Research journey
This page does not include the dense details of my doctoral research—you can read that in my upcoming dissertation! Here, I highlight select experiences that shaped my research progress.
Transferring universities during my Ph.d.
Four months after I joined the Cha research group at Yale University, my advisor announced that our lab would be relocating to Cornell. I decided to follow the lab, transferring universities at the start of my third year of graduate school. While I miss the Yale community and still visit friends in New Haven often, I was confident in the decision to transfer. Cornell’s facilities, particularly in microscopy (a specialty of our group), are among the best in the country. As an NYC native, I never imagined living in Upstate New York, and truthfully, I am still getting used to the quiet!
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Science is art
I was first drawn to my research group by the 'Science Is Art' page on its website. As a first-year graduate student new to materials science, I loved seeing the intersection of creativity and hard data. The image shown here is a perfect example, though it started as a mistake. I was using electron-beam lithography, a technique where we use a focused beam of electrons to 'draw' circuit patterns, to build a functional device. However, the process malfunctioned, causing the photoresist (the polymer coating) to bloom into these floral shapes instead of the pattern I intended. While I was initially frustrated by the failure, the accidental beauty eventually won me over. It felt like a full-circle moment when this image was featured on the very page that inspired me to join.
The Design Advantage
I pursued a graphic design minor as a creative outlet, not realizing how instrumental it would be to my Ph.D. In particular, my typography courses helped me turn complicated data into visuals that are easy to understand. While design principles sometimes conflict with academic norms (such as with justified text), I find the combination essential for clear communication. This integration proved its value when the poster shown here won a 'Best Poster' prize at a nanotechnology conference.
doctoral work
My graduate work investigates how atomic-scale structural and electronic changes can unlock new properties for future energy technologies. I use intercalation chemistry to insert ions between atomic layers, tuning material properties and inducing phase transformations in ultra-thin compounds. To study these processes, we developed a custom platform that enables real-time observation of electrochemical reactions under high-vacuum conditions. The video to the right captures this real-time structural evolution in an atomically thin material. This approach has allowed me to map complete transformation pathways and identify novel phases that emerge during ion insertion.
A bit of fun
A key lesson I've learned during my Ph.D. has been to pause and appreciate the journey, to 'stop and smell the roses,' if you will. Research days are long, often consumed by fixing broken equipment and endless experimental troubleshooting. Amidst that grind, I make a point to find moments of levity, whether it’s biking through Brookhaven National Laboratory or seizing the opportunity to attend an international conference. Often, these moments are defined by the people working alongside me. These snapshots remind me that even when the work is intense, we must find room to enjoy the experience.
