Alumni

Postdoctoral Fellows

Graduate Students

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Lyubov Titova

Principal Investigator

ltitova

Professor of Physics with affiliate appointment in the Department of Chemical Engineering - Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2024 - present)

Associate Professor of Physics with affiliate appointment in the Department of Chemical Engineering - Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2019 - present)

Assistant Professor of Physics - Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2014 - 2019)

Research Associate - Ultrafast Nanotools Lab, University of Alberta (2010-2014)

Avadh Bhatia Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Alberta, Canada (2007-2010)

Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Cincinnati (2005-2007)

Ph.D. (Physics) - University of Notre Dame (2005)

Email Lyubov Titova

Melina Welch

Erika Colin Ulloa

erika

PhD in Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2024

MS in Optics, the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, Mexico - 2019

Ryan Hanna

WPI Physics BS/MS, Chemistry BS - 2022

Projects: Ryan is working on MXene DFT calculations in collaboration with Deskins Lab at ChemEng, and on MXene surface chemistry in collaboration with Grimm Lab at Chem & Biochem. He is also writing a Python code for analyzing THz TDS images taken with Toptica TeraFlash. He is also a double major (physics/chemistry) and a grader for Physics Department. We all suspect he has a Time-Turner in his possession.

Teng Shi

Dr. Teng Shi was a Postdoc Fellow in our lab from 11/2018 to 11/2020.

She is currently a Research Associate at Los Alamos National Lab.

Publications at WPI:

"Photoexcited Free Carrier Dynamics in Bi₂Se₃, (Bi_0.75In_0.25)₂Se₃, and (Bi_0.50In_0.50)₂Se₃: From Topological to Band Insulator," Teng Shi, Kateryna Kushnir, Zhengtianye Wang, Stephanie Law, Lyubov V. Titova, ACS Photonics 7, 2778–2786 (2020).

"Two-Dimensional MXenes Mo₂Ti₂C₃T_z and Mo₂TiC₂T_z: Microscopic Conductivity and Dynamics of Photoexcited Carriers," Guangjiang Li, Varun Natu, Teng Shi, Michel W. Barsoum, Lyubov V. Titova, ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 3, 1530–1539 (2020).

Alexis Buzzell

Undrgraduate Research Assistant

Clare Boothe Luce Fellow - 2018-2019

MS candidate in Mechanical Engineering (WPI)

Benjamin Dringoli

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Ben graduated in 2017 and received a Goddard Award for his MQP (senior thesis).
He is now a PhD student in Cooke Lab at McGill University in Montreal, Canada

“Ultrafast carrier dynamics in BiVO₄ thin film photoanode material: interplay between free carriers, trapped carriers and low-frequency lattice vibrations,” K.T. Butler, B.J. Dringoli, L. Zhou, P.M. Rao, A. Walsh, and L.V. Titova, J. Mater. Chemistry A, 4, 18516 (2016).

Patrick Fitzgerald

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Patrick graduated in 2018 and received Salisbury Award.

“Ultrafast Zero-bias Photocurrent in GeS Nanosheets: Promise for Photovoltaics,” K. Kushnir, M. Wang, P.D. Fitzgerald, K.J. Koski, L.V. Titova, ACS Energy Lett. 2, 1429 (2017).

Andrew Mendizabal

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Andrew did his MQP work on BiI3 photoluminescence. He graduated with an MS in September 2020.

Taylor Trottier

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Taylor has worked in our lab in 2017-18. He is currently an MS candidate in Mechanical Engineering (WPI)

Erin Morissette

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Erin&Katy

Best poster award - Optical Terahertz Science and Technology conference in Santa Fe, NM, 2019, awarded by A. Roelofs, Director of Center for Integrative Nanotechnologies at Sandia National Labs

Best poster award nominee - Materials Research Society Meeting, Boston, MA (2017)

Clare Boothe Luce Fellow - 2017-2019

Erin has started a PhD program in Physics at Brown University in Fall of 2019.

Guangjiang Li

PhD in Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA (2021)

MS in Physics, University of Science and Technology of China

BS in Physics, Shanxi Datong University, China

Project: Carrier dynamics and microscopic conductivity in 2D nanomaterials (MXenes) and energy materials; nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy

Awards:

WPI Global Research Award - Summer 2018 (Max Plank Institute for Polymer Science, Mainz, Germany, host - Prof. Dmitry Turchinovich)

WPI Graduate Student Travel Award – 2019

Publications at WPI:

1.(Inside cover) "Terahertz Polarizers Based on 2D Ti₃C₂T_z MXene: Spin Cast from Aqueous Suspensions," Guangjiang Li, K. Montazeri, M.K. Ismail, M.W. Barsoum, B. Nabet, L.V. Titova, Advanced Photonics Research 1, 2000084 (2020).

