Research

I utilize advances in ultrafast laser technology, pulse shaping methods, and next-generation light sources (e.g. synchrotrons and free electron lasers) from around the world to apply pulsed radiation, ranging from the terahertz regime (meV) to relativistic electrons (MeV), to molecular and nanoscale materials and devices relevant to energy and quantum applications.

By deploying the pulses in defined sequences, including multi-pulse excitation schemes, I seek to achieve selective control and visualization of the motion, timescale, coherence, and energy of elementary conduits (excitons, charges, spins, polarons, phonons etc.) that mediate physical and chemical processes, particularly energy and information transduction, in condensed media.

I then evaluate how steering the course of these processes alters the properties and performance of materials and devices using a suite of in-operando optical, scattering and device-based probes. From these insights, and in conjunction with materials synthesists, device engineers and theorists, I devise design principles for the next frontier of nanoscale-enabled technologies.