Unexpected Pairings Week 4: Materials
February 14, 2026
001 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
"Building quantum materials from atoms and light"
Presented by Bryce Gadway, professor of physics
Developed in the early 1900s, quantum mechanics has been one of the most successful theories in modern science, allowing us to understand the properties of natural "materials" such as atoms and molecules and helping scientists and engineers develop the materials underlying modern electronics. Some of the most exotic features of quantum mechanics, such as the superposition principle and quantum entanglement, are also central to the exciting applications envisioned for a new class of "quantum materials" being developed for quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum sensing, and quantum communication. Gadway will describe some of the excitement surrounding the worldwide efforts to build these "materials," and some efforts in his lab to discover new and exotic phenomena using quantum simulators based on atoms and light.
Speaker Bio:
Bryce Gadway, professor of physics at Penn State, specializes in experimental atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics. He earned a bachelor’s degree in astronomy-physics at Colgate University in 2007, working on table-top quantum optics experiments. He earned a doctoral degree in physics at Stony Brook University in 2012, working on ultracold quantum gases. From 2012 to 2014, Gadway was a National Research Council postdoctoral research fellow at JILA in Boulder, CO studying dipolar interactions in arrays of ultracold molecules. He started his own research group at the University of Illinois in 2014 and later joined Penn State in 2023. His research group specializes in developing new experimental techniques for ultracold atoms and Rydberg atom arrays, using these systems to explore novel transport behavior and collective phenomena. His group's work has been recognized with a Young Investigator Program award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and an Experimental Physics Investigator Fellowship from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
"Utilizing Electron Microscopy to Reveal the Atomic Frontier"
Presented by Danielle Hickey, assistant professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering
The properties of materials are governed by their atomic structures, which can uniquely be determined using microscopes that irradiate materials with electrons instead of light. These electron microscopes are essential for discovering atomic structures, including the distortions and defects that often control materials’ functionality. In contrast to telescopes that can image the details of galaxies that are very large and very far away, electron microscopes can probe the atomic arrangements in tiny nanomaterials right under our noses. Recent advances in the fields of electron microscopy and nanoscience have revolutionized our ability to understand and control the structures of low-dimensional materials. This presentation will explore these topics and how big-data techniques are opening the door to new ways to ask questions and understand the materials that make up the world around us.
Speaker Bio:
Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey is an assistant professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering at Penn State. After completing her bachelor’s degree at Duke University, she earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, where she researched semiconductor nanocrystal synthesis and characterization. She subsequently performed postdoctoral research in the department of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Minnesota, where she used aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy to investigate the atomic structures of topological insulators and other functional materials. In addition, she has performed research in several countries, including on a Fulbright grant, as well as in other academic and industrial settings. Her research group is currently investigating the atomic structures of nanomaterials, two-dimensional materials, and emerging materials for applications in electronics, energy, and health.