Author: Yingjie Zhang

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research

Our lab has received the 2025 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (Assistant Professor category). Thank Professor van der Zande for the nomination and thank the Grainger College of Engineering for this huge recognition!

AFM bootcamp & symposium

1st MRL Atomic Force Microscopy Bootcamp & Symposium

Organized by Yingjie Zhang (Asst. Prof. MatSE & MRL) and Kathy Walsh (Senior Research Scientist, MRL), the inaugural MRL atomic force microscopy (AFM) bootcamp & symposium will take place from Jan. 14–17, 2025! Campers will both learn the fundamental AFM theory and measurement algorithms and gain hands-on experience on AFM imaging, trouble shooting, and data analysis. In addition, attendees will discuss state-of-the-art force microscopy research through invited talks and poster presentations. All the trainings are free of charge to all the accepted attendees.

To ensure all the campers receive extensive hands-on training, the total size will be limited to no more than 14. To apply, please send a one-page proposal (pdf format) to Qian Ai (qianai2@illinois.edu) by 11:59 pm, Dec. 22, 2024. In the proposal, please specify your name, email, research group, institution, research project, how your research may benefit from a strong AFM knowledge, and what special AFM imaging modes you wish to learn. For this year, besides the general AFM topographic imaging in air, we offer additional special training on liquid-phase AFM and electrical property measurements. So please either select one from these two or opt out of the special training (occurring 8:30 am – 3 pm on Day 4). In the last paragraph of the proposal, please provide an abstract for poster presentation at the end of the bootcamp. You may present your existing research project and/or a proposed future project where AFM imaging plays a key role.

All graduate students, postdocs, and highly motivated undergraduate researchers working on AFM-related research at UIUC and nearby institutes are encouraged to apply. Prior experience on AFM is not required. However, it is preferred that your research project significantly benefits from AFM imaging. We will rarely select more than one attendee from one research group. So please make sure to obtain approval from your research advisor before you apply.

Additional details on the bootcamp & symposium are provided below.

Instructors:

Yingjie Zhang (Asst. Prof. MatSE & MRL)

Kathy Walsh (Senior Research Scientist, MRL)

Qian Ai (Zhang lab)

Lalith Bonagiri (Zhang lab)

Sean Lee (Ioannis Chasiotis lab)

Pravini Fernando (Ying Diao lab)

Miao Liu (Research Scientist, MRL)

Tentative schedule (Jan. 14 – Jan. 17, 2025)

  • Day 1: AFM fundamentals
    • 8 – 9:45 am: Lecture & discussions on AFM imaging theories (Yingjie Zhang)
    • 10 am – 11 am: Lecture & discussions on force curve simulations and practical guidelines of probe selection for different samples (Lalith Bonagiri & Qian Ai)
    • 11 – 11:30 am: Tour of the AFM labs and demo of the piezo scanning process (Kathy Walsh)
    • 1 – 6 pm: Small team experimental trainings of basic AFM operations (Kathy, Qian, Lalith, Sean, Pravini, Miao).
  • Day 2: Image optimization
    • 8:30 – 10 am: AFM imaging parameters & optimization, tip convolution and possible imaging artefacts (Kathy Walsh)
    • 10:30 – 11 am: Invited research talk by Sean Lee
    • 11 – 11:30 am: Invited research talk by Pravini Fernando
    • 1 – 6 pm: Small team experimental trainings focused on the optimization of imaging parameters (Kathy, Qian, Lalith, Sean, Pravini, Miao).
  • Day 3: data analysis
    • 8:30 – 10 am: Lecture & discussions on data analysis software and procedures (Kathy Walsh)
    • 10:30 – 11 am: Invited research talk by Lalith Bonagiri (machine learning for AFM)
    • 11 – 11:30 am: Invited research talk by Qian Ai (atomic-scale imaging in liquid)
    • 1 – 6 pm: Small team software and analysis trainings (Kathy, Qian, Lalith, Sean, Pravini, Miao).
  • Day 4: Special imaging modes
    • Group 1: liquid-phase AFM
  • 8:30 – 9:30 am: Lecture & discussions on liquid-phase AFM imaging mechanism (Yingjie Zhang)
  • 9: 30 am – 3 pm (excluding a flexible lunch break): Small team experimental trainings of liquid-phase AFM operations (Qian, Lalith)
    • Group 2: AFM electrical properties imaging
  • 8:30 – 9:30 am: Lecture & discussions on AFM imaging of electrical properties (Kathy, Pravini Fernando & Sean Lee)
  • 9:30 am – 3 pm (excluding a flexible lunch break): Small team experimental trainings of AFM measurements of electrical properties (Kathy, Sean, Pravini, Miao)
    • 3 – 5 pm (all the campers & instructors): poster presentations & discussions

-Note: poster presentation is required for each camper/trainee. The topic must be AFM related. You may present your existing research project and/or a proposed future project where AFM imaging plays a key role.

NSF Career Award

Our lab has received a National Science Foundation CAREER award! The project, titled “CAREER: Elucidating the Correlative Interfacial Solvation, Nucleation, and Growth Processes in Battery Electrolytes“, will receive $661,936 funding from NSF in the coming five years. Thank NSF for the support!

NSF STC center

Our group is part of the new NSF Science and Technology Center for Quantitative Cell Biology! Thank NSF for the support, and we look forward to working with colleagues in this uncharted territory!

Award abstract:

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2243257&HistoricalAwards=false

NSF news:

https://new.nsf.gov/news/120-million-funding-create-4-new-science-tech-centers

Beckman Institute news release:

https://beckman.illinois.edu/about/news/article/2023/09/07/bringing-cells-to-life-and-to-minecraft-30-million-nsf-grant-to-support-whole-cell-modeling-at-the-beckman-institute

ECS travel grant

Yingjie received a travel grant from the Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry Division of The Electrochemical Society to attend the 244th ECS Meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden. Thank ECS for the support!

TechnipFMC fellowship

Lalith received the TechnipFMC Fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year! Congratulations to Lalith and thank TechnipFMC for the support!