A PhD student in electrical and computer engineering (ECE) has received seed funding to develop a process to closely examine and differentiate between different types of laser materials. 

The proposal by Adam Ramker, who is advised by ECE Prof. Fatima Toor, won support in the 2026 Materials Analysis Testing and Fabrication (MATFab) Facility Seed Grant Award program. Hongtao Ding, professor of mechanical engineering, also won from the College of Engineering. 

Ramker will be utilizing advanced features of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to differentiate between two different types of epitaxially grown quantum-engineered laser materials to characterize and compare material quality.

The MATFab award is intended to generate preliminary data for future external funding proposals, including to develop new research directions, make use of instrumentation not previously utilized, or employ new applications of instrumentation to secure proof of concept and generate data for external funding.

Other winners this year include Professor Aditi Bhattacherjee, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry; Erin Elizalde, (Faculty Advisor:  Professor James Byrne) College of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology; Siddhanth Hejamady, (Faculty Advisor: Professor Reza Nejadnik) College of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics; and Antonia Koopmeiner, (Faculty Advisor:  Professor Tze Ning Hiew) College of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics.