MRS Postdoctoral Awards

MRS Postdoctoral Award Recipients

• Tian Li, University of Maryland (2020 MRS Spring Meeting)

  “for the innovative and pioneering research in wood nanotechnology and nanocellulose toward energy, water and sustainability”
  

  Tian Li is currently a post-doctoral researcher with Professor Liangbing Hu at the University of Maryland. Li obtained her bachelor’s degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. She obtained her PhD degree in the area of electrophysics and non-linear optics in the Department of Electrical Engineering at University of Maryland, where her research focused on the experimental and theoretical studies aimed at establishing a fundamental understanding of the electrical and optical processes governing the operation of quantum dot solar cells. During postdoc, she has focused her research on emerging cellulose science and engineering and high temperature thermoelectrics. As the leading author, she has published in Science, Nature Materials, Nature Energy, and Science Advances, among others. She has received many accolades, including the ECE Distinguished Dissertation Award, Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award, and Forbes 30 under 30 in energy category.
  

  
  
• Xianwen Mao, Cornell University  (2020 MRS Spring Meeting)

  “for developing fabrication strategies and operando imaging techniques for nanoscale electrochemical materials systems important for environmental and energy applications”
  

  Xianwen Mao obtained his BS degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Tsinghua University, China. He then came to Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue his graduate study, and obtained his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering with T. Alan Hatton and Gregory C. Rutledge. His PhD work is focused on molecular engineering of polymer materials with tunable catalytic and adsorptive properties for sustainability technologies. He is currently a postdoctoral associate with Peng Chen in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University, working on developing single-molecule/particle operando imaging techniques for visualizing fundamental catalytic and adsorptive processes related to important energy and environmental applications, including water decontamination, water splitting, and artificial photosynthesis.
  

  
  
• Rachel E. Carter, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (2019 MRS Fall Meeting)
  “for contributions to the design of safe battery materials and systems, leadership of students and advocacy for women scientists and engineers” 
  
  

  Rachel E. Carter was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), with the support of Dr. Corey T. Love. She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University under the supervision of Dr. Cary L. Pint. Her dissertation research focused on material and processing challenges for alkali-sulfur batteries, which boast 6X the energy of Li-ion with lower cost and more environmentally friendly materials.

  Carter continues to work on sulfur chemistries at NRL, while also focusing on safer and more effective uses of conventional Li-ion batteries. The main contribution of her postdoctoral appointment emphasized thermo-electrochemical coupling in batteries by studying spatial and temporal thermal gradients. In efforts to support women in STEM, Rachel was a co-founder of the Partnership of Women across the Naval Research Enterprise and has had the opportunity to mentor many young female researchers from the high school to graduate level.

  
  
• Yasutaka Nagaoka, Brown University (2019 MRS Fall Meeting)
  “for contributions to the assembly of nanocrystal superstructures” 
  
  

  Yasutaka Nagaoka is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Chemistry department at Brown University, advised by Professor Ou Chen. In 2013, Nagaoka received his PhD degree in chemistry from the University of Florida. He also obtained his BA and MSc degrees in chemistry from Keio University, Japan, in 2006 and 2008, respectively.

  Nagaoka is interested in the nanomaterials, with a focus on self-assembly, quasicrystals, and high-pressure chemistry. His work on quasicrystalline nanocrystal superlattices was the first report of single-component quasicrystals from colloidal objects. Some of his works were featured in the journal Science and Nature. His passion for research is directed towards energy-related materials, nanostructured materials, aperiodic tilings, and novel nanocrystal synthesis.

  
  
• Kaifu Bian, Sandia National Laboratories (2019 MRS Spring Meeting)
  “for advancing the understanding of nanoparticle assemblies under stress” 
  
  

  Kaifu Bian is a postdoctoral researcher in the Advanced Material Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories, under the supervision and guidance of Hongyou Fan. Previously, Bian completed his PhD degree in chemical engineering and material science under the advisory of Professor Tobias Hanrath at Cornell University. 

  Bian's research focuses on the exploration of the relationships between processing, structure and properties of self-assembled nanoparticles, especially under stress. During postdoc research, he further advanced the stress-induced synthesis method for high-dimensional nanostructures, which was originally invented by Fan's group. As reported by Science Advance, his work led to the fabrication of CdSe nanowires with high luminescence not achievable by traditional synthesis.
  
