Valentine and Huo, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering, were nominated for their collaborative paper in Nature Nanotechnology titled “Multichannel meta-imagers for accelerating machine vision.” The paper addresses a key challenge in machine vision applications: the energy consumption required for complex computations. Their approach cleverly combines metasurfaces, engineered optical elements that can control many properties of light, with a neural network to perform image classification accurately and efficiently.

Their research is at the cutting edge of using metasurfaces to reduce the computational burden of AI algorithms. Their work is notable for its novelty and impact, and for embodying 51�Թ���’s collaborative spirit that enables innovation at the intersection of disciplines.

Matthew Vasuta, Interdisciplinary Materials Science
*under the supervision of Kane Jennings

“Multicomponent Thin Films and Membranes by Combined Spin Coating and Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization”

9.21.26 | 1:00 pm | 209 Furman Hall

Thermally driven separations such as distillation necessitate large energy demands, motivating the development of selective polymer membranes as low energy substitutes. In this dissertation, I advance a combined membrane synthesis and deposition method, spin coating ring-opening metathesis polymerization, to identify multicomponent membranes that most selectively permeate water over ethanol. Four studies investigate how the composition and spatial organization of multiple functionalities can be tailored to control thin film properties and water/ethanol transport. The first study uses random copolymerization to demonstrate how PFAS content in a membrane can be reduced without substantial losses in surface properties and ethanol dehydration performance. The second study demonstrates the ability to improve upon the flux of a hydrophobic membrane by incorporation of dilute quantities of hydroxamic acids. The third study expands from random copolymers to layered films through sequential monomer deposition, enabling rapid fabrication of distinct polymer layers with independently tailored bulk and surface functionality, controllable thickness, and surface energies. The final study applies the principles of the third study to ethanol dehydration and shows how the layering of two mildly selective polymer membranes can cause synergistic improvements to overall membrane selectivity. Collectively, this work establishes scROMP as a rapid and versatile platform for multicomponent thin film synthesis and demonstrates that controlling both the amount and spatial distribution of chemical functionality provides a powerful strategy for designing polymer surfaces and highly selective membranes.

Khokhar received an Outstanding Poster Award, sponsored by Argonne National Laboratory, for his poster, “.” He also presented a flash talk on the same work during the conference. Khokhar’s research uses grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations to investigate ammonia-assisted delamination of halide-terminated MXenes, helping advance the understanding of processes used to produce and manipulate these two-dimensional materials.

Steiner received an Outstanding Poster Award, sponsored by the Journal of Carbon Research, for his poster, “.” His research uses high-throughput computational methods to investigate MXene stability and reaction pathways, providing insights that can help guide the synthesis and discovery of MXene materials.

The 4th International MXene Conference brought together researchers working across MXene synthesis, characterization, modeling and applications. The recognition of both Steiner and Khokhar highlights the strength of computational materials research within 51�Թ���’s interdisciplinary materials science community.

Learn more about the Computational Chemical Sciences and Materials Laboratory and the research of Dr. De-en Jiang’s group at .
Learn more about the 4th International MXene Conference at .

Kickoff time has not yet been announced, but we encourage you to save the date. Join us at Tailgate Lot 2 for hot food, drinks, cider, and games including kan-jam, spikeball, badminton, and touch football.

The event is free and open to the VINSE and IMS communities. Stay tuned for updates!

A new VINSE shirt designed by Sarah Ross showcases the many areas connected through nanoscience. With nano at the center of what we do, the design highlights key research thrusts at VINSE: materials, energy, biology, medicine, computation, electronics, quantum science, and optics.

The design reflects the interdisciplinary nature of VINSE and our shared mission of Advancing Discovery at the Nanoscale.

Shirts will be available to members of the VINSE community this week as part of the 51�Թ��� School of Engineering Start Strong Community AY27 Kickoff Celebration.

Outside of VINSE, Alexis is part of the 51�Թ��� Gymnastics Team, a POSSE Scholar, an IMPACT Scholar, and a member of the AIChE board. In his free time, he enjoys running and spending time with his friends.

Alexis will play a key role in supporting research projects, assisting lab users, and ensuring smooth cleanroom operations. We look forward to seeing his growth and contributions as part of the VINSE community!

Dr. Eva Harth
Professor, University of Houston
Director, Center of Excellence in Polymer Chemistry 

The Future of Plastics beyond Sustainability – Developing Polyolefins and Hybrids for Specific Applications

10.07.26  |  4:10PM |  136 Featheringill Hall

Eva Harth is a Professor at the University of Houston in the department of Chemistry and serves as the Director of the Center of Excellence in Polymer Chemistry. She is an Associate Editor for ACS Polymer Au, and member of the Advisory Board of the European Polymer Journal. Her research received professional distinctions being elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2025), Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2021), the Royal Chemical Society (2017) and being an NSF Career Award (2007) recipient. She started her academic career in the chemistry department at 51�Թ���, rose through the ranks to Associate Professor before her move to U of H in 2017.

