Research

Nanophotonics, or the control over nanoscale light-matter interactions, is emerging as a potential way to locally control material properties and dynamics. By designing nanostructures that confine and enhance electromagnetic radiation into nanoscale volumes, we can access new regimes of spatially-controlled nanomaterial dynamics. My research explores how we can best utilize these nanophotonic interactions to direct behavior in dynamic systems like photocatalysts.

However, in order to fully utilize nanophotonics as a "control knob", we need to first quantitatively understand the consequences of nanostructured light. For instance, upon excitation of a local surface plasmon resonance, what is the local temperature and how is it affected by non-uniform photoinduced current densities? How are photogenerated charge distributions affected by variations in the local density of optical states? We answer these questions by developing experimental techniques that enable nanoscale functional characterization, supported by computational electromagnetic simulations.

Electron spectroscopy enables chemical and functional characterization of nanomaterials, but is often limited by the amount of collected signal, whether due to low interaction cross-sections, electron beam damage to the sample, or other constraints on acquisition time. We are exploring new data-driven methods that take advantage of physics-based constraints and multimodal acquisition to enhance signal interpretation in electron spectroscopy. As a complement to these digital methods, we are also exploring new electron-spectroscopy-compatible substrates that physically enhance optoelectronic spectroscopy signals.