Maria Huffman, director of the Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF), has stepped down to take on new challenges as the director of the Swedish Chips Competence Center (SCCC). Darick Baker, who has served as the engineering and business development manager, has been named acting director.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems (NanoES) awarded Electrical & Computer Engineering Ph.D. student Nicholas Yama its 2025 Student Achievement Award. Yama was recognized at the NanoES Symposium on May 8.
The UW Institute for Nano-engineered Systems (NanoES) has awarded four seed grants to UW researchers to use nanotechnology tools to develop new, innovative technologies and devices. Leo Brody, a postdoctoral scholar in chemical engineering; Mo Chen, an assistant professor in materials science and engineering; Ji Feng, a research scientist in mechanical engineering, and Quansan Yang, an assistant professor in materials science and engineering, will receive up to $10,000 to carry out work in UW’s Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF) and the Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF). The WNF and MAF are key nanotechnology facilities in the Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure, one of 16 sites in the NSF’s National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) program.
Four years ago, as an Engineering Dean’s Scholar, Jimmy Phan was listening to a lecture from the College of Engineering’s associate dean, Dan Ratner. Ratner told Phan’s cohort about the Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF), an open-access nanofabrication facility at the UW, and the opportunities for undergraduates to work there.
Imagine a building material that becomes stronger when stress is applied. Imagine being able to produce medications on demand, anywhere, with a 3D printer. Imagine biodegradable plastics with the same durability — but more adaptability — than their petroleum-based counterparts.
Step inside the Washington Nanofabrication Facility, where tiny tech is transforming research in quantum, chips, medicine and more.
Matthew Yankowitz, assistant professor of physics in the College of Arts & Sciences and of materials science and engineering in the College of Engineering, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the most prestigious award given by the NSF in support of junior faculty members who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent teaching, and the integration of education and research. The five-year award will provide $650,000 of funding to support Yankowitz’s research.
March 3, 2025
Superconductors and magnets are already in wide use today — from magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scanners that look deep inside the body to gamma ray detectors of clandestine nuclear material to bolometers used in x-ray astronomy. They have been implemented in medical, military, security, and power applications as well as quantum computing and sensing. Because Eley’s research contributes to expanding fundamental knowledge about superconductivity and magnetism, her work could contribute to advancing technology in all of these areas.
Xiaodong Xu, professor of physics in the College of Arts & Sciences and of material sciences and engineering in the College of Engineering, was awarded the NAS Award for Scientific Discovery.
Feb. 11, 2025
Collaboration can be a beautiful thing, especially when people work together to create something new. Take, for example, a longstanding collaboration between Arka Majumdar, a UW professor in electrical and computer engineering and physics, and Felix Heide, an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University. Together, they and their students have produced some eye-popping and groundbreaking research, including shrinking a camera down to the size of a grain of salt while still capturing crisp, clear images.