Over the last decade, our computing capability has increased by orders of magnitude. We truly are witnessing a revolution. Energy efficiency is critical not only to maintain this incessant advancement, but also to ensure that electronics does not become a drag on the finite energy resources of the world. This will need a radical rethinking of the basic building blocks that constitute the...

Electron diffraction of 3D nanocrystalline molecular assemblies is an increasingly popular alternative to conventional crystallographic approaches. My group is focused on the investigation of tools and methods that facilitate the rapid and accurate determination of atomic molecular structures from 3D nanocrystals. Our recent work involves the use of 4D STEM to map nanoscale changes in...

The interaction between light – or more broadly, electromagnetic fields – and condensed matter underpins an extremely broad range of modern technology. As devices shrink into the nanoscale, we inevitably enter the deeply sub-wavelength regime for optical frequencies and below. In this talk, I will present two examples of strong light-matter interaction in such a regime: Terahertz (THz)...

The reduction of mechanical dissipation increases force sensitivity of mechanical oscillators and decreases the thermal decoherence rate of mechanical quantum states. Concomitantly, reduced size allows stronger coupling to other degrees of freedom such as electromagnetic fields. These two demands are conflicting: due to surface losses, smaller size typically leads to increased dissipation....

From potential contamination of individuals with radioactive fission products after a nuclear accident to the therapeutic use of radio-isotopes for cancer diagnostics and treatment, the coordination and biological chemistry of actinides have become increasingly relevant to a number of applied problems. Understanding the fundamental bonding interactions of selective metal assemblies presents a...

Cell-induced matrix remodeling is a hallmark of both disease and regeneration. My lab develops biomaterials and matrix characterization methods to study these dynamic cell-matrix interactions. In designing our biomaterials, we employ protein engineering methods with simple polymer physics models to create biomimetic extracellular matrices for culture of patient-derived organoids. These...

The combinatorial size of chemical molecule space, which compounds under variable synthetic, catalytic, and/or non-equilibrium conditions, is vast. This makes application of first principles quantum mechanical and advanced statistical mechanics sampling methods to identify binding motifs, conformational equilibria, and reaction pathways extremely challenging, even when considering better physical...

In this talk, I will discuss advances in photonic engineering in which algorithmic approaches to device implementation unlock new functional capabilities for wavefront engineering. In the first part, I will discuss the utilization of freeform optimization for metamaterials in which non-local, multiple scattering dynamics enable new regimes of device efficiency and multi-functionality. These...

Invention and the processes of innovation in technology in ancient societies is revealed through surviving ancient engineered materials that played a significant role in human experience and life. Notable examples include the production of stable and durable colorants, such as ceramic pigments involving high heat treatment, namely Egyptian blue (CaCuSi4O10) and Chinese blue (BaCuSi4O10) employed...

Protein de-mixing has been implicated in the organization of cellular components. These phase-separated membraneless compartments create distinct environments that are essential to cellular processes ranging from cell signaling to gene expression. Several membraneless organelles appear to have the same physical properties as complex coacervates – liquid-liquid phase separated mixtures of...