  Kaifu talks about his work in this interview from MRS TV.

  
  
• Nicholas E. Jackson, Argonne National Laboratory (2019 MRS Spring Meeting)
  "for foundational theoretical and computational contributions to the study of structure and transport in charged polymers and organic semiconductors” 
  
  
  

  Nicholas E. Jackson is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory, advised by Professor Juan de Pablo. In 2016, Jackson received his PhD degree in chemistry from Northwestern University, studying the formation of optoelectronic networks in organic semiconductors with Professors Mark Ratner and Lin Chen. He obtained a BA degree in physics from Wesleyan University in 2011.

  Jackson is interested in the multiscale modeling of soft matter, with a focus on optically, electronically and ionically functional soft materials. His multiscale theoretical and computational research spans quantum-mechanical, coarse-grained and mesoscopic modeling techniques. Currently, his research concerns the development and application of hybrid machine learning and statistical mechanical methodologies to describe structural and conductivity phenomena in charged and semiconducting polymers.
  
  Nicholas talks about his work in this interview from MRS TV.

  
  
• James Bullock, University of California, Berkeley (2018 MRS Fall Meeting)

  “for the development of dopant-free, selective contacts for high-efficiency Si photovoltaics”

  James Bullock is an electrical engineering postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and an affiliate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under Ali Javey. Previous to that, Bullock completed his PhD degree in engineering, as an Australian Renewable Energy Agency Fellow, from The Australian National University. In the final year of his doctorate, he received the American Australian Association Fellowship as a visiting researcher at Berkeley.

  Bullock's most significant work is based on the development of novel contacting strategies for inorganic and 2D material photovoltaic devices. In particular, his work on the development of the first high-efficiency “dopant-free asymmetric heterocontact” or DASH silicon solar cell has become a seminal work in the field, being recognized as a Science Highlight by the U.S. Department of Energy.

  
  
• Minah Lee, Stanford University (2018 MRS Fall Meeting)

  “for the development of sustainable organic materials to achieve high-performance energy storage devices and understanding their redox mechanisms”

  Minah Lee is a postdoctoral researcher under the advice of Zhenan Bao in the Chemical Engineering Department at Stanford University. She received her PhD degree in materials science and engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2015. Her doctoral thesis was on designing materials for bioinspired energy conversion and storage.
  

  Lee’s research focuses on how to understand and better utilize the redox chemistry of abundant materials to present more efficient, reliable and sustainable energy-storage technologies for the future. Her main scientific contributions include discovering bioinspired redox centers for rechargeable batteries and developing design strategies of organic materials to enhance the energy-storage performances.

  
  
• Arnab Banerjee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2018 MRS Spring Meeting)

  “for groundbreaking experiments providing evidence of topological excitations in a two-dimensional magnet, moving toward lossless qubits in quantum computing”

  Arnab Banerjee was a postdoctoral fellow at the Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), working closely with Drs. Nagler, Tennant and Chakoumakos. He received his PhD degree in physics in 2013 at the University of Chicago, where he was admitted as a Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Fellow working on quantum phase transitions under the supervision of Thomas Rosenbaum (now at the California Institute of Technology). He received his bachelor's degree in 2006 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.

  Banerjee is dedicated to the identification, synthesis, tuning and careful neutron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and transport measurements of materials that can have potential applications in novel quantum devices, logic circuits and future electronics. His research also extends to thin-film synthesis and measurements. His research on the honeycomb magnet RuCl₃ involved stringent materials control, and culminated in the observation of a topological excitation spectrum with fractional quasiparticles. The goal of his current research is to continue to reveal the effects of topology, non-linearity and coherence in quantum materials.

  Banerjee's research was featured as among the top stories of 2016 by Discover Magazine, and his science endeavors have earned him and his team accolades at ORNL and elsewhere.

  Banerjee talks about his research in this interview from MRS TV.
  
  
• Jie Xu, Stanford University (2018 MRS Spring Meeting)

  “for applying polymer physics concepts to realize integrated, intrinsically stretchable transistors for skin electronics”

  Jie Xu is working as a postdoctoral researcher under the advice of Zhenan Bao in the Chemical Engineering Department at Stanford University. She received her PhD degree in chemistry from Nanjing University in 2014. Her doctoral thesis was on understanding the molecular packing structure and dynamic behavior in confined soft matters.

