Chemical Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series

The Ralph E. Martin department of chemical engineering Distinguished Lecture Series will host Michelle Povinelli of the University of Southern California who will present “Applications of Nanophotonics: Absorption Engineering, Optomechanical Circuits, and Light-Assisted Self Assembly,” at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in BELL 2268.

Using nanofabrication technologies, it is possible to pattern materials on the scale of the wavelength of light, dramatically altering its propagation. Research in nano- and microphotonics involves both the basic science of light propagation in nanostructured materials and the application of this knowledge to engineering problems. 

Povinelli will discuss how nano- and microscale patterning can be used to efficiently absorb light within small volumes and how the force of light can be used to move parts of a photonic integrated circuit. She will also discuss recent efforts to use the structured light field above a nanophotonic device to guide the self-assembly of nanoparticles, giving rise to patterns not ordinarily found in nature. 

Povinelli is the WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor in the Ming Hsieh department of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California. She is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and a TR35 Award for innovators under age 35 from MIT's Technology Review magazine. Povinelli received a BA from the University of Chicago, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and a Ph.D. from MIT, all in physics. She was a postdoctoral researcher in electrical engineering at Stanford University, where she won a L'Oréal For Women in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. Povinelli has co-authored over 35 refereed journal articles, three book chapters, and three U.S. Patents. 

For more information, see the Distinguished Lecture Series, or contact seminar chair Jamie Hestekin, jhesteki@uark.edu. 

This event is free and open to the public.