Scientist Spotlight
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- User Program Manager
- Heather Brown
New CINT Co-Director: Adam Rondinone
We are pleased to welcome the new CINT Co-Director, Dr. Adam Rondinone. Prior to joining CINT, Adam was a senior staff scientist and the outreach coordinator for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS). He has worked within the user facility system for over twenty years, as both a user and staff member, and is currently the chair of the Board of Directors for the Society for Science at User Research Facilities. Since 2001 he has served Oak Ridge in many leadership capacities, managing catalysis and energy storage research at CNMS, leading the advanced materials LDRD portfolio, and spending two years as a Legislative Fellow in the office of Senator Lamar Alexander advising on energy and technology issues. He has published over 100 publications and received 10 patents.
Adam shared his thoughts on his new role: "I look forward to working with the outstanding scientists at CINT to continue CINT's tradition as a world-class user facility. My vision is for CINT to set the standard for the application of basic science and fundamental research toward solving applied energy and security problems. Nanoscience is a distinct technological field that yields new materials and devices. But, nanoscience also provides ways of characterizing and understanding traditional materials with novel analytical techniques and theory."
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Ross McDonald for his exceptional service and contributions to the CINT community during his time as Acting Co-Director. Ross will be returning to his role as Deputy Director of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory-Pulsed Field Facility.
New CINT scientist: Kyungtae Kim
We are pleased to welcome our newest staff member, Kyungtae Kim. Kyungtae received his Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry from Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH), South Korea. Before joining CINT, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at the University of Minnesota. His research interests include: (1) Precision synthesis of soft nano/microparticles made of polymers and organic materials; (2) Self-assembly of soft particles into complex ordered structures that resemble metal alloy phases; and (3) Fabrication of soft particle nanostructures with large-scale ordering and controlled defects.
Kyungtae joins the Soft, Biological, and Composite Nanomaterials Thrust.
New CINT scientist: Wanyi Nie
We are pleased to welcome our newest CINT scientist, Wanyi Nie. Wanyi received her PhD in Physics from Wake Forest University. She later joined LANL as a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow working on interface charge transfer states in organic photovoltaic systems. She was converted to staff in 2016 to work on hybrid perovskite materials and their device fabrications. Her current research interests include: 1) Semiconducting materials and solid-state devices; 2) Developing new hybrid 2D materials with magnetic and electrical properties; and 3) Fabricating functional devices that probe into the magnetic and electrical properties in the 2D materials.
Wanyi was previously a CINT affiliate scientist and now will be part of the Quantum Materials Systems Thrust.
CINT scientist Jennifer Hollingsworth named AAAS Fellow
By Nancy Ambrosiano, LANL Communications Office
Los Alamos National Laboratory chemist Jennifer A. Hollingsworth is being honored as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her work in materials chemistry.
“We’re thrilled that Jennifer is receiving this well-deserved honor and joining the ranks of Los Alamos staff that are AAAS Fellows. Not only is Jennifer an outstanding researcher but also she is deeply committed to community engagement and STEM education,” said John Sarrao, Los Alamos deputy director for Science, Technology & Engineering.
Hollingsworth, a specialist in optical nanomaterial synthesis, characterization and application, has been a Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow since 2016, and has been at the Laboratory since 1999. She holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis, and her Bachelors in chemistry is from Grinnell College. She works in the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at Los Alamos, and focuses on discovery of ultrasmall—nanosized—semiconductor materials that can be synthetically engineered to be sources of high-efficiency, stable white light for better light bulbs, light beacons at the center of new cancer drugs, and single-photon sources for secure communication. In a type of nanoscale advanced manufacturing, she also works to integrate these materials with miniature antennas that make the light directional and stronger or into polymers that can be 3D printed.
She is being honored specifically for her discovery and development of non-blinking giant quantum dots, spanning pioneering contributions to materials chemistry, photophysics of excited-state processes in nanomaterials and applications in optoelectronics.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the distinction of Fellow to 443 of its members this year. These individuals have been elevated to this rank because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, 15 February, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.
Inaugural CINT UEC User Recognition Award
Over the past 13 years, the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) has been fortunate to work with outstanding researchers from around the world. Our users and staff have collaborated on important advances in many areas of nanoscience, pushing the frontier of knowledge in new and exciting directions.