2. "Synthesis and Optoelectronic Properties of a Promising Quaternary Metal Oxide Light Absorber CuBiW2O8," L. Zhou, E. Bainglass, M. Masroor, B. Giri, G. li, A. D. Carl, R. Grimm, L. Titova, M. N. Huda and P. M. Rao, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/D0TA07653H

3. “Two-dimensional Mxenes Mo2Ti2C3Tz and Mo2TiC2Tz: microscopic conductivity and dynamics of photoexcited carriers,” G. Li, V. Natu, T. Shi, M.W. Barsoum, L.V. Titova, ACS Appl. Energy Mater. (2020).
4. “Dynamical Control over Terahertz Electromagnetic Interference Shielding with 2D Ti3C2Ty MXene by Ultrafast Optical Pulses,” G. Li, N. Amer, H.A. Hafez, S. Huang, D. Turchinovich, V.N. Mochalin, F.A. Hegmann, L.V. Titova, Nano Lett. 20, 1, 636-643 (2020).

5. "Ultrafast Zero-bias Surface Photocurrent in Germanium Selenide: Promise for Terahertz Devices and Photovoltaics," K. Kushnir, Y. Qin, Y. Shen, G. Li, B.M. Fregoso, S. Tongay, L.V. Titova, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 5492 (2019).

6. “Equilibrium and non-equilibrium free carrier dynamics in two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXenes: THz spectroscopy study,” G. Li**, K. Kushnir**, Y. Dong, S. Chertopalov, A.M. Rao, V.N. Mochalin, R. Podila and L.V. Titova, 2D Materials 5, 035043 (2018)

Email Guangjiang Li

Kateryna Kushnir

Assistant Teaching Professor

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PhD in Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2021

MS in Theoretical Physics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine

BS in Theoretical Physics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine

Awards:

WPI Global Research Award - Summer 2019 (McGill University, Montreal, Canada, host - Prof. David Cooke)

WPI Graduate Student Travel Award – 2017, 2018, 2019

2018 Department of Physics Outstanding Mentor Award

Publications at WPI:

1."Photoexcited Free Carrier Dynamics in Bi₂Se₃, (Bi_0.75In_0.25)₂Se₃, and (Bi_0.50In_0.50)₂Se₃: From Topological to Band Insulator," Teng Shi, Kateryna Kushnir, Zhengtianye Wang, Stephanie Law, Lyubov V. Titova, ACS Photonics 7, 2778–2786 (2020).

2. “Balancing Light Absorption and Charge Transport in Vertical SnS2 Nanoflake Photoanodes with Stepped Layers and Large Intrinsic Mobility,”B. Giri, M. Masroor, T. Yan, K. Kushnir, A.D. Carl, C. Doiron, H. Zhang, Y Zhao, A. McClelland, G.A. Tompsett, D. Wang, R.L. Grimm, L.V. Titova, P.M. Rao, Advanced Energy Materials 1901236 (2019).

3. "Ultrafast Zero-bias Surface Photocurrent in Germanium Selenide: Promise for Terahertz Devices and Photovoltaics," K. Kushnir, Y. Qin, Y. Shen, G. Li, B.M. Fregoso, S. Tongay, L.V. Titova, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 5492 (2019).

4. “Equilibrium and non-equilibrium free carrier dynamics in two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXenes: THz spectroscopy study,” G. Li, K. Kushnir, Y. Dong, S. Chertopalov, A.M. Rao, V.N. Mochalin, R. Podila and L.V. Titova, 2D Materials 5, 035043 (2018)

5. “Dynamics of Photoexcited Carriers in Polycrystalline PbS and at PbS/ZnO Heterojunctions: Influence of Grain Boundaries and Interfaces,” K. Kushnir, K. Chen, L. Zhou, B. Giri, R. Grimm, P.M. Rao, and L.V. Titova, J. Phys. Chem. C 122, 11682 (2018)

6. “Ultrafast Zero-bias Photocurrent in GeS Nanosheets: Promise for Photovoltaics,” K. Kushnir, M. Wang, P.D. Fitzgerald, K.J. Koski, L.V. Titova, ACS Energy Lett. 2, 1429 (2017).

7. “Enhancing the Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of Solution-Deposited Bi2S3 Thin Films by Annealing in Sulfur Vapor at Elevated Temperature,” Z. Zhu, S.K. Iyemperumal, K. Kushnir, A.D. Carl, L. Zhou, D. Brodeur, R. Grimm, L.V. Titova, N.A. Deskins, P.M. Rao, Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 1, 2134 (2017)

Email Kateryna Kushnir

Caroline Jaeger

Luce Fellow, 2020 caroline