Pinshane Huang

Pinshane Huang
Pinshane Huang
Associate Director, MRL
(217) 300-2574
258 Seitz Materials Research Lab
Associate Professor, Materials Science and Eng.
(217) 300-2574
258 Seitz Materials Research Lab

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Education

  • PhD, Cornell University, Applied and Engineering Physics
  • MS, Cornell University, Applied and Engineering Physics
  • BA, Carleton College, Department of Physics (with Distinction)

Biography

Pinshane Huang is an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds a B.A. in Physics from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University. Her current research is focused around transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy of two-dimensional materials and soft-hard interfaces. Her work has produced iconic images showing how defects occur in atomically thin materials such as graphene, 2D semiconductors, and silica glass. Her awards include a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a Packard Fellowship, a Sloan Fellowship, and young investigator awards from the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. Her research has been featured in National Geographic, BusinessWeek, CBS News, Discover Magazine, and the Guinness Book of World Records.

Academic Positions

  • Associate Professor, University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2021-present
  • Associate Director, University of Illinois, Materials Research Laboratory, 2023-present
  • Ivan Racheff Faculty Scholar, University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2022-present
  • Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2015-2020
  • Affiliate Faculty, University of Illinois, Materials Research Laboratory, 2015-present

Research Statement

Our group uses transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy to understand nanomaterials and devices at the atomic scale. Using recent advances in aberration-corrected electron microscopy, we aim to image the structure, bonding, electronic, optical properties of materials with unprecedented precision—especially in 2D materials such as graphene. Studying this new class of nanomaterials offers a two-fold opportunity: first, 2D materials serve as model systems to directly correlate the structure and properties of individual atomic features. In these studies, the reduced dimensionality of 2D materials allow us to access new regimes in complex materials systems, such as the real-space, atomic-scale structure of glass.  Second, because defects, dopants, and interfaces have dramatic effects on the properties of materials that are only a single unit-cell thick, these studies allow for dramatic tuning of the properties of 2D materials. Together, this research aims to harness the incredible insights of atom-by-atom microscopy to design novel nanomaterials and devices.

Selected Articles in Journals

Teaching Honors

  • Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2024)
  • Rose Award for Teaching Excellence (2023)
  • The Grainger College of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award (2021)
  • Illinois Student Government Teaching Excellence Award (2019)
  • List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students for MSE 182: Introduction to Materials Science (2016-2022, 2024)
  • List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students for MSE 481: Electron Microscopy (2017, 2018, 2021)

Research Honors

  • Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (2021)
  • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2019)
  • Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (2018, 2019)
  • NSF CAREER Award (2019)
  • Highly Cited Researchers List 2018, Clarivate Analytics (2018)
  • Sloan Research Fellowship in Physics (2018)
  • Center for Advanced Study Fellowship, UIUC (2018)
  • Packard Fellowship, David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2017)
  • Albert Crewe Award, Microscopy Society of America (2017)
  • 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2017)
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award (2016)
  • William Nichols Findley Award for Exceptional Research, Cornell University (2013)
  • Presidential Scholarship Award, Microscopy Society of America (2012)
  • Castaing Award, Microanalysis Society (2012)

Recent Courses Taught

  • MSE 182 - Introduction to MatSE
  • MSE 481 - Electron Microscopy