On behalf of the CINT User Executive Committee (UEC), we are pleased to announce that Prof. Haiyan Wang (Purdue University) has been selected to receive the inaugural CINT User Recognition Award. This award honors a CINT user who has built their research program and become a leader in their field through their research at CINT. Prof. Wang's research on functional nanocomposite thin films is an excellent example of the innovative and productive work that can result from a user facility collaboration.
Prof. Wang has been a CINT user since 2007, during which time she has had 14 user projects. Her CINT research generated 32 peer-reviewed publications during the 2016-2018 review period.
This award was presented to Prof. Wang at the 2019 CINT Annual Meeting by CINT Director Jeff Nelson and CINT UEC Chair Erika Vreeland.
New CINT scientist: Andy Jones
We are pleased to welcome our newest CINT scientist, Andrew Jones. Andy received his PhD in physics in 2012 from the University of Washington, where his research focused on combining atomic force microscopy with optical characterization to characterize the optical properties of correlated electron materials and nano-plasmonic systems with high spatial resolution. As a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin, Andy worked on developing broadband ultrafast optical measurement techniques such as Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy (2D-ES), utilizing them to characterize the dynamics of energy transfer in photo-voltaic and organic semiconductor systems. His current research interests include the deterministic chemical functionalization of nanoscale systems, the characterization of the optical material properties using nano-optical techniques, and the development of broadband spectroscopy techniques to measure the dynamics of energy transfer processes in solid-state systems.
Andy joins the Nanophotonics and Optical Nanomaterials Thrust and will be supporting CINT’s QIS efforts.
New CINT Director: Jeff Nelson
After two years as CINT Director, Andreas Roelofs has accepted a new position as Vice President of Research at United Technologies Research Center. We wish him all the best for this new chapter of his career!
We are pleased to welcome Jeff Nelson as the new CINT Director. Jeff brings extensive scientific and management experience to this role. Prior to joining CINT he was the senior manager of Sandia’s Semiconductor and Optical Sciences Group which focused on compound semiconductors and nanomaterials science and technology. Jeff also leads the Sandia BES Materials Science (MSE) program. He has had direct CINT experience, both as the line manager for the Nanostructure Physics Department (2011-2016) and acting Co-director of CINT (2010). In addition to his leadership and management experience, Jeff brings a wealth of highly relevant technical expertise and knowledge. He was a very early leader of Sandia’s solid-state lighting initiative as well as one of the founders of Sandia’s computational materials science effort focused on developing and applying advanced algorithms and codes for massively parallel supercomputing architectures. He is the author or co-author of over 70 publications and conference proceeding papers and four U.S. patents. Welcome, Jeff!
A job posting for the CINT Co-Director positions is now open. Jim Werner, Deputy Group Leader at the Gateway Facility, will be interim acting Group Leader and Co-Director until July 28. On July 29, 2019, Ross McDonald, the Deputy Director of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory-Pulsed Field Facility, will formally take over as the acting Group Leader and Co-Director of CINT
Ross has over 20 years of experience in experimental high magnetic field research, exploring what are now commonly known as quantum and topological materials. He obtained his Masters in Physics from the University of Exeter in 1997 and his Doctorate from Magdalen College, Oxford in 2001. Thereafter he joined the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory’s Pulsed Field Facility as a postdoc at LANL, and was converted to a staff member in 2004. Since 2015, he has served as the Deputy Director of the Pulsed Field Facility with a particular emphasis on managing the safety envelope for operating some of the world’s most powerful pulsed magnets as part of the NHMFL’s international user program. Throughout his career, Ross’s research interests have led him to develop new experimental techniques to measure a wide range of correlated electron systems in extreme magnetic fields—from GHz-THz frequency dielectric resonators, to novel micro-mechanical resonant cantilevers for torque magnetometry, to custom device fabrication using Focused Ion Beam lithography. A highlight of his career was the world record setting 100-tesla non-destructive magnetic field pulse in 2012. Welcome, Ross!
New CINT scientist: Andy Mounce
We are pleased to welcome our newest CINT scientist, Andy Mounce. Andy received his PhD in physics in 2013 from Northwestern University and then spent two years as a LANL postdoc before joining SNL as a technical staff member in 2015. His research interests include magnetic interactions in quantum materials; mechanisms and manifestations of unconventional superconductivity; and integrating machine learning and optimization into physical measurements and modeling.
