2022 updates
MRS Spring 2022 - in-person meeting after a very long time! Will, Jorge and Michael gave talks and Arya presented a poster. Fun was also had outside the conference.
2021 updates
Imran has completed his PhD. His thesis 'Tuning far-field light-matter interactions using three dimensional plasmonic meta-structures' is submitted and we said goodbye with a group lunch, in our favorite Five Ten. He is off to Portland! Good luck Dr. Khan.
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From Earth to Space and Back Again: NASA sent up lab member William Delmas' perovskite samples on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 13 flight. Now they are back at UC Merced for post-flight characterization .
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![]() Calista Lum is showcased in Estudiantes de UC Merced tienen la oportunidad de investigar y trabajar con la NASA.
Tres jóvenes de origen mexicano participan en programa de la NASA en el Valle Central See the video here of Lab member Jorge Arteaga being interviewed by Univision |
2020 updates

Boe Mendewala is one of the campus GladSlam finalists! Her presentation is titled “The Solar Solution: Upgrading Energy" Technology”
2019 updates
William Delmas has won a UC-National Lab In-Residence Graduate Fellowship, one of six. He will split his time between here and LLNL for the next two years.
Star Student and NASA Standout Preparing for a Stellar Future: Article about MACES undergrad and group member Calista Lum. Calista spent this summer at the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia, exploring questions about nanomaterials that could shield space suits, ships and habitats from solar radiation. Her work and productivity were so notably good this summer, NASA invited her to stay and is paying her way for the year.
In a similar vein, Physicist Found His Path to the Future at UC Merced is an article about group alum Denzal Martin, also a former MACES fellow and current PHD student at Stanford. |

UC Merced, NASA working to develop spray-on solar cells to be used in space (reported on KFSN-TV)
UC Merced Reaches for Stars with Solar Cells: Article about Professors Sayantani Ghosh and David Strubbe and their students in the Department of Physics who are working on a NASA initiative to fabricate solar cells in space and turn sunlight into electricity.
Physicist Researching Materials Chemistry to Build Better Solar Cells: Article highlighting Perovskite research by Prof. David Strubbe
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2019/uc-merced-reaches-stars-solar-cells
Defense!
Katerina Nikolaidou has successfully defended her thesis on 08/02/2019, followed by Som Sarang on 08/07/2019. Congratulations, Drs. Nikolaidou and Sarang. We will all miss you both very much.
Mark Bartolo will be a CCBM graduate fellow in Fall; William Delmas and Michael Leville will be MACES fellows in Fall; Albert Dibenedetto will be a MACES fellow in Spring 2020 along with Michael. Calista Lum, MACES undergraduate scholar, is staying on for a year at NASA Langley.
Boe Mendewala gave an invited talk at Optics & Laser 2019 in San Francisco.
William Delmas is headed to NASA Glenn for the summer, with a short break to attend HOPE at NREL for a week.
Congratulations to Brenda Yu heading to graduate school in Fall (Stanford, Biophysics).
UC Merced Reaches for Stars with Solar Cells: Article about Professors Sayantani Ghosh and David Strubbe and their students in the Department of Physics who are working on a NASA initiative to fabricate solar cells in space and turn sunlight into electricity.
Physicist Researching Materials Chemistry to Build Better Solar Cells: Article highlighting Perovskite research by Prof. David Strubbe
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2019/uc-merced-reaches-stars-solar-cells
Defense!
Katerina Nikolaidou has successfully defended her thesis on 08/02/2019, followed by Som Sarang on 08/07/2019. Congratulations, Drs. Nikolaidou and Sarang. We will all miss you both very much.
Mark Bartolo will be a CCBM graduate fellow in Fall; William Delmas and Michael Leville will be MACES fellows in Fall; Albert Dibenedetto will be a MACES fellow in Spring 2020 along with Michael. Calista Lum, MACES undergraduate scholar, is staying on for a year at NASA Langley.
Boe Mendewala gave an invited talk at Optics & Laser 2019 in San Francisco.
William Delmas is headed to NASA Glenn for the summer, with a short break to attend HOPE at NREL for a week.
Congratulations to Brenda Yu heading to graduate school in Fall (Stanford, Biophysics).
2018 updates
Brenda Yu (CCBM) and Calista Lum (MACES) join the group as undergraduate research fellows funded through CCBM and MACES research centers.
Som, Kat and Will attend the Fall MRS 2018 in Boston.
William Delmas awarded MACES graduate fellowship for 2018-2019; Albert Dibenedetto awarded MACES fellowship for Spring 2019.
Summer plans: Som Sarang and Katerina Nikolaidou will be MACES fellows over summer 2018. Boe Mendewala is a Physics Graduate Fellow. William Delmas is headed to NASA Langley.
Our undergrad researchers are all headed to grad school: congratulations to Denzal Martin (Stanford, Physics), Jacob Parker (WSU, Physics) and Maeve O'Brien (UC Irvine, MSE)
Som Sarang wins the Dean's Distinguished Scholar Fellowship for Spring 2018.
Som, Kat and Will attend the Fall MRS 2018 in Boston.
William Delmas awarded MACES graduate fellowship for 2018-2019; Albert Dibenedetto awarded MACES fellowship for Spring 2019.
Summer plans: Som Sarang and Katerina Nikolaidou will be MACES fellows over summer 2018. Boe Mendewala is a Physics Graduate Fellow. William Delmas is headed to NASA Langley.
Our undergrad researchers are all headed to grad school: congratulations to Denzal Martin (Stanford, Physics), Jacob Parker (WSU, Physics) and Maeve O'Brien (UC Irvine, MSE)
Som Sarang wins the Dean's Distinguished Scholar Fellowship for Spring 2018.
2017 updates
Defense!
Makiko Quint successfully defended her thesis on 11/30/17. Congratulations, Dr. Quint.
Makiko Quint successfully defended her thesis on 11/30/17. Congratulations, Dr. Quint.
NSF Grant Brings Powerful New Microscope to Campus: UC Merced added a powerful new tool to the campus’s Imaging and Microscopy Facility, led by Profs. Anand Subramaniam, Teamrat Ghezzehei, and Sayantani Ghosh

