Lab Guide

Contact

Lab openings

We are actively recruiting undergraduate students, PhD students, and postdocs in the broad areas of chemistry, physics, and materials sciences. In our group, you will have experiences with ultrafast lasers, nonlinear optics, high-vacuum instrumentation, data analysis, and numerical simulations. The group will provide necessary trainings for you to be professional laser spectroscopists / physical chemists.

• Current openings (11/08/2025): Postdoc x 0, PhD student x 1, undergraduate x 1

• Undergraduate researchers - Knowledge in quantum chemistry is needed (ex., CHEM 261 or CHEM 463). No previous experience of laser spectroscopy is needed. A long-term commitment of more than one year is expected, ideally two years. Please send your transcript and a short description of your research interests to ykb@umich.edu.

• Graduate researchers - Interested students are encouraged to contact the PI before applying to the program. Students from any cluster can join the lab. Please send your CV and a short description of your research interests to ykb@umich.edu.

• Postdoctoral researchers - Hands-on experience with ultrafast spectroscopy, as well as knowledge of quantum chemistry and condensed-matter physics, is needed. Please send your CV to ykb@umich.edu with your inquiry.

Lab textbook

• We use James D. Pickering's "Ultrafast Lasers and Optics for Experimentalists" (IOP Publishing, 2021) as a textbook for new group members

Lab culture:

• Weekly group/safety/diversity meeting

• Bi-weekly one-on-one meeting with PI

• Annual lab-resource management week

Useful links:

• "How to Find an Undergraduate Research Experience" @ U-M Chemistry

• "PhD Program" @ U-M Chemistry

• "M|CORE Program" - Graduate Program Preview Visit @ U-M Chemistry

External links

U-M resources

• U-M LSA Chemistry commUNITY

• U-M Counseling and Psychological Services

• U-M LSA Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program

• U-M Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• U-M LSA International Institute

• U-M Services for Students with Disabilities

• U-M Spectrum Center

• U-M Women in Science and Engineering

• U-M F.E.M.M.E.S

Funding opportunities

• Rackham Conference Travel Grant

• Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship

• Rackham International Student Fellowships

• Schmidt Science Fellows

• UTokyo Research Internship Program (UTRIP)

Science

• CXRO X-ray Database

• NIST Chemistry WebBook

• NIST Atomic Spectra Database

• MQC - Midwest Quantum Collaboratory

Other resources

• U-M Abbreviations

• U-M Design Templates

Group member page

• Link to the group member page

Email Guidelines

Here I summarize my recommended email-writing guidelines. This is intended to make my general expectations clear for current/prospective group members. Although these guidelines reflect my own preferences, I believe they are broadly useful in professional and scientific settings

1. Get to the point early

It is best to state the main request, question, or purpose near the beginning. Additional background information, appreciation, or apologies can come afterward.

• Preferred: Could you do this for me? Thank you for your time.

• Less preferred: Thank you very much for your time. I am sorry to bother you, and I understand that you are very busy. I was wondering if it might be possible for you to help me with this. 

• Preferred: Do you have this item available? I am planning to do this experiment and was looking for items like these. Sorry about the trouble, and thank you for your help. 

• Less preferred: Sorry about the trouble. I am planning to do this experiment and was looking for items like these. I was wondering if this item might be available. Thank you for your help.

2. Avoid making statements sound personal

Whenever possible avoid phrasing that sounds personal.

• Preferred: That description of our laser setup is correct / not correct.

• Less preferred: You are correct/wrong.

• Preferred: This paper states that...

• Less preferred: They state that...

3. Avoid overused opening phrases

Avoid using generic opening phrases, in particular, "I hope this email finds you well." 

• Preferred: I am writing to ask whether...

• Less preferred: I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to ask whether...

“How are you?” is acceptable in casual emails, but it is usually unnecessary in short professional emails. 

4. Make questions clear and explicit

When writing an email, make sure the question or requested action is clear. Long emails can easily bury important questions. Emails without questions/requests may not get expected reply.

