B. A. Physics, Cambridge University
Ph.D. Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University

In situ microscopy as a tool to study the mechanisms of dynamic processes. Structure, dynamics, epitaxy, self assembly and phase stability at surfaces, interfaces and in nanoscale systems. Structural control in low dimensional materials. Nucleation and growth in the liquid phase, in particular electrochemical processes.

Frances M. Ross is the TDK Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, USA. She received her B.A. in Physics and Ph.D. in Materials Science from Cambridge University, UK, where she became captivated by electron microscopy. She continued this interest during her postdoc at A.T.&T. Bell Laboratories, as a Staff Scientist at the National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and as a Research Staff Member at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. Her research is based around the development of in situ electron microscopy techniques to help understand crystal growth, epitaxy, self-assembly and electrochemical and other liquid phase processes. She spends her time outside the lab
with family, cats and sailboats.

B. Sc. Physics, Technical University of Munich (TUM)
M. Sc. Physics, Technical University of Munich (TUM)
PhD Physics, Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Primary Area: Combining electron microscopy and cryogenic optical spectroscopy
Material Focus: Van der Waals materials
Specialization: Quantum matter engineering, Photonics
Application: Scalable quantum technologies

Julian Klein is a group leader at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, USA. He received his doctorate in experimental physics at the Technical University of Munich studying layered materials using cryogenic optical spectroscopy, particularly focusing on engineered quantum defects using helium ion beam irradiation. As part of his doctorate, he conducted a 3-month research stay at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, studying defects using scanning tunneling microscopy. He was awarded a Feodor-Lynen postdoctoral fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Since 2020, he has been researching at MIT focusing on advanced electron microscopy for atomic-scale quantum matter engineering as a platform for scaling quantum technologies. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing drums and going out with friends.

B.Sc., Physics, Ben Gurion University
M.Sc., Physics, Ben Gurion University
Ph.D., Physics, Ben Gurion University

B.S./M.S. Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Arts et Metiers ParisTech
M.S. Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University
Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania

Primary Area: Environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM).
Materials Focus: 2D materials and bimetallic nanoparticles.
Specialization: In situ gas/heating STEM, in situ biasing STEM, valence state analysis with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS).

Alexandre did his undergraduate studies in his hometown of Paris, first focusing on Mechanical and Materials Engineering. He then focused on Nanomaterials at Rice University before completing a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, investigating bimetallic nanoparticles in a dynamic environment. He specialized in aberration-corrected in situ STEM techniques and fine structure analysis with EELS. At MIT, he focuses on 2D films for novel transistors and neuromorphic materials. Aside from science, Alexandre enjoys painting, playing piano, and
skiing.

B.S. Wuhan University of Science and Technology
M.S. Zhejiang University
Ph.D Eindhoven University of Technology

Primary Area: Liquid-Phase Electron Microscopy
Material Focus: Battery Materials and Soft Matter
Specialization: Liquid-Phase EM, Cryo-TEM, and Electrochemistry
Application: Battery technologies

Hanglong Wu is currently a Postdoctoral Associate working with Prof. Frances Ross. His main research interests focus on the development of new in-situ electron microscopy methods for battery materials and soft matter. He received his Ph.D in liquid-phase electron microscopy from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the Netherlands, in 2020. Before joining the Ross lab, he was a postdoc at TU/e with Prof. Jan van Hest, studying polymeric materials processes using liquid-phase TEM and cryo-TEM. Outside the lab, Wu enjoys cooking, badminton, and photography.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering,Shanghai Jiao Tong University
MPhil.: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Ph.D.: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2D materials synthesis; metal oxidation; metal
sulfurization.

Zhenjing Liu got her Master and Ph.D. degree from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. During that period, her research focused on the controlled synthesis of 2D materials via chemical vapor deposition method towards energy application, and she was the scholar of Asian Future leadership Program and awarded for the HKJEBN Scholarship for Talent. Now she is working on the study of oxidation and sulfurization process of 3D metal on 2D materials, aiming at developing a scalable method to fabricate high-quality dielectric layers and heterostructures. Outside the lab, Zhenjing enjoys watching movies, cooking, and playing computer games.

B.S. Wuhan University
Ph. D. Candidate Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Remote epitaxial growth of semiconductors and their applications, DFT calculation, in-situ TEM observation.

The work of Haihui Lan focuses on the field of nanomaterial growth. He was involved in the growth, application, and theoretical exploration of two-dimensional materials at Wuhan University. His in-depth research articles, combining theoretical calculations with experimental data, have gained wide recognition. His related work has been published in journals such as Nat. Commun., JACS, and Adv. Electron. Mater., etc.

B.S. Materials Science & Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Primary Area: Ultra High Vacuum Transmission Electron Microscopy
Material Focus: 3D material growth on 2D materials
Specialization: Ultra-High Vacuum and high throughput techniques
Application: Heterogenous integration of 2D materials

Paul Miller obtained his bachelors in Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he researched oxide glasses. Afterwards he led materials characterization in the Advanced Materials and Microsystems group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Paul’s research involves the intersection of electron microscopy, ultra-high vacuum science and thin film deposition to investigate epitaxy on 2D materials. Outside of the lab he enjoys tinkering with old equipment and hobby machining.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Primary Area: In-situ Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Material Focus: 2D vdW Materials and their heterostructures
Specialization: Atomistic engineering of 2D vdW materials using electron microscopy

Eugene (Jane) Park received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) characterization of 2D vdW materials and heterostructures. She also studies in-situ STEM characterization of structural responses of 2D materials. Outside the lab, Jane enjoys baking financiers, cake, and croissants.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan

Primary Area: Electrical characterization of devices
Material Focus: 2D materials and their heterostructures
Specialization: TMD – oxide interfaces
Application: 2D-semiconductor based transistors

Rishabh Kothari graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022, studying Materials Science and Engineering with minors in Physics and Electrical Engineering. At Michigan, he worked under Professor Steven Yalisove to produce surface structures on semiconductors through ultrafast laser – material interaction. After his B.S., he briefly worked at Sandia National Labs on simulating the fabrication of thin films by physical vapor deposition. At MIT, Rishabh is an NSF-GRFP recipient and studies the oxidation of hafnium on 2D materials. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running on the Charles, biking, and taking board
games a little too seriously.

