Neil Dasgupta

Neil P. Dasgupta is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan and a Faculty Affiliate of the Michigan Energy Institute and the Applied Physics Program. He is the faculty advisor of the UM Solar Car Team. The Dasgupta research group (http://dasgupta.engin.umich.edu/) performs research at the intersection of nanotechnology, energy science, and manufacturing. Our goal is to develop scalable, low-cost techniques for the synthesis and assembly of nanostructures to address complex energy-related environmental challenges. Example applications include solar photovoltaics, artificial photosynthesis, catalysts, and batteries.

Our research is highly interdisciplinary, drawing from influences in mechanical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, physics and chemistry. We use a variety of tools for top-down and bottom-up materials synthesis, including atomic layer deposition (ALD), vapor-phase and solution-based nanowire growth, self-assembly, and the cleanroom facilities in the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (LNF) at UM. We also utilize a wide range of nanocharacterization tools, including scanning probe microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, optical and x-ray spectroscopy, and chemical analysis techniques to probe the structure and composition of our materials, many of which are a part of the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization (MC2).

DEGREES

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 2011
• Ph.D. minor in Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 2011
• M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, 2006
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Renewable energy and energy storage; nanomanufacturing; atomic layer deposition; high-resolution microscopy and spectroscopy of nanomaterials; surface science and catalysis; electrochemistry; nanowires; energy policy and economics

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Young Faculty Award (YFA), DARPA, 2018
• CAREER Award, National Science Foundation, 2018
• Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, SME, 2017
• Non-Tenured Faculty Award, 3M, 2017
• Young Investigator Award (YIP), Air Force Office of Scientific Research, 2016
• Paul H. Holloway Young Investigator Award, American Vacuum Society (AVS), 2016
• Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal Award, ASME, 2015
• U. S. Dept. of Energy EERE Postdoctoral Research Award (SunShot Fellowship), 2012-2013
• Student Award for Best Presentation of Graduate Research in ALD, American Vacuum Society, 2011
• Stanford Graduate Fellowship (J. Hewes Crispin and Majorie Holmes Crispin Fellow), 2005-2008

FACULTY TYPE

Tenured and Tenure-Track