- Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering
- Joined College of Engineering faculty in 2020 from UVA
By Francis Butler
Which research topics are you most interested in?
I’m interested in energy transport conversions at the nano level. I am currently applying this to research in my lab on energy storage and heat dissipation. In many electronic devices, the buildup of heat is a problem. For example, cell phone batteries lose lots of efficiency because of lost heat. We believe that heat transfer can be more efficient at the nano level, and some of this energy can even be harnessed via thermoelectrics. As we produce more energy from the sun, it is increasingly important to have an efficient way to store this energy.
What equipment / technology do you use for your research?
We are using a super sensitive and ultrafast femtosecond (0–15 millionth of a second) laser, which allows us to look at how materials at the nano level move in minute amounts of time. A femtosecond is the SI unit of time equal to 10–15 or 1⁄1 000 000 000 000 000 of a second; that is, one quadrillionth, or one millionth of one billionth, of a second. That’s really, really fast!
How do undergraduates participate in your research?
We have an undergraduate student working with our graduate students on ways to use nanotechnology to find a solution to thermal runaway in lithium-ion cells. We have all seen the result of this runaway- as demonstrated in electric vehicles bursting into flames. This is exciting for an undergraduate to be involved in research at this level, and she will be doing graduate school next.
How do graduate students participate?
I have five grad students working on functional materials at the nano level, looking at heat management on items such as batteries and microelectronics.
Who are you collaborating with on research?
At URI I collaborate with Arijit Bose of chemical engineering, Dugan Hayes of chemistry on solar cells, and with Nitin Padture at Brown.
What do you like most about working at URI?
What brought me to URI and what makes this place so exciting is the interdisciplinary nature of the research culture in the new engineering building. I have researchers in many disciplines all around me, which leads to amazing new ideas. I also have lots of expensive “toys” in the core labs! The culture at URI departments talk to each other… work with each other, which leads to an inspiring and collaborative environment to come up with big ideas.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Walking on the beaches with my wife. Rhode Island is really beautiful.
Read more on Ashutosh Giri.