Andy will be positioned in the Quantum Materials Systems thrust.
New CINT scientist: John Watt
We are pleased to welcome our newest CINT scientist, John Watt. John is an electron microscopist and materials scientist. He received his PhD in chemistry in 2010 from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He joined CINT at the Core Facility in 2013 on a post-doctoral appointment and continued his work there are as a materials scientist through 2018. John brings expertise in the characterization of nanomaterials using various electron microscopy techniques and will focus on cryogenic electron microscopy to observe soft matter and nanomaterials in their native, hydrated state.
John will be positioned in the Soft, Biological, and Composite Nanomaterials thrust.
CINT scientists honored with APS, LANL fellowships
By Nancy Ambrosiano, LANL Media Relations
Jennifer Hollingsworth, APS Fellow
The American Physical Society (APS) has selected the Society's 2018 Fellows, four of which are Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists: Brian Albright, Jennifer Hollingsworth, Brian J. Jensen and Brian Kendrick.
"I congratulate Brian, Jennifer, Brian, and Brian on their selection as American Physical Society Fellows," said John Sarrao, principal associate director for Science, Technology and Engineering at Los Alamos. "These individuals highlight the breadth of scientific innovation and expertise that support the Lab's national security mission. Recognition of their accomplishments by the American Physical Society demonstrates the vibrant engagement that the Laboratory's physicists have with the external scientific community and their contributions to physics research."
"On behalf of the APS, I'm pleased to congratulate all of the Society members who have been recognized by their peers through their selection as 2018 APS Fellows," said APS Chief Executive Officer Kate Kirby. "It's particularly gratifying to see that so many of the Fellows elected this year are women." Of the 155 new APS Fellows, 23 percent are women; a 77 percent increase in the fraction of women Fellows over the 2017 class.
Jennifer Hollingsworth (MPA Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies) was nominated "for the discovery and development of non-blinking giant quantum dots (gQDs), spanning pioneering contributions to materials chemistry, the photophysics of excited-state processes in nanomaterials and applications in optoelectronics." She was nominated by the APS Division of Material Physics. Of her 100 publications (more than 10,800 citations, h-index of 42), she has, as principal investigator or in close collaboration with colleagues, detailed her gQD research in a series of more than 35 papers (more than 3,200 citations), including two invited review articles. Her initial work on this topic led to a US patent for both the novelty of the QD structure and the resulting photophysical properties. Moreover, the implications of the novel gQD performance behavior have been demonstrated for a range of applications from solid-state lighting to 3D single-molecule tracking in live cells and nanoscale thermometry. Lastly, through the CINT User Program, her uniquely photostable quantum emitters are enabling the work of materials physicists around the world. Hollingsworth received the LANL Fellows Prize for Research in 2013 and became a Laboratory Fellow in 2016.
The APS Fellowship Program was created to recognize members who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology. They may also have made significant contributions to the teaching of physics or service and participation in the activities of the Society.
Sergei Tretiak, LANL Laboratory Fellow
Five Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists are being honored as Laboratory Fellows this year: James Boncella, Angel Garcia, Lawrence Hull, David Jablonski and Sergei Tretiak.
"To be named a Fellow is one of the Laboratory’s highest honors," said Terry C. Wallace, Jr., Los Alamos National Laboratory director. "All Fellows have demonstrated remarkable scientific achievement that has benefited not just the Laboratory and its mission, but the scientific community as a whole. These are leaders in their fields and it is an honor to name them Fellows."
Sergei Tretiak of the Theoretical Division is an exceptionally creative chemical physicist. The overarching theme of his research is to develop a theoretical framework for electronic properties in complex molecular structures. These materials are at the center of current scientific research, with potential applications in photonics, displays and sunlight harvesting, such as photovoltaic devices based on organic and organic–inorganic active materials. His numerous significant contributions to the understanding of optical processes in advanced, reduced-dimensional materials are being developed for optoelectronics applications. His theoretical studies have provided extremely important descriptions of photo-physical-chemical phenomena in novel molecular systems. The suite of powerful theoretical techniques and elaborate codes that Tretiak developed has substantially influenced the way computational materials chemistry is currently studied worldwide. He is one of the world leaders in understanding non-linear excitations, such as in optical materials. Tretiak has mentored and trained more than 20 postdoctoral associates and 80 summer students, and he won the LANL Postdoctoral Distinguished Mentor Award in 2015. He is a world-leading electronic structure theorist who has transformed optical material science to enable next-generation energy systems.
