Phase II CREST Center for Interface Design and Engineered Assembly of Low Dimensional Systems (IDEALS)
A National Science Foundation (NSF) program that aims to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions and effectively integrate education and research.
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Research
A diverse multidisciplinary team of researchers has come together to design and discover materials with new and enhanced functionalities that culminate from the control of the unique properties of surfaces, interfaces and defects in self-assembled nanomaterials.
The Center research activities are organized into three synergistic Subprojects, each containing three research Clusters.
Emergent Quantum Materials and Functions
Emergent Quantum Materials and Functions
Two-dimensional systems in which band topology and strong electron correlations emerge, creating new concepts, functions and quantum phenomena for the next-generation quantum technologies
Read MoreBio-inspired Re-configurable Materials to Scale
Bio-inspired Re-configurable Materials to Scale
Applications and scalability of materials with bio-inspired design that change their application-relevant properties by adapting to an external stimulus
Read MoreFrontiers of Photonic Materials, Phenomena and Devices
Frontiers of Photonic Materials, Phenomena and Devices
Emerging basic ideas, synthesis of new materials with unprecedented functionalities, salient properties of the engineered materials and design of test devices at the frontiers of Photonics
Read MoreAbout The Leadership Team
Maria Tamargo
Center Director
Maria Tamargo is a Professor of Chemistry at CCNY and is on the doctoral faculty of Chemistry, Physics and Electrical Engineering. Her research deals with molecular beam epitaxy of low dimensional layered materials and nanostructures of wide band gap semiconductors, topological insulators, and other materials. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2020).
Donna McGregor
Outreach and Education Programs co-Director
Donna McGregor is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Lehman College and is on the Chemistry doctoral faculty. Her research interests are in the fields of Chemical Education Pedagogy, the understanding of Tc-99 coordination chemistry, and the use of short peptide building blocks for the intelligent design of chelating systems and nanostructures. She is PI of the IDMinNYC REU Site.
Anthony Richardson
Center Administrator
Anthony Richardson is the IDEALS Center Administrator, responsible for coordinating the management and reporting responsibilities of the Center. He is also the Coordinator of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program supported by IDEALS.
Lia Krusin-Elbaum
Subproject 1 Director
Lia Krusin-Elbaum is a Professor of Physics at CCNY and is on the doctoral faculty of Physics. Her research deals with complex nanostructured materials, topological insulators and other novel quantum materials. She is also the IRG-I co-director of the newly awarded Columbia University-CCNY MRSEC on Precision Assembled Quantum Materials (PAQM).
Ilona Kretzschmar
Subproject 2 Director
Ilona Kretzschmar is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at CCNY's Grove School of Engineering, and is on the doctoral faculty of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. Her research is based on the study of nano and microparticles, such as Janus and Patchy particles, their directed self-assembly, and their use in energy and sensing applications. She currently serves as Chair of the Chemical Engineering department at the Grove School of Engineering.
Swapan K. Gayen
Subproject 3 Director
Swapan K. Gayen is a Professor of Physics at CCNY and is on the Physics and Electrical Engineering doctoral faculties. His research is on ultrafast lasers and spectroscopy of nanoscale materials and devices, and its combination with scanning probe techniques, to investigate the physics of novel nanostructures and their applications. He is the founder and director of the CCNY APS-IDEA chapter.