Collaborative Research: REU SITE: Nanoscale Detectives -- Elucidating the Structure and Dynamics of Hybrid Perovskite Systems

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site, Nanoscale Detectives, offers undergraduate students an immersive research experience investigating the fundamental structure, dynamics, and properties of hybrid perovskite materials — a class of materials with transformative potential in next-generation semiconductor technologies, including solar cells, photodetectors, and advanced computing. By engaging students from various academic disciplines in cutting-edge, hands-on research across the three academic institutions in making up North Carolina’s Research Triangle Area (NC State University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke), the program addresses the critical national need to cultivate a highly skilled STEM workforce equipped to tackle complex challenges in materials science, semiconductors and energy security. The REU Site promotes the progress of science through discovery-focused learning, while advancing national prosperity by preparing students for graduate education and careers in high-demand STEM fields. The program also recruits and trains students from community colleges as well as first-generation college students, in support of the nation’s commitment to expanding the STEM workforce in semiconductors and other strategic areas. The Nanoscale Detectives REU Site will host cohorts of twelve undergraduate students each summer for a ten-week research program at NC State University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke University. Participants will work closely with faculty and graduate student mentors on interdisciplinary projects that apply advanced synthesis, spectroscopy, microscopy, and computational modeling to elucidate the nanoscale structure and dynamic behavior of hybrid perovskite systems. The program includes a structured professional development curriculum, mentor training workshops, and outreach activities designed to enhance student skills in research communication, ethics, and career planning. Research outcomes will contribute new insights into the stability and performance of perovskite materials, with the potential to inform the design of more efficient and durable devices for renewable energy technologies. Program assessment will combine formative and summative evaluations, with anonymized data analyzed to inform continuous improvement and shared broadly with the undergraduate research community. Through these activities, the REU Site will advance fundamental understanding of hybrid perovskites and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers to lead innovation in energy and materials science. This Site is supported in part by funds provided to the National Science Foundation by the Semiconductor Research Corporation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.