Interdisciplinary Materials Science

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Ryan Kowalski, Interdisciplinary Materials Science    *Under the supervision of Josh Caldwell and Richard Haglund  “Infrared Light at the Nanoscale: Confinement and Spectroscopy”  04.25.25 | 10:30AM | Buttrick Hall 206 | Zoom: 942 8904 4051 Passcode: 450959 Conventional optical microscopy and spectroscopy are limited by the diffraction… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Alexis Yates, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of Ethan Lippmann and Angela Jefferson “Investigating brain endothelial cell mechanics with engineered in vitro models” 04.07.25  |  1:30PM |  298 Featheringill Hall | Zoom: 970 4846 2694 Passcode: 714340 As life expectancy in the US has increased,… Read More

Jojo Pearson, a swimmer and Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Materials Science at Vanderbilt, is conducting cutting-edge research in tissue engineering that could significantly impact the fight against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Her work, led with advisor Leon Bellan, focuses on neurovascular coupling, exploring how stem cell models could improve… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Matthew Galazzo, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of David Cliffel and Kane Jennings “Photosystem I:  Biohybrid Devices and Reduction Catalysts for CO2” 12.10.24  |  8:00AM |  Buttrick Hall 206 This dissertation presents the use of Photosystem I (PSI) in proof-of-concept solar redox flow… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Elena Kovalik, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of Jason Valentine “Electrochemically Actuated Metasurfaces for Low-Power Nanophotonic and Energy Storage Devices” 08.09.24  |  11:00AM |  044 Engineering Science Building In an age of ubiquitous access to information, metamaterials offer a solution to a wide range of information display… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Nicholas ‘Cal’ Craven, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of Clare McCabe “Reproducibility in Molecular Simulation: Approaches for the Screening Studies of Patchy Nanoparticles and Switchable Monolayer Films” 07.24.24  |  10:00AM CDT  |  044 Engineering Science Building |  Zoom Molecular simulation is a growing branch of scientific study in… Read More

Three engineering graduate students in the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering/Interdisciplinary Materials Science program are 2024 recipients of the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports students who are pursuing full-time, research-based graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering or… Read More

Sajal Islam is a 2024 recipient of Vanderbilt University’s Graduate Anchor Award for Research Excellence. The Anchor Awards recognize graduate student leaders across the university. Sajal is dedicated to investigating the impact of radiation on wideband gap semiconductors, focusing particularly on SiC, GaN, and GaO. His research delves into… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Jeremy Espano, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of Janet Macdonald “Understanding the Crystalline Landscape of Metal Chalcogenide Materials” 03.01.24  |  2:30PM CST  |  214 Light Hall | The identity and arrangement of atoms determine the properties of all crystalline solids, and when the identity of the atoms is the… Read More

Kellen P. Arnold, a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science program, was awarded a fellowship by the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) in June 2023. Kellen is a member of the Sharon Weiss Group and received the award for his work studying nanoscale design… Read More