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Bio:
Nurjahan Khatun completed her Bachelor's degree in Physics from Maulana Azad College, Kolkata, India, followed by a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India. Nurjahan received her PhD degree in Physics in 2024 from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore, India, under the supervision of Dr. Geetha G Nair. In her PhD, Nurjahan worked on nanostructured assisted blue phase liquid crystals for photonic and electro-optic applications. She used advanced experimental techniques, such as Kossel diffraction pattern studies to learn about the symmetry of blue phase lattice, Synchrotron ultra small angle X-ray scattering analysis for understanding the self-assembly of nanoparticles inside the defect core of the blue phase, and the use of FEM simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics software for band diagrams and Bragg reflection spectra. In 2024, Nurjahan joined the Department of Chemistry at Rice University as a postdoctoral researcher, where she currently works under the mentorship of Dr. Kushal Bagchi.
Current Research:
Nurjahan is currently working on the directed self-assembly of discotic liquid crystals. By precisely controlling the molecular orientation in the liquid crystalline phase using lithographically patterned microchannels, she seeks to investigate the retention and stability of the material during its transition from the liquid crystalline to the crystalline state. By integrating principles of self-assembly with an understanding of phase transition behaviour, Nurjahan’s goal is to optimize the performance of organic semiconductors in a range of micro- and nanofabricated systems.
Bio:
Chinecherem obtained her Bachelor’s and first Master’s degree from the University of Nigeria Nsukka where she worked on the synthesis and characterization of thin film materials and perovskite solar cells; under the supervision of Prof. F. I. Ezema. She was awarded another Master’s degree from Colorado State University under the supervision of Prof. James Sites where she fabricated and measured cadmium telluride bilayer solar cells. Chinecherem joined Rice University in August 2024 as a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Kushal Bagchi.
Current Research:
Chinecherem is currently investigating the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters that determine which molecules would undergo crystallization as the molecules are physically vapor deposited below the glass transition temperature, Tg. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a useful method of preparing molecular films of organic semiconductors for application in organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays and organic hole transport layers in perovskite solar cells. Molecular glasses prepared by this technique have distinguishing features like high density, low energy, macroscopic homogeneity, compositional flexibility, and high thermal stability.
Bio:
Elliott Chen is a freshman at Rice University, originally from San Jose, California, currently pursuing a B.S in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Data Science. Outside of research, he is involved in several other campus organizations, playing trombone in the Rice Campanile Orchestra and in the Owl Pep Band. In his free time, he also enjoys going camping, biking, and cooking food.
Bio:
Kushal was born and brought up in Bangalore, India. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from St Joseph’s College, Bangalore in 2013, and his master’s in chemistry from Pondicherry University in 2015. Kushal then moved to the U.S to pursue his doctoral research and received his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry in 2020 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the supervision of Prof. Mark Ediger. In his PhD, Kushal worked on the structural characterization of physical vapor-deposited (PVD) glasses of organic semiconductors. During his doctoral research, Kushal used synchrotron X-ray scattering and spectroscopy to probe interfacial molecular packing in organic semiconductor glasses. Packing at buried amorphous interfaces is vital for the performance of organic electronic devices but is extremely difficult to access; Kushal’s work established methods to probe molecular organization at buried inorganic-organic and organic-organic interfaces. For his PhD research, Kushal was awarded the K.V and Sara Reddy Award in Physical Chemistry. For his postdoc, Kushal moved to the newly formed Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering where he was advised by Prof. Paul Nealey and worked closely with the group of Prof. Juan de Pablo. In his postdoc Kushal used lithographically defined nanostructured surfaces to direct the self-assembly of photonic and charge-conducting liquid crystals. Kushal joined Rice as an assistant professor in July 2024