Materials Research Laboratory

About

The Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory (FSMRL) fosters interdisciplinary research at the forefront of materials science. The FSMRL brings together world-class faculty and students in condensed matter physics, materials chemistry, and materials science in a highly collaborative research environment. Several departments on campus are represented, including:

Affiliated Departments

• Chemistry
• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Physics
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering
• Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

The FSMRL is home to several large-scale, multi-investigator research programs:

Research Programs

• DOE/BES DMS Research Clusters

  DOE Research Clusters

  • Quantum Materials at the Nanoscale
  • Programming Function via Soft Materials
  • Scattering Studies of Interfacial Dynamics
  • Photocatalytic Materials Synthesis
• NSF Materials Computation Center
• NSF Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures (with RPI & LANL)

These research activities are primarily supported by the Department of Energy/Office of Basic Energy Sciences Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (DOE/BES DMS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the University of Illinois, other Federal agencies, and industry.

We aim to educate scientists and engineers at the graduate and post-doctoral levels in the broadly defined area of materials science, and to transfer science and technology developed at the FSMRL to other DOE National Laboratories and to US industry via research collaborations, mutually supportive interactions, and hiring of our outstanding students and post-doctoral researchers.

The FSMRL boasts an exceptional array of research facilities including:

Central Facilities

• Center for Microanalysis of Materials (CMM)
• Microfabrication and Crystal Growth Facility
• Laser and Spectroscopy Facility
• Center for Computation

We are the largest supplier of scientists and engineers educated in the use of advanced instruments for the materials sciences. Approximately 400 new users are educated each year.

Since its inception in 1962, there have been six directors of the FSMRL. Professor Jennifer A. Lewis currently serves as our Director.