Dr. Shreyas Shah, a postdoc working with NanoES Director Karl Böhringer and Professor Arka Majumdar on an integrated photonics project, has been selected for a 2018-19 Mistletoe Research Fellowship. The Mistletoe Research Foundation, founded in 2017, builds bridges between the academic, entrepreneurial, and civil communities to create a more human-centered and sustainable future through technology. The $10,000 award, in the form of an Unfettered Research Grant, may be applied to almost any university-approved research-related activity during the 2018-2019 academic year.
In a letter to awardees, Mistletoe wrote, “It is our belief that unfettered research—without pre-negotiated deliverables—is necessary to produce the kinds of scientific and technological advances with the potential to change the world.”
Shah plans to research the integration of nanoengineered optical surfaces (metasurfaces) with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Optical tunability enabled by MEMS actuators can be used in devices such as lenses for novel, compact display systems used in AR/VR applications.
The Fellowship also includes an opportunity to engage in scientific and entrepreneurial collaboration with a frontier tech startup. This summer, Shah will attend a workshop in Singapore with potential partners in the field of Autonomy and Mobility.
Congratulations, Shreyas!