Prashant Ramesh is living out his childhood dreams.

As a kid, Ramesh devoured books about modern physics and idolized Albert Einstein. He took piano lessons and singing lessons and listened to classic rock with his father. 

Today, as a doctoral student in the University of Delaware Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ramesh uses the principles of modern physics to study quantum dots, tiny nanoscale semiconductors that could someday enable faster computing, more precise medical imaging technologies and more. Outside the lab, he plays guitar in a band composed of fellow engineering students. 

For his well-rounded contributions to the College of Engineering and his potential to make an impact on the world, Ramesh was selected as the 2020 winner of the Laird Fellowship, an annual award that helps one first-year engineering graduate student at the University of Delaware pursue interests beyond his or her field of study. 

From the lab to the stage

Ramesh does cutting-edge research in UD’s Nanofabrication Facility, which features a cleanroom environment where scientists can make tiny devices smaller than the width of a human hair. Ramesh is co-advised by Matt Doty, professor of materials science and engineering, physics, and electrical and computer engineering, and Joshua Zide, professor of materials science and engineering. 

Ramesh’s research intrigues him deeply, harkening back to his early days of reading biographies of famous physicists. “On a very practical side, being in the cleanroom is a lot of fun,” he said. “I like tinkering with things, working with equipment and getting things to work a certain way, and so this is just that at an extremely cutting-edge level. On the more theoretical side, I've always been really curious about quantum physics, and it's just so interesting how things at a small scale diverge from all properties that we see at a macro scale.”

The researchers are using a technique called molecular beam epitaxy, which allows you to deposit materials in very thin (atomic scale) layers to create semiconductor devices. Another graduate student primarily grows the materials, and Ramesh fabricates devices and does optical characterization — using lasers and other components to examine the material’s properties.

UD’s resources in this area drew Ramesh to Delaware. He did undergraduate research in quantum materials at Penn and has industry experience working on novel solar devices. “I was looking for schools that had invested a lot into nanotech and fabrication, because I knew that I wanted to do that kind of work, so I searched for schools that have really nice, robust nanofabrication and characterization centers,” he said. 

Another thing Ramesh wanted to pursue? His passion for music.  

“Music has been a big part of my life, but in very different ways throughout different phases of my life,” said Ramesh.