Researchers who work at the nano level – where size and distance are measured in billionths of meters – are exploiting nanotechnology’s potential to revolutionize a wide range of products, from medicine and life-saving technologies to energy and electronics. The Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience has been at the forefront of its field since its founding in 1988. In 2012, the opening of the 32,000-square-foot Volte-Keegan Nanoscience Research Center gave Nebraska scientists and engineers state-of-the-art research facilities to pursue new discoveries in one of the nation’s highest-priority research initiatives.
Christian Binek
faculty
Professor
Physics & Astronomy
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
Bio
Christian Binek, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, is part of the Condensed Matter and Materials Physics group. His research focuses on magnetic heterostructures, spintronics and quantum materials, with emphasis on fundamental as well as applied physics. Binek leads several high-profile initiatives. He serves as the director of the Nebraska Nanoscale Facility, which is one of the 16 sites constituting the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, and he is the scientific director of EQUATE (Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies), a $20 million National Science Foundation-EPSCoR -funded collaboration to advance research and education in quantum materials, quantum technologies and quantum information science. EQUATE involves faculty from multiple institutions, including all University of Nebraska campuses, Creighton University, and two local tribal colleges. Binek co-leads UNL’s Grand Challenges catalyst award "Quantum Approaches Addressing Global Threats." Supported by a five-year, $4.17 million grant, this interdisciplinary effort aims to leverage quantum science to address climate resilience, sustainable energy, and other global challenges. The project brings together experts from various fields, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, music and emerging media art. (Updated December 2024.)
Bio
Stephen Ducharme is a professor with the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Stephen does research in Materials Physics, Experimental Physics and Condensed Matter Physics, with an emphasis on the fundamental physics, nanoscale properties, and applications of “Molecular Ferroelectric Materials,” also known as “Organic Ferroelectric Materials” or “Carbon-Based Ferroelectric Materials.”
Angela Pannier
faculty
Professor
Biological Systems Engineering
Swarts Family Chair in Biological Systems Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Biological Systems Engineering
Angela K. Pannier, the inaugural Swarts Family Chair in Biological Systems Engineering, is an expert in lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery. She holds a courtesy appointment in the Mary and Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Other expertise include biomaterials, stem cells and tissue engineering. (Updated December 2024.)
Bio
Angela Pannier focuses on engineering biomaterials and systems for gene/cell therapies and tissue engineering. Her projects range from biomedical engineering to agricultural applications. Her research program has received support from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as industry sponsors. Pannier is an associate editor for Science Advances, the multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as serving on the editorial boards of Regenerative Medicine Frontiers and Experiemental Biology and Medicine academic journals. She also serves as a reviewer for multiple journals and funding agencies. She is active in the American INstitute of chemical Engineers, Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. She has been recognized with the NIH Director's New Innovator Award in 2017, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House Office of Technology and Science Policy in 2019. She became a fellow with the BMES in 2020. She is the only Nebraskan to have received those honors. Panier is committed to developing the next generation of scientists, having received several awards for her mentorship of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students. As an award-winning teacher, she has focused on developing biomedical engineering content for undergraduate and graduate-level students in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. In 2020-21, Pannier was co-leader of a COVID-19 vaccine outreach campaign. She was recognized with the College of Engineering Faculty Service Award for her service work on campus and in the community. (Updated December 2024.)