  Xu’s research focuses on the fundamental understanding of relationships between molecular packing structures and mechanical/electrical behaviors in electronic materials from a polymer physics perspective, as well as the development of innovative physical methodologies for controlling the molecular packing, which can tailor the solid properties of functional soft materials for skin electronics.

  Xu is one of the co-leaders of the Stanford eWEAR Student Society and a co-organizer of eWear Student Symposia.

  Xu talks about her research in this interview from MRS TV.
  
  
• Michael Saliba, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) (2017 MRS Fall Meeting)

  “for developing a family of stable, reproducible and highly efficient multi-cation perovskites for optoelectronics.”

  Michael Saliba is a Marie Curie Fellow at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. He completed his PhD degree at the University of Oxford in 2014 (with a research visit at Cornell University) working on crystallization behavior and plasmonic nanostructures in perovskites. He obtained his MSc degree in physics at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research on simulation methods for plasmonic oligomers. He holds a BSc degree in mathematics and physics from the Universität Stuttgart.

  Saliba's research focuses on a deeper fundamental understanding and improvement of optoelectronic properties of emerging photovoltaic technologies with an emphasis on perovskites for a sustainable energy future. He has an h-index of 30 and published over 70 works in the fields of plasmonics, lasers, LEDs and perovskite semiconductors.

  In 2016, Saliba was awarded the Young Scientist Award of the German University Association. In 2017, he was awarded the René Wasserman Prize from EPFL, the Science Award of the Fraunhofer UMSICHT institute, and he was also honored as one of the World’s 35 Innovators Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review for his pioneering discoveries in the field of perovskite semiconductors and optoelectronics.

  
  
• Jieun Yang, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (2017 MRS Fall Meeting)

  

   “for creative research in chemically exfoliated 2D materials and tireless dedication to mentoring women in science and engineering.” 
  

  Jieun Yang is a postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Rutgers). She received her PhD degree in chemistry from the Ulsan National Institute of Science Technology in 2015, after which she joined the Chhowalla group at Rutgers—having won the Rutgers Energy Institute Fellowship. Her research deals with understanding fundamental structure/property relationships in atomically thin materials through utilization of state-of-the-art analytical and fabrication techniques. Yang also studies the electrochemical properties of two-dimensional materials (2D) with the aim of improving their catalytic performance. Her current research interest focuses on understanding how electrical, optical and catalytic properties are influenced by atomic-scale defects created by a Helium Ion Beam in 2D MoS₂.

  Yang also actively mentors several undergraduate and graduate students—especially female and students from underrepresented groups. She is dedicated to retention of these students in STEM and encouraging them to continue their education.

  
  
• Bert Conings, Hasselt University (2017 MRS Spring Meeting)
  “for innovation in hybrid perovskite photovoltaics, addressing fabrication, lifetime, and toxicity issues”  
  
  Bert Conings obtained his MS degree in Applied Physics (Nanoscience & Technology) at the Eindhoven University of Technology in 2008. He completed his PhD degree in hybrid solar cells at Hasselt University in 2012. He has then been appointed as postdoctoral researcher at Hasselt University, joining the Nanostructure Physics group led by Hans-Gerd Boyen where he specialized in photoelectron spectroscopy. In 2013, he became a postdoctoral fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), and he was a scientific visitor in the group of Henry Snaith (University of Oxford) in 2016 for six months. 
  
  Conings' core focus is perovskite photovoltaics, both on the device level and the material level. More generally, his interests include the electro-optical characterization of nanostructured materials for applications in energy and life sciences.
  
  
• Yunlong Zi, Georgia Institute of Technology (2017 MRS Spring Meeting)

  "for pioneering research to improve the efficiency and wider applicability of mechanical energy harvesting systems” 

  Yunlong Zi is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, under supervision of Zhong Lin Wang. Zi received his PhD degree in Physics from Purdue University in 2014 and his B.Engineering degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2009. 
  
