Trained in Engineering, Fluent in Acronyms
Team members
Prof. Dr. Seth Ariel Tongay
Research Director of School of Engineering for Matter, Transport, and Energy
Lamonte H. Lawrence Professor in Solid State Science & Navrotsky Professor of Materials Research
He has published over 400 journal articles in top-tier journals and holds an h-index of 93. According to Google Scholar, he is ranked #1 in thin film growth, #3 in epitaxy, and among the top 20 globally in 2D materials. He has been named a Highly Cited Researcher for seven consecutive years (2019-2025) and has received numerous prestigious honors, including Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Institute of Physics, the Presidential PECASE Award, the NSF CAREER Award, the Ten Outstanding Young Person Award, and the Jewish National Fund Award.
Professor Tongay also plays a leading role in large-scale academic-industry partnerships and currently serves as one of the Research Directors at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He is deeply involved in the Applied Materials-ASU university engagement, driving collaborative innovation in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced materials research. CV here
Experienced Scientists in Our Team
Dr. Yunbo Ou
Research Director
Solves atomic problems at work, solves LEGO problems at home
Dr. Jan Kopaczek
Postdoctoral Researcher Bends light and expectations
Laboratory Manager
Fred Pena
Laboratory Manager The Glue That Holds It All Together
Ph.D. Scholars in Action
Patrick Hays
Ph.D. student
Microscopy: Sees what others can’t
Renee Sailus
Ph.D. student
CVD of thin film semiconductors and TMDC Janus synthesis
Blake Povilus
Ph.D. student
Optics: Catches photons like most people cathc typos
Mukesh Kumar
Ph.D. student
Magnetism and alloying expert
Melike Erdi
Ph.D. student
CVD and crystal growth: Atomic architect designing order in the chaos of heat
Ethan Swonger
Ph.D. student
Stress liners: Stress liner negotiator by day, microscope whisperer by night
Aixin Zhang
Ph.D student
Giovanna “G” Campisi
Ph.D. student
New student: Training to tame van der Waals forces and coffee cravings
Dohee Kim
Ph.D Student
Expert in the making
Talia Spolansky
Ph.D. Student
Victoria de Almeida Garcia
Ph.D. Student
Masters Students Advancing Discovery
Blaise Faser
Undergraduate, 4+1 master student hybrid
Entrepreneur at heart, scientist by trainingUndergrads – Rising Stars of the Lab
Evie Henry
Undergraduate student
Not officially full-time, but it sure feels like it
Giancarlo Cortes Bugarini
Undergraduate student
Exceptionally curious and dangerously smart: Ask him anything
Soleil Sanchez
Undergraduate student
Creative thinker with the energy to make things real
Nur Khan
Undergraduate student
Smart, focused, and quietly reshaping what’s possible
Akshat Lokesh Jain
Undergraduate student
Focused on 2D synthesis through Reverse Flow CVD
Jacob McCombs-Zepeda
Undergraduate student
Ke-Yi Hu
Undergraduate student
Brynn Faser
Undergraduate student
