The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is pleased to announce two new appointments to the faculty.
“I am excited to have two incredible additions join the MSE faculty this coming July, said Donald Brenner, professor and department chair. “They will enhance the department in many areas—research and mentoring in the lab, educating our students inside the classroom and out, and collaborating and forging partnerships across the University.”
Dr. Ruijuan Xu will be joining our faculty as an assistant professor. She comes to us from the Stanford University Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials (GLAM). She is interested in developing novel thin-film materials for next-generation nanomechanical, electromechanical, and magnetoelectric applications using thin-film deposition and multi-scale characterization techniques.
Dr. Xu has studied the structure-property relation and materials physics of complex oxides including dielectrics and ferroelectrics, with a focus on emergent phenomena and new functionalities arising from thin-film heterostructures and freestanding membranes. In 2018, she was awarded the GLAM Postdoctoral Fellowship from Stanford University. In 2016, she was awarded the Gareth Thomas Materials Excellence Award. Xu received her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
In her free time, Xu enjoys cooking, petting her cat, and exploring new cultures and foods.
Dr. Yin Liu will be joining our department as an assistant professor. He also joins us from Stanford University, where his research is focused on the science and technology of nanomaterials. His lab will develop advanced growth, characterization, and device fabrication methods for low dimensional (1D and 2D) materials.
Dr. Liu is particularly interested in using TEM imaging and spectroscopy in combination with optical spectroscopy to interrogate the nanoscale optoelectronic and quantum-optical properties of nanomaterials. His study will provide key knowledge enabling the development of advanced devices, including quantum optical circuits, highly efficient solar cells, neuromorphic computing, and novel valleytronic and spintronic devices. In 2019, he was a gold award recipient of the Materials Research Society Graduate Student Awards. Liu received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
In his free time, Liu enjoys swimming, hiking, watching soccer games, and cooking.
— Niki Jennings, Materials Science and Engineering