Spring 2025
Qi Song is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Song’s research interests lie within the discovery of low-dimensional quantum materials through atomic-scale synthesis, spectroscopy characterization, and device development leveraging interface states and emergent quantum effects.
Fall 2024
Ty Christoff-Tempesta is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Prof. Christoff-Tempesta specializes in molecular design to engineer hierarchical properties in soft matter systems, combining organic chemistry, molecular self-assembly, and polymer science to create innovative materials. His group focuses on advancing sustainable materials with circular life cycles, derived from renewable resources, and designed for recyclability or upcyclability.
Current research activities include (1) developing new molecular design principles for sustainable materials, (2) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to study nanoscale dynamics and establish design rules for material behavior, and (3) designing functional supramolecular materials that self-organize and scale from nanoscale to macroscale. The lab’s research aims to address critical global challenges, such as providing sustainable alternatives to plastics, improving environmental remediation, and advancing technologies for energy and healthcare applications.
Summer 2024
Lorenzo Valdevit is a Professor and Chair of Materials Science and Engineering
Prof. Valdevit works in the general areas of mechanics of materials, structural materials science and advanced manufacturing, developing analytical, numerical and experimental techniques across multiple length scales. Among his primary research goals are the optimal design, modeling, fabrication and experimental characterization of metamaterials and structures with unprecedented combinations of properties. Current areas of interest are the investigation and exploitation of beneficial size effects in nano-architected materials, the non-linear design of periodic and disordered mechanical metamaterials, and the understanding of the processing / microstructure / properties relations in additive manufacturing (in particular, two-photon polymerization Direct Laser Writing, Direct Ink Writing, Laser Powder Bed Fusion and Cold Spray Deposition).
Summer 2024
Alvin Yu is an Assistant Professor of Physiology & Biophysics
Many cellular processes that are considered the hallmarks of living systems undergo physical and chemical processes ranging from atomic-scale phenomena, including the quantum chemistry of bond cleavage, to micrometer-sized processes such as the self-assembly of proteins. These processes are innately multiscale and span time and length scales from the molecular to mesoscopic. Alvin Yu’s research group investigates the mechanisms by which biological processes function and elucidates them using theory, computational modeling, and simulations.
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=7131
Fall 2023
Matthew Sheldon is an Associate Professor of Chemistry
Sheldon’s research group studies fundamental questions about optical energy conversion relating to plasmonic and inorganic nanoscale materials. Experiments are principally designed to identify and optimize unique nanoscale phenomena that are useful for solar energy, as well as related opportunities at the intersection of nanophotonics and chemistry, for broad application beyond the scope of solar energy. Current research activities explore how nanofabricated materials can provide systematic control over the thermodynamic parameters governing optical power conversion. By controllably shaping, confining, and interconverting the energy and entropy of a radiation field, several different classes of light-powered heat engines become possible.
Fall 2023
Robert Nielsen is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Nielson’s research interests include quantum mechanical, microkinetic, and data modeling to understand and control chemical reactivity. His group has recently begun a general effort to replace screening in computational materials design problems with optimization. The process combines some representation of Schrodinger’s equation, stat mech, kinetic modeling, traditional chemistry ideas and data science.
https://engineering.uci.edu/users/robert-nielsen
Summer 2023
Sabee Molloi is a Professor & Vice Chairman of Research, Radiological Sciences
Molloi’s research interests include quantitative aspects of medical x-ray imaging and its applications to cardiac and breast imaging.
Some of his current projects include:
ChAMP ushered in the new class at our annual summer BBQ on July 14th. Welcome students!
Fall 2022
Elizabeth lee is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.
Lee’s research interests lie within the broad field of computational materials and chemistry, particularly electronic and chemical processes in solid-state and nanostructured semiconductors. Her research aims to bring fundamental understanding of how the dynamical arrangement of atoms and their electronic structure impact the material-wide properties during their synthesis, processing, and device operating conditions.
Current research activities focus on three areas: (1) quantum point defects in semiconductors, (2) solid-state interfaces in materials for energy applications, and (3) methodological developments for materials modeling using machine learning approaches.