The Fellow appointment at Los Alamos is an honor bestowed in recognition of outstanding achievement in science and/or engineering, recognizing the full breadth of Laboratory accomplishment from basic research to applied missions. Nominations are assessed on the basis of three criteria:
- Sustained, high-level achievements in programs of importance to the Laboratory
- A fundamental or important discovery that has led to widespread use
- Having become a recognized authority in the field.
LANL APS Fellows news release
LANL Laboratory Fellows news release
New CINT scientist: Michael Pettes
We are pleased to welcome our newest CINT scientist, Michael Pettes. Michael joins us from the University of Connecticut where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011. Prior to his graduate work, Michael served as an infantry officer with the 1st Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps (2/1).
Michael's research is aimed at developing fundamental insights into the effects of elastic strain engineering (relevant to optoelectronics and quantum computing) and ordered nanoscale porosity (relevant to nanomanufacturing of energy materials) on technologically-relevant nanomaterial systems. His innovative research and commitment to scientific leadership and education has been recognized by the NSF in the form of a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award.
Michael will be positioned in CINT's In-Situ Characterization and Nanomechanics thrust.
CINT welcomes three new scientists
We are pleased to welcome our newest CINT scientists: Khalid Hattar, Aiping Chen, and Nan Li.
Khalid Hattar is a materials scientist and will be positioned in the In-Situ Characterization and Nanomechanics thrust. Khalid received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in 2009 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined Sandia National Laboratories as a Senior Member of the Technical Staff in 2008 and become a Principal Member of the Technical Staff in 2015. Khalid brings expertise in elucidating the response of microstructures to overlapping extreme conditions via combinations of in-situ TEM techniques, as well as utilizing film growth and ion beam modification techniques to produce nanostructured systems with tailored thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties.
Aiping Chen will be positioned in the Quantum Materials Systems thrust. Aiping received his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 2013 from Texas A&M. After three years at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow, during which time he held a Director's Fellowship, Aiping joined CINT as an affiliate scientist in 2016. Aiping's research specializations include epitaxial growth of functional oxide thin films and nanoscale materials including vertical nanocomposites, heterostructures and multilayers by pulsed laser deposition and laser molecular beam epitaxy. He also brings expertise in oxide interfaces engineering and structure-properties correlation in functional materials.
Nan Li will be joining Khalid in the In-Situ Characterization and Nanomechanics thrust. Nan received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in 2010 from Texas A&M. As a postdoctoral fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory he received the Distinguished Postdoctoral Performance Award. Nan joined the Lab's technical staff in 2013. His research interests include in-situ and ex-situ electron microscopy straining, multiscale mechanical deformation and fracture behavior, and various defect phenomena in materials under irradiation or shock extremes.
Prasankumar elected secretary-treasurer of American Physical Society's Division of Laser Science
By H. Kris Fronzak, ADEPS Communications
Rohit Prasankumar (Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, MPA-CINT) was elected secretary-treasurer of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Laser Science. The division promotes laser science interests within the APS and other societies and sponsors numerous awards, conferences, and educational programs.
As secretary-treasurer, Prasankumar will serve through October 2020 and be responsible for maintaining the records and funds in the division.
Prasankumar earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003. His thesis focused on developing and applying saturable absorbers to femtosecond solid-state laser mode-locking. He joined Los Alamos National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher with CINT's Laboratory for Ultrafast Materials and Optical Science team and became a staff member in 2006. He oversees two optical laboratories at CINT, where he pursues new research at the intersection of ultrafast laser science, condensed matter physics, and nanotechnology. In particular, his research focuses on ultrafast dynamics and phenomena in complex quantum materials from terahertz to x-ray frequencies. Prasankumar has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and has more than 1,500 citations.
CINT is a DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences national user facility jointly operated by Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prasankumar's research supports the Lab's Materials for the Future strategy by advancing research vital to the Lab's quest for controlled functionality and by examining the properties of quantum materials.
The American Physical Society is a non-profit membership organization working to advance and disseminate the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals; scientific meetings; and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents more than 53,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry around the world.
