Research

Thrusts

The research thrusts within the SEEP-IT Consortium allow for a wealth of student training opportunities through the involvement of world-class faculty at our academic sites, and scientists at our DOE/NNSA national labs collaboration sites. These research training opportunities will help prepare the next generation of STEM leaders for workforce development, including from underrepresented groups, to promote basic, applied and translational research related to electronics, photonics and sensors. Our three research Thrusts involve: 1) the development of chip-scale Si integrated photonic crystals for radiation detectors in rigid formats and extending this to light-weight substrates using 2D layered materials and perovskites; 2) Critically-coupled micro- and nano-cavity designs for the fabrication of low threshold lasing enabled by Si and interfacial engineering to generate low-energy lasing with efficient charge injection; 3) advancing quantum photonics with the use of photonic crystals and 2D photonic lattices, including superlattices. In these thrusts, we study the light-matter interactions with optically-active materials, where some of these materials also require carefully controlled ambientes during processing, such as the use of a glove-box, as shown in the image, where UNT-Kaul group students are working on the synthesis of perovskites.

Undergraduates in Research

In the SEEP-IT Consortium, we engage undergraduate students in beyond-the-class experiences which is made possible through hands-on projects for selected students to conduct research on topics aligned with the research foci of SEEP-IT.

Undergraduate students at UNT, UTA and UA-PB, will be considered for summer internships locally at the respective campuses, typically for a duration of 10 weeks. Depending on mutual interest between students and their respective mentors, there is a possibility to extend these into the academic year.

These experiences are designed to help engage more students toward research and advanced degrees, broadly in the STEM disciplines, where the students also have the possibility to present their research results at important conferences.

SEEP-IT and SEEP-IT affiliated students from UAPB received awards and recognition for their research poster presentations at INBRE Conference in Nov. 2023, as shown in the first picture.

Some SEEP-IT students from UA-PB presented their research results at the poster session in the UT Arlington Photonics Workshop, organized by SEEP-IT Faculty, Prof. Weidong Zhou, which was held in February 2024, in Arlington, TX.

DOE/NNSA Labs Internships

SEEP-IT students also have opportunities to participate in 8 – 10 week long internships at DOE/NNSA National labs partnering with SEEP-IT, i.e. Argonne National Labs (ANL) and Sandia National Labs (SNL).  More details are provided below.

1. Internships at ANL: Argonne provides a multidisciplinary and engaging environment for undergraduates to participate in cutting-edge research and develop a dynamic skill set for the next stage in their careers. Find more details on the general format of the internships.
2. Internships at SNL: SNL provides students opportunities to work in a team environment alongside their mentors who are part of the SEEP-IT consortium. Professional development and social activities supplement the research related activities, which allow students to develop holistic skills for an even more rewarding experience. Find more details on the general format of the internships.

Graduate Students in Research

The Ph.D. and M.S. students engaged in research under the guidance of SEEP-IT affiliated faculty are provided the highest quality graduate instruction and training, including the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM. Our Consortium serves an important educational need to train graduate students to conduct interdisciplinary research related to electronics, photonics and sensing. The students publish their work in peer-reviewed journals, through guidance from their respective mentors and they also present their work at important national meetings hosted by professional societies. The image is an example of students who are part of the SEEP-IT Consortium and those affiliated with it, where the students were recognized with 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place awards for their poster presentations, at the IEEE MetroCon Conf. held in Fort Worth, Texas, in Nov. 2023.

If you are interested in considering opportunities to pursue graduate studies within this SEEP-IT Consortium and you are a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, please feel free to consult with any of the faculty listed under the “Technical Team” tab at this site.