HOPE Workshop at NREL. Hear more about our experience here: NREL HOPE
Three group members win prestigious fellowships!
- Graduate student Kat Nikolaidou is the winner of Southern California Edison Fellowship for spring 2017.
- Graduate student Som Sarang is the winner of Southern California Edison Fellowship for summer 2017.
- Graduate student Makiko Quint is the winner of the Physics Graduate Dissertation Fellowship for summer 2017.

(L-R): Vincent Tung, Som Sarang, and Sai Ghosh.
News article about the three papers we published last year that earned the covers of Advanced Materials Interfaces and PCCP journals. Our interdisciplinary collaboration demonstrates work that could change the way perovskite solar cells are produced.
News article about the three papers we published last year that earned the covers of Advanced Materials Interfaces and PCCP journals. Our interdisciplinary collaboration demonstrates work that could change the way perovskite solar cells are produced.
2016 updates

Makiko Quint and Mark Bartolo have been selected for the 2016 CCBM Scholarships. This is the first graduate cohort of the brand new center.
CCBM Center established at UC Merced.
A new NSF center has been established on campus. This Center for cellular and Biomolecular Machines beings together faculty from multiple disciplines, including Physics, Chemistry, Bioengineering and Quantitative Systems Biology develop an interdisciplinary approach cutting across scientific and engineering methodologies to pursue a fundamental understanding of the structure, dynamics and functioning of multi-scale biomolecular and cellular assemblies |

Group member Matt Wilson won the Outstanding Undergraduate award from Physics, 2016. This was Matt's second time winning this award in succession. Wishing him all the best for a very successful graduate career in UC Riverside!
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- Denzal Martin gave his annual MACES undergraduate research presentation today. He is on his way to a NASA Langley for a summer internship after which he will return to lab and resume his project.
- MRS Spring - Jussi and Kat at their posters; the group pictured on MRS website (Som, Boe and Kat, with Vincent Tung)
- SPIE Photonics West conference - Jussi Amaral and Som Sarang were selected to give talks. Read about Som's presentation here.
2015 and earlier
- Elementary school outreach begins!
- STEM Outreach Activity at CSU Stanislaus
- Our Lab Hosts Mariposa High School Visit
- Nanomaterials exploring new frontiers (new NSF and UC MEXUS grants)
- MACES established as part of $5 million NASA MIRO award to UC Merced
- Makiko Quint wins the Faculty Mentor fellowship for 2014-2015
- Jussi Amaral wins the Presidential Dissertation fellowship for 2014-2015
- John Parades wins the Helen Quinn Award for the best oral presentation in Undergraduate theory/computational research at the APS FWS conference in Reno (2014).
- Jacky Wan wins the Grossman Award for Undergraduate Research in Physics (2014)
- Andrea Rodarte wins the Presidential Dissertation Year Fellowship for 2013-2014
- Jussi Amaral wins the Dean's Distinguished Graduate Fellowship for spring 2014
- Andrea Rodarte wins the Faculty Mentor Fellowship for 2012-2013
- Andrea Rodarte wins second place for the Margaret Burbidge Award (Best Experimental Research) at the CA APS 2012.
- Michael Tennenbaum wins the Grossman Award for Undergraduate Research in Physics (2012)
- Impact: Solar Concentrators to Improve Efficiency of Solar Panels
- Cylindrical Luminescent Concentrators Show Lower Self-Absorption Rate (Solar Novus Today, Sandra Henderson)
- Researchers at UC Merced have made an important breakthrough in solar energy KSEE NBC 24
- UC Merced professor, students test alternatives to solar roof panels (Merced Sun Star, YESENIA AMARO)
- Cylindrical Luminescent Solar Concentrators with Quantum Dots Demonstrate High Efficiency(AzoNano.com)
- Researchers boost solar concentrator efficiency (University of California - UC News)
- Andrea Rodarte wins Margaret Burbidge Award (Best Experimental Research) at the CA APS 2011
- Cylindrical luminescent solar concentrators are more efficient if they’re hollow (Laser Focus World)
- Extreme Science Forges Path for Breakthroughs (UC Merced Feature)
- PV innovations on the leading edge for 2010 (Renewable Energy Focus Magazine, November/December 2009)
- Shrinky dink Wrinkles: Cover Story (Advanced Materials)
- UC Merced Newsletter (FOOTPRINTS)