This is part of an ongoing series about new MTL core faculty members.
Prof. Silvija Gradečak is one of MTL's newest Core Faculty members. Prof. Gradečak, the Thomas Lord Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, focuses her research on nano-photonics and electronics, based on the synthesis, characterization, and integration of low-dimensional systems. By taking the advantage of unique material properties on a nanoscale, she explores novel optoelectronic applications such as nanoscale light-emitting sources, single photon sources, or nanowire lasers.
Understanding the properties of such nanosystems requires multidisciplinary approach and new instrumental tools. Prof. Gradečak uses rational synthesis of free-standing nanoscale objects like nanocrystals, nanotubes, and nanowires and combine spectroscopic techniques, transport measurements, and advanced electron microscopy techniques to directly correlate structural and physical properties on the nanometer scale. Experimental techniques and methodologies that are being developed as a part of her research endeavor are generally applicable to any material system where interplay between nanostructure, properties, and performance becomes significant.