Ultrafast and Single Nanostructure Optical Microscopy Group

Our research explores how light interacts with ultra-thin and nanoscale materials, uncovering how energy and electrical charge move at their interfaces. These interactions lie at the heart of many emerging technologies, and we believe they will help drive the next generation of solid-state lighting, quantum materials, and optoelectronic devices.

We work with a diverse set of advanced materials, including atomically-thin two-dimensional materials, perovskites, semiconductor quantum dots, conductive polymers, and even biological systems that naturally harvest light. By carefully assembling these materials into heterostructures, we aim to discover new physical behaviors and enhance their optical and electronic performance.

To reveal these fast and complex processes, we use state-of-the-art ultrafast laser spectroscopy and advanced optical microscopy, allowing us to observe how materials respond to light on extremely short time scales. Our ongoing research directions are highlighted here and publications from our group can be found here.

In addition to our research activities, our group manages the Advanced Optical Facility at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials. This facility brings together a powerful suite of modern optical tools—from ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy to time-resolved optical microscopy and single-molecule microscopy—providing unique capabilities for exploring materials at the frontiers of science.