  His current research interests focus on high-efficiency mechanical energy harvesting through triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), TENG triggered high-voltage applications, and self-powered systems. He pioneered utilizing the voltage-charge plots to analyze and optimize energy output cycles of TENG. An ultimate goal of Zi’s research is the development of energy-efficient self-powered systems for sustainable operation of devices. 
  
  Zi also developed methodology and mechanisms of in-plane growth, self-catalyzed growth and in-situ doping method for group III-V semiconductor nanowire arrays. As the 1st author, his research has been published in top-notch journals, including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Nano Letters, ACS Nano and Nano Energy. 
  
  Zi was honored as the winner of an MRS Postdoctoral Award by Materials Research Society in 2017 as the first recipient from Georgia Tech and one of “5 students who are transformation makers” by Purdue University in 2013.
  
  
• Babak Anasori, Drexel University (2016 MRS Spring Meeting)
  “For innovative research on 2D materials, creative and artistic ways of presenting science, dedication to and love of teaching, and student mentoring.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Shinbuhm Lee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2016 MRS Spring Meeting)
  “For the innovative development of multifunctional ionic devices via vertically aligned heterostructures, and outstanding contributions for theoretical and experimental understanding of them.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Qi Li, The Pennsylvania State University, and Yongming Sun, Stanford University (2016 MRS Fall Meeting)
  Qi Li, The Pennsylvania State University
  “for advancing the field of polymer nanocomposites for electrical energy storage and conversion.” 
  
  Qi Li received his PhD degree in Materials Science from Wuhan University of Technology in 2013. He then joined Professor Qing Wang’s research group at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Li’s research focuses on novel polymer-based nanocomposite materials with unique dielectric properties for electrical energy storage and conversion. 
  
  To date, he has published more than 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, PNAS, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, etc. His main scientific contributions include the development of state-of-the-art ferroelectric polymer nanocomposites for electrical energy storage and electrocaloric refrigeration applications, the contributions to understanding of dielectric properties of polymeric materials under high electric fields and elevated temperatures, as well as the synthesis of novel electroactive polymers and nanocomposites for mechanical energy harvesting and electromechanical actuator applications.
  

  Yongming Sun, Stanford University
  “For advancing the development of high-capacity battery materials.” 
  
  Yongming Sun received his PhD degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2012. He is currently working with Professor Yi Cui as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University. His current research focuses on energy-storage materials and devices, including cathode prelithiation of lithium-ion batteries, flexible/stretchable energy-storage materials and devices, and lithium metal anodes for lithium-based rechargeable batteries. 
  
  He has published 40+ papers, including 19 first-authored papers (8 first-authored papers while a postdoc at Stanford, 2 in Nature Energy, 1 in Advanced Materials, 2 inNano Letters, 1 in Advanced Energy Materials, 1 in Chem, and 1 in Nano Energy). Additionally, he has two patents granted in the United States. According to Google Scholar, his papers have been cited over 2200 times and his H-index is 23.

  In this MRS TV interview, MRS Postdoctoral Award recipients Qi Li and Yongming Sun discuss their research and work for which they were honored.
  
  
• Jiamian Hu, The Pennsylvania State University (2015 MRS Fall Meeting)
  “For pioneering contributions to the theoretical understanding of strain-mediated electric-field-induced magnetization switching in magnetoelectric nanostructures and for designing prototypes of magnetoelectric devices”
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Beata Layla Mehdi, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2015 MRS Fall Meeting)
  “For advances in in situ transmission electron microscopy instrumentation for electrochemical studies and quantitative understanding of nanoscale processes taking place in energy storage systems”
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Dustin Janes, The University of Texas at Austin (2015 MRS Spring Meeting)
  “For outstanding theoretical and experimental contributions to understanding transport in polymer films and membranes and novel nano- and micro-patterning methodologies, and his dedicated mentorship of graduate and undergraduate student researchers”
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Chao Wang, Stanford University (2014 MRS Fall Meeting)
  “For innovative research developing self-healing electronic materials and utilizing the self-healing concept to achieve high-performance, long lifetime electronic and energy storage devices”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Jonathan Rivnay, École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne (2014 MRS Fall Meeting)
  “For the development of state-of-the-art organic electronic devices for interfacing with biology, through the elucidation of structure versus electrical properties relationships”