Current members

Prof. Caldwell in his lab in 607 Olin Hall

Saurabh Dixit is a postdoctoral researcher working at Vanderbilt University in the domain of 2D thin films and metamaterials for their potential applications in integrated nanophotonic and optical devices.

Youngji Kim is a postdoc researcher in Caldwell’s group. I earned my PhD from Ewha Womans Unviersity, South Korea, in February 2023. During my PhD, I explored structural colors using metasurfaces and investigated methods to dynamically control these structural colors through external stimuli. Currently, my focus lies in understanding how to tune optical properties in both the visible and mid-infrared (MIR) regions using 2D materials and metasurfaces.

Mr. Ryan Kowalski joined the Caldwell Lab in Fall 2019 as a student in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program at Vanderbilt. He comes to us from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering.

Mr. Scott Criswell joined the Caldwell & Valentine Labs during the Fall of 2018 as a student in the Electrical Engineering Program at Vanderbilt. He comes to us from Purdue University, where he was an Electrical Engineering Major.

Katja Diaz-Granados

Jeb Buchner joined the Caldwell Lab in Spring of 2024 as a student in the Interdisciplinary Material Science Program at Vanderbilt. Originally from Tallahassee, Florida, he graduated from Auburn University with his Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering.

Emma Bartelsen is from Nashotah, Wisconsin and completed her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas. She is now a Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science program studying under Dr. Joshua Caldwell. Here she studies the confinement of electromagnetic energy in the nano- to atomic-scale for various applications including fabrication of optimized gas sensors.

Courtney Ragle studied Chemistry and Journalism as an undergraduate at Fort Lewis College in Colorado. After graduating, she took several years away from academia as a guide for various outdoor activities, then worked in pharmaceuticals for a while before returning to school at Vanderbilt University to pursue a PhD in Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS). In the IMS program, she is dedicated to strong-coupling projects investigating transitions from microcavities to two-dimensional materials for control over chemical reaction mechanisms and discovery of applicable reactions as a member of both Caldwell and Buchanan Laboratories.

Luke Kim is a senior at Vanderbilt university studying mechanical engineering with a minor in digital fabrication. Currently I am conducting research to understand defects in SiC using electroluminesce.

Trey long

Aditha Senarath started his Ph.D. in the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Materials Science program in the Fall of 2021 and became a member of the Caldwell Lab in the spring of 2022. His academic background includes completing an M.Sc. in Physics from Wright State University, Ohio, followed by his B.Sc., majoring in Physics from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Aditha’s current research focuses on characterizing defects in semiconductor materials and devices to enhance their radiation hardness and overall reliability.