SID PATHAK RECEIVES NSF CAREER AWARD

Assistant Professor Sid Pathak has been selected for a 2024 National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program award for his project, “Towards a Fundamental Understanding of Interface Strain-Driven Pseudomorphic Phase Transformations in Multilayered Nanocomposites.”

The project will explore advancements to the thin film synthesis technique to obtain a fundamental understanding of the pseudomorphic phase transformation and the resultant properties of the pseudomorphic phases in a multilayered architecture. Pathak’s project will utilize a novel combination of an integrated atomic layer and a physical vapor deposition (ALD+PVD) platform that allows the microstructure of nanolaminates to be precisely tailored. This is the only lab-scale system of its kind in the U.S. capable of combining these two deposition methods without the need of ever breaking vacuum or moving substrates during deposition.