B.A.: Materials Science, University of Cambridge
M.Sci.: Materials Science, University of Cambridge

Primary area: Ultra-High Vacuum TEM
Materials Focus: 2D Materials and their Heterostructures
Specialisation: In-situ studies of nanoisland reactions
Application: Next-generation electronic devices

Pip Knight graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2023, where she studied Natural Sciences, specialising in Materials Science. During her time at Cambridge, she worked in the Optical Nanomaterials Group under Professor Emilie Ringe, where she developed an interest in nanoparticle reaction kinetics and plasmonic behaviour. Her Master’s project involved studying the kinetics of galvanic replacement reactions on nanoparticles using in-situ hyperspectral dark field optical microscopy. She was awarded the highest mark in her cohort for her BA and MSci, and received the Goldsmiths Prize and Medal, Winifred Georgina Holgate Pollard Memorial Prize, and Armourers and Brasiers Prize for her studies. At MIT, Pip is an Ida M. Green fellow and studies metallic nanoislands on 2D materials, including how they form silicides using in-situ UHV TEM. Outside of the lab, she loves to play the organ, paint, and go hiking.

B.S. Physics, University of Virginia (expected may 2024)

B.A. Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(expected May 2026)

Primary area: Conductive AFM, Raman Spectroscopy, and Machine Learning Workflows 
Materials Focus: 2D Chromium Sulfur Bromide (CrSBr)
Specialization: Experimental and computational characterization of doped CrSBr
Application: Quantum Technologies and Spintronics

Sara Tulchinsky is a second-year student at Wellesley College working towards her undergraduate degree, and subsequently, graduate education in Materials Science and Engineering. She has a variety of previous research experience revolving around ultra-thin materials; most recently, she spent the summer 2023 at the University of Michigan studying ferroic thin film nucleation for applications in energy-efficient memory technologies. Outside of the lab, she enjoys kayaking, trying new restaurants, playing the viola, and watching comically terrible movies with friends.

B.S. Physics, University of Munster

B. Sc. Materials Science, RWTH Aachen University
M. Sc. Materials Science, RWTH Aachen University

Primary Area: Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy
Material Focus: Supported nanoparticles for catalysis
Specialization: In situ investigation of dynamic, microstructural changes
Application: Nanomaterials for Green Energy

Ansgar Meise is a visiting PhD student from the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. While he studied laser beam soldering and welding processes during his master’s project at Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, he is now focusing on microstructural changes of ZnPd/ZnO during methanol steam reforming using environmental TEM. In addition to his research activities, Meise likes to bring science and research facilities closer to a non-expert audience. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing and watching all kinds of sports. Here, he shows a particular capacity for suffering by watching his favorite soccer club, 1. FC Köln, lose every year.

B.S. Nanoscience,Trinity College Dublin

Primary Area: In situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Spectroscopy
Material Focus: ‘Mixed Dimensional’ Heterostructures and Interfaces
Specialization: Structure and Properties of the 2D/3D Interface and Ultrahigh Vacuum TEM
Application: Nanomaterial Design for Energy and Quantum Technologies

Kate Reidy is currently a PhD candidate and Hugh Hampton Young Fellow in the Ross group at MIT. She received her B.Sc. in Nanoscience, Physics, and Chemistry of Advanced Materials from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Her research takes a ‘bottom up’ approach to nanoscale design, tailoring material properties by understanding and manipulating their atomic structure. She combines advanced characterization with in situ microscopy to elucidate kinetic growth mechanisms, chemical composition,
and response to stimuli at the atomic scale. Her work has been recognized by the Microscopy Society of America, MRS Gold Graduate Student Award, and MIT Energy Initiative Fellowship. Outside of lab, Kate enjoys reading, making misshapen pottery, and going for long aimless walks around the Cambridge area.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
M.S. Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts institute of Technology (MIT)

Primary area: In situ electron microscopy of nanomaterials dynamics
Specialization: nanomaterials dynamics in liquid/gas environment under external stimuli including temperature, electrochemical biasing, and temporal control.
Application: energy materials (battery electrodes, electrocatalyst)

Serin Lee is from South Korea and completed her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT working with Professor Frances Ross. She
uses in situ (real time) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for studying nanomaterials dynamics, physics, and chemistry in liquid/gas phases. She is an MIT Mathworks and MIT Energy Initiative fellow and one of the former co-presidents of Womxn in Materials Science and Engineering (WXOMS) at MIT. She is a former vice president of Korean Graduate Student Association at MIT, and she participated as a mentor in various mentorship programs including MIT NetPal. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling around the world and collecting unique magnets, pins, and mugs.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

fabrication and characterization of 2D materials, specifically focusing on the layered van der Waals magnet CrSBr

B.S. Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

 2D materials fabrication, transfer, and ion beam patterning; moving towards electron microscopy and image analysis

B.S. Physics, Technical University of Denmark
M.S. Technical University of Denmark
Ph.D. Technical Univeristy of Denmark

2D materials and growth and nucleation at the 2D/3D interface

B.Sc. Materials Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland
M.Sc. Advanced Nano- and Bio-materials MONABIPHOT, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland

in situ TEM, liquid crystals, plasmonic nanomaterials, biophotonics