Team Members
Group Leader
Prosper Ngabonziza
Assistant Professor of Physics – Louisiana State University (2022~)
Ph.D., 2016 – The University of Twente, The Netherlands
225-578-0640-Office pngabonziza [at] lsu [dot] edu
Resume
Prosper Ngabonziza is an Assistant Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy of the Louisiana State University. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree (BSc. in Physics) from the University of Rwanda (former National University of Rwanda), he completed with cum laude, in 2010, a postgraduate diploma in mathematical sciences at African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), under the University of Cape Town in South Africa. In 2012, he completed a Master’s degree with cum laude in experimental physics from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He received in 2013 the S2A3 Bronze Medal awarded by the Southern Africa association for advancement of science to the best student who did a most meritorious master dissertation in a science department in South Africa. In 2016, he completed a PhD in engineering physics from the University of Twente, in The Netherlands. His PhD project was on topological insulators (TIs). He was combining thin film growth, characterizations and quantum transport studies of TIs. From October 2016, he was a Postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart-Germany, in the department of solid-state quantum electronics. His research at Max Planck focused on quantum matter heterostructures fabricated from complex oxides with the goal to explore novel phenomena in devices fabricated from such heterostructures. After 6 years at Max Planck Institute, he joined the faculty at the Louisiana State University in 2022.
Senior Postdoc Researcher
Dr. Arnaud P Nono Tchiomo
Resume
My field of interest includes condensed matter physics, with a focus on materials science. I have a particular love for the understanding of the behavior of materials, as well as the optimization of their functional properties which can lead to their integration in various modern optoelectronics and transparent electronic devices. I am a proficient and independent lab experimentalist, experienced in the growth of oxide thin films using pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and applying a suite of characterization of the physical properties of these systems. During my PhD research project, I prepared epitaxial thin films of La-doped BaSnO3, a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) with the perovskite structure, which can be integrated in high-speed and multi-functional transparent devices due to its high room temperature electron mobility.
I am also experienced in analyzing highly complex multidimensional datasets characterizing ultrafast processes. This experience comes from my previous postdoc job where I was exposed to advanced fundamental research related to the understanding of the underlying physics of the insulator-to-metal phase transition observed in the strongly correlated VO2 material. The ultrafast data originated from time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments on thin films of VO2 grown using PLD; and these were collected to disentangle the electron correlations (Mott-Hubbard) and the electron lattice interaction (Peierls) mechanisms associated with the phase changes.
Postdoc Researcher
Dr. Tulja Bhavani Korukonda
Resume
My passion lies in renewable energy, with a particular focus on the materials and device physics of solar cells. This made me pursue a Master’s in Green Energy Technology (Pondicherry University) and a PhD in Energy Science and Engineering (from IIT-Delhi). At the Quantum Heterostructures and Device Physics Lab at LSU, my research is centered on developing stable perovskite inks for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells. I specialize in large-area coating methods such as roll-to-roll processing, blade coating, and slot-die techniques to create cost-effective and scalable solutions for perovskite solar cell manufacturing. My overarching goal is to contribute to clean and affordable electrification through my engineering and research expertise.
In my free time, I enjoy traveling, trekking, and volunteering for organizations that support animal welfare and sustainability.
PhD Candidate
Sethulakshmi Sajeev
I am working on a scientific research project on ruthenates. In particular, we make thin film samples of Sr3Ru2O7 and Sr4Ru3O10 materials by using either Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) or Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) epitaxial growth methods. Thereafter, we characterize these thin film samples by using both in-situ and ex-situ tools (e.g., in-situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy: XPS and angle resolve photoemission spectroscopy: ARPES, in-situ Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), as well as ex-situ x-ray diffraction: XRD). Thereafter we perform magnetic and magnetotransport studies of these thin film samples and then we fabricate thin-film-devices from these thin films.
The scientific research goals of this PhD project are to probe the complex interplay between the charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom in thin film and device samples, and to explore their unique magnetic/electronic properties.