications of atomic-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy; oxide / semiconductor interfaces; solar-cells and optoelectronic devices; nanostructured materials; high-power III-nitride devices.

Quantum Materials

Richard King

Richard King
Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Defect-tolerant photovoltaic materials, materials for low-cost multijunction solar cells, carrier-selective contacts, recombination at semiconductor interfaces, layered van der Waals materials and devices, single-photon emission from nanostructured 2D materials, entangled photon-pair emission, metasurface photonic resonators, electromagnetic simulation of nanostructure arrays.

Sandhya Susarla

Sandhya Susarla
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
The interplay between spin, charge, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom drive novel electronic and magnetic behavior in low-power microelectronic devices and quantum computers. Susarla group uses state-of-the-art analytical electron microscopy tools (4D-STEM and EELS) to unravel this relationship at the atomic scale.

Sefaattin Tongay

Sefaattin Tongay
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Tongay’s research focuses on synthesis of next generation low-dimensional materials and understanding their optical, electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties using state-of-art experimental and theoretical techniques.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Semiconducting Engineering and Processing

Zachary Holman

Zachary Holman
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Fabrication, characterization, and modeling of silicon, CdTe, perovskite, and silicon-based tandem solar cells; plasma synthesis and characterization of functional optical and electronic nanomaterials; vacuum deposition of thin films, including nanoparticulate films, and their use in solar, semiconductor, and glass applications.

Richard King

Richard King
Professor
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Defect-tolerant photovoltaic materials, materials for low-cost multijunction solar cells, carrier-selective contacts, recombination at semiconductor interfaces, layered van der Waals materials and devices, single-photon emission from nanostructured 2D materials, entangled photon-pair emission, metasurface photonic resonators, electromagnetic simulation of nanostructure arrays.

Sandhya Susarla

Sandhya Susarla
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
The interplay between spin, charge, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom drive novel electronic and magnetic behavior in low-power microelectronic devices and quantum computers. Susarla group uses state-of-the-art analytical electron microscopy tools (4D-STEM and EELS) to unravel this relationship at the atomic scale.

Sefaattin Tongay

Sefaattin Tongay
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Tongay’s research focuses on synthesis of next generation low-dimensional materials and understanding their optical, electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties using state-of-art experimental and theoretical techniques.

Yong-Hang Zhang

Yong-Hang Zhang
Professor
School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Research Interests
Molecular beam epitaxy of semiconductor materials, quantum structures, and applications in optoelectronic devices such as lasers, photodetectors, and solar cells.

Structural Materials: Mechanical behavior and microstructure of materials

Bruno Azeredo

Bruno Azeredo
Associate Professor
Manufacturing Systems and Networks

Research Interests
Synthesis of reactive nanoscale metallic materials via electrochemical methods, laser-matter interactions in advanced manufacturing, electrochemical machining of inorganic semiconductors

Dhruv Bhate

Dhruv Bates
Associate Professor
School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks

Research Interests
Bio-Inspired Design; Architected Materials; Additive Manufacturing

Yongming Liu

Yongming Liu
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Fatigue and fracture of engineering materials and structures, probabilistic computational mechanics, risk assessment and management, multi-physics damage modeling and structural durability…read more

Narayanan Neithalath

Narayanan Neithalath
Professor
School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment

Research Interests
Infrastructural materials and carbon-efficient manufacturing approaches, specifically for cement and concrete, Microstructure-property-processing relationships and modeling in cementitious and inorganic polymer binder systems, digital manufacturing (3D printing) of concrete, sustainability in infrastructure.

Pedro Peralta

Pedro Peralta
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Mechanics of materials, fatigue and fracture of metallic alloys, dynamic and shock loading of metallic and intermetallic materials with emphasis on effects of anisotropy and grain boundaries on mechanical behavior and failure.

Jagannathan Rajagopalan

Jagannathan Rajagopalan
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Novel synthesis and characterization of metallic and metallic alloy films with tailored nanostructures for structural and functional applications; Mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms of nanocrystalline metals and alloys; In-situ TEM tensile testing of thin films using MEMS; Microstructural evolution in immiscible, co-deposited alloys.

Sridhar Seetharaman

Sridhar Setharaman
Professor
Chief Science Officer

Research Interests
His research and teaching interests lie in Metals and Ceramics for Clean Energy Processes and Materials Processing through Clean Energy. He is also engaged in developing materials for harsh conditions.

Karl Sieradzki

Karl Sieradzki
Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Mechanical properties and characterization of materials; electrochemistry and alloy corrosion; nanoporous materials; surface science.

Kiran Solanki

Kiran Solanki
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
His research interest is focused on characterizing and quantifying process-structure property relationships across multiple length scales, with emphases that span from fundamental physics to the manufacturing of advanced multifunctional materials for extreme applications including radiation, high rate, fatigue, and creep

Feng Yan

Feng Yan 
Associate Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Thin film and nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and conversion; low-dimensional semiconducting chalcogenides and Metal Thioseleno Phosphates; thin film ferroelectrics and multiferroics, scanning probe microscopy for nanoscale characterization, photomechanical response of the semiconductor materials; photoelectrochemical and photocatalysts; biomass materials for nanofibrous composites.

Sui Yang

Sui Yang 
Assistant Professor
Materials science and engineering

Research Interests
Artificial materials across the scales, placing an emphasis in architecting light-matter interactions that expand or break the traditional technological boundaries.

Other research areas

Xiangfan Chen

Xiangfan Chen
Assistant Professor
The Polytechnic School

Research Interests
Advanced manufacturing (e.g. additive manufacturing); functional metamaterials/metasurfaces; optical/photonic devices; high-efficiency energy conversion systems; biomedical devices.