People

Dr. Sharon Weiss

SMW4

Professor Sharon Weiss is a Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Engineering, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics, and Director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. She received her Ph.D. degree in Optics at the University of Rochester. Her areas of interest include silicon photonics, biosensors, and hybrid nanomaterials. Professor Weiss’s honors and awards include the PECASE, NSF CAREER, ARO Young Investigator, and IEEE Photonics Society Distinguished Lecturer Award. She is a fellow of Optica, SPIE, and AAAS.

PhD Students

Kellen Arnold Kellen (KP) Arnold
KP received his B.S. in Nanoscale Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in 2020. He is now seeking a Ph.D. with the Interdisciplinary Materials Science program at Vanderbilt University; his research focuses include simulation and fabrication of photonic crystals for applications in optical communications and sensing.

Yanrong Zhang
Yanrong received her B.S. in physics from Henan Normal University in 2017 and her M.S. in condensed matter physics from Nankai University in 2020. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, and her current research is focused on photonic crystals for high-sensitivity biosensors and ultra-fast spectroscopy of optical modulators.

Whittington_Headshot_2_2023 - Christopher Whittington

Christopher Whittington
Chris received his B.A. in physics from Clark University in 2022. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Material Science (IMS) program studying photonic crystals for quantum technologies, modulators, and biosensing applications.

Soren Smail
Soren received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 2022. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) and is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Her research focuses on surface modifications to porous silicon for biosensing applications.

Ginny

Huijin (Ginny) An
Huijin received her B.E. in Nano-Bio Engineering from Incheon National University in 2021. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Material Science (IMS) from Vanderbilt University studying developing porous silicon biosensing platform in various applications.

Anurag

Anurag Veluri
Anurag received his B.S. in Electronics from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2019 and his M.S. in RF and Photonics from IIT Guwahati in 2021. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering studying integrated photonics and radiation effects on photonic devices.

23-025-2577 - Nathaniel Karom Nathaniel Karom
Nathan received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Allegheny College in 2023. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Physics studying the effects of space radiation on photonic devices.

Zachary Martin
Zack received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Lafayette College in 2021. He then worked as an electronics engineer for the U.S. Army. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering to develop biosensing platforms to quantify major depressive disorders.

Emanuela (Emi) Rigilioni
Emi received her B.S. in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2024. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS), and her current research focuses on photonic crystals for various applications.

Undergraduate Members

Rafael Rodas
Rafael is majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Class of 2026) and minoring in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He currently works on the fabrication and characterization of VO2 optical modulators.

Eden Teo
Eden Teo is a junior and Crescere Aude Scholar at Vanderbilt University studying Electrical & Computer Engineering. She holds minors in nanoscience & nanotechnology, digital fabrication and art history. Eden has conducted research on porous silicon for smartphone biosensing applications. Eden hopes to continue research in photonic devices and pursue graduate school aligning with these interests.

Any interested undergraduate students may contact Prof. Weiss to discuss research opportunities!

View former group members