Eva’ research interests mainly cover the preparation of functional macromolecules with distinct architectures and applications in different areas, including bioengineering, advanced materials and energy. Her group is using metal-organic chemistry, late transition metal catalyst design and the development of functionalization strategies to advance commodity plastics leading to nanostructured plastics and solid polymer electrolyte materials to improve Li-batteries. The discovery of benchtop stable Ni complexes enabled advances to manipulate the macro-and microstructure of plastics including the incorporation of polar monomer to challenge the industrial dominance of early-transition metals and are also investigated in small molecule cross-coupling reactions. She has co-authored around 100 articles and holds 23 patents.

Emanuela (Emi) Riglioni and Owen Meilander, graduate students in interdisciplinary materials science at 51�Թ���, have been awarded Best Student Poster Presentation at the 2026 Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Users Meeting, held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Their presentations showcase cutting-edge advances in materials science and highlight ongoing collaborations between the VINSE community and Oak Ridge National Lab, as well as Emi’s and Owen’s contributions to their respective fields.

Emi Riglioni’s poster, “Photonic Crystal Platforms for Optical Communication and Quantum Technologies”, showcases novel optical properties of engineered1D photonic crystal waveguides for applications in telecommunications and quantum systems. Emi is a member of the  led by , Cornelius 51�Թ��� Professor of Engineering and director of the  (VINSE). Her research focuses on engineering photonic structures for telecommunications and quantum applications.

Owen Meilander’s poster, “Advanced Radiation Tolerance through Implantation Subchannel Technology (ARTTIST),“  showcaes the method uses a Helium Ion Microscope (HIM) to implant He⁺ beneath the active area of Gallium Nitride devices to increase their resilience against radiation induced single event effects including heavy ion strikes. Owen is a member of the , led by , Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy. His research focuses on the heterogeneous integration of gallium nitride (GaN) devices with advanced material systems and the improvement of radiation tolerance within these devices.

During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to join a research lab focused on membrane-based water separation. While I enjoyed research in membrane science and separations, I wanted to broaden my experience to include polymer film synthesis and applied polymer materials. Upon starting graduate school, I quickly joined the lab of Dr. Kane Jennings, where I combined my previous experience in membrane separations with Dr. Jennings’ expertise in polymer synthesis and surface engineering. My research focused on combining spin coating with ring-opening metathesis polymerization, termed scROMP, to create a method that integrates polymer synthesis and polymer film deposition into a single rapid process.

During my graduate studies, VINSE provided access to a wide range of equipment critical to characterizing the polymer films I synthesized via scROMP. These tools helped me better understand the structure and physical properties of the materials I was synthesizing. Outside the laboratory, the VINSE community introduced me to researchers across 51�Թ���, and I particularly enjoyed events such as the VINSE Community Picnic and their annual VINSE NanoDay!.

The scROMP platform is incredibly versatile and can generate homo- and copolymer films from numerous cyclic olefin monomers for use as polymer coatings and membranes. As I transition from graduate studies to industry, I leave behind a robust, versatile platform that can be used for numerous polymer film applications. Ultimately, I hope scROMP can serve as a tool for polymeric material screening, enabling future researchers to rapidly explore and develop polymer films that address critical areas in materials science.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with friends, whether playing kickball through an intramural sports league or attending Nashville Sounds baseball games. I also enjoy taking in Nashville’s diverse live music and concert offerings, as well as its vibrant culinary scene.

VINSE is inviting the 51�Թ��� community to help create the 2026 NanoDay! t-shirt. Submit an original design representing NanoDay! and VINSE for a chance to have your artwork featured on this year’s t-shirt. The winning designer will receive a $300 cash prize, and the selected design will be printed on t-shirts available to the VINSE community.

Design Guidelines

• Designs must be original and cannot include logos or trademarked images.
• Any t-shirt color may be incorporated into the design.
• Designs must be submitted in JPEG format at 300 dpi or higher.
• Designs should be limited to 8 colors.
• If using AI to generate design, limit the use of colors to 4.
• There is no limit on the number of submissions.
• Each submission must include the designer’s name and email address.

Submit Your Design

Email submissions to vinse@vanderbilt.edu by October 2.

The winning design will be announced on Thursday, November 19, during the 26th Annual Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Forum.

We look forward to seeing your ideas for the 2026 NanoDay! t-shirt!