• Preferred: I revised the description for the method section. Attached is the draft. Could you check whether the experimental procedure is described accurately?

• Less preferred: I revised the description for the method section. Attached is the draft.

5. When inquiring about research positions, attach your CV

If you are applying for a research position, attach your CV. It is also helpful to explain what skills you can bring to the group.

• Preferred: I am interested in your research on XX. I believe my experience with YY could contribute to your work on ZZ. I have attached my CV for your consideration.

• Less preferred: What positions are available for me?

Here is a comparison of example emails:

• Less preferred: I hope this email finds you well. I am working on the transient absorption setup and noticed several things about the alignment. Yesterday, the signal looked different from last week, and I also realized that the sample position may have changed. I tried adjusting the delay stage and checked the beam path, but I am still not sure whether the issue is from the sample or the laser. Also, I remember that we may have another detector somewhere. Do we have a spare detector available? 

• Preferred: Do we have a spare detector available for the transient absorption setup? The current signal changed from last week, and I would like to test whether the detector is the issue. 

(06/02/2026)

Format Guidelines

1. Italicize mathematical symbols and variables

Mathematical symbols and variables should be italicized.

• Examples: 1s electrons, the bond length R , the Planck's constant h

Texts should remain normal even when they appear in sub/superscripts of math symbols

• Examples: Requilibrium not Requilibrium

In the LaTeX format, this means that the \text environment should be used such that "$R_\text{equilibrium}$ not $R_equilibrium$.

Some symbols, including units and chemical formula, should not be italicized.

• Examples: 2H-MoS2; Br M edge; 100 fs; 45 eV

Crystal symmetry is one difficult case.

• Examples: D3h (D is italic, but 3 and h are upright)

2. Do not overuse abbreviations

Spell out technical terms unless the abbreviation is widely accepted in the entire physical science communities. Commonly acceptable abbreviations in our research area include:

• Materials: TMDs

• Optical phenomena: SHG, OPA

• Spectral ranges: XUV, NIR, UV, Vis

However, many terms are better written out explicitly:

• Preferred: dynamic Franz–Keldysh effect; attosecond transient-absorption spectroscopy; high-harmonic generation

• Less preferred: DFKE; ATAS; HHG

3. Do not capitalize technical terms unnecessarily

Only capitalize words when required by grammar, such as at the beginning of a sentence, in proper nouns, or in established names.

• Preferred: We generate ultrabroadband XUV pulses using the process of high-harmonic generation.

• Less preferred: We generate UltraBroadBand XUV Pulses using the process of High-Harmonic Generation.

4. Hyphen (-) vs en dash (–) vs em dash (—)

A hyphen (-) is used for compound words and compound modifiers.

• Examples: pump-probe measurement, two-dimensional materials 

An en dash (–) is used for ranges. In LaTeX, you can make an en dash with "--" (two hyphens).

• Examples: 500–1000 nm; 10–50 fs; Figures 2–4; 1.98–2.04 eV

An em dash (—) is used to insert a break or additional phrase in a sentence. Do not use it in scientific writing.

• Example: The signal appears only near time zero — where pump-probe overlap is strongest — and disappears at longer delays. 

5. Repeat units with ranges

When writing numerical ranges, it is often clearer to repeat the unit, especially when the numbers are connected by “to.”

• Preferred: 1.98 eV to 2.04 eV; 10 fs to 50 fs

• Less preferred: 1.98 to 2.04 eV; 10 to 50 fs

6. Axis labels should be explicit

Axis labels in figures should be specific.

• Preferred: Photon energy; Delay time; Spectral count

• Less preferred: Energy; Time; Count

7. Atomic units vs arbitrary units

Arbitrary units should be abbreviated as "arb. units," whereas atomic units should be abbreviated as "a.u." Note that there is no space in "a.u."

8. Some speficic abbreviations

Periods in degrees should be omitted:

Examples: BS, PhD, MBA (not Ph. D.)

University of Michigan can be abbreviated as follows (link):

Examples: U-M, UM-Ann Arbor

(06/08/2026)