Materials scientist Ajay Karakoti ’10 Ph.D. used to spend his days assisting Professor Sudipta Seal with his groundbreaking research on nanomaterials. Now, Karakoti is leading the innovative research efforts at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
Karakoti first learned of UCF and Seal’s work from his thesis advisor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. A fellow student already working in Seal’s lab introduced Karakoti to the group’s research. It was the spark that led him to become a Knight.
“I was convinced that I wanted to make a career in nanomaterials and applied to UCF,” Karakoti says. “When I received a presidential fellowship to pursue my Ph.D. from UCF, I was beyond elated.”
His research journey at UCF helped further develop his passion for nanomaterials, and the interface between particles and solutions.
“While researching in Dr. Seal’s lab about cerium oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications, I understood the importance of characterizing the immediate environment around nanoparticles,” he says. “It was exciting to see how subtle differences in solution concentration, temperatures and chemical composition can affect the final shapes of the nanomaterials, which in turn affected their biomedical outcomes.”
After earning his degree, Karakoti started at PNNL as a postdoctoral researcher, where he had the opportunity to continue his work. Today, he leads a group of about 50 staff scientists and postdoctoral researchers in their physical sciences division, working with the PNNL leadership team to set research directions and help advance materials science capabilities at the lab. He also manages operational budgets, working to maximize efficiencies to meet operational goals, and helps identify opportunities for early-career researchers.
Karakoti has continued to innovate in the field, enjoying the opportunity to also focus on his own research at PNNL, synthesizing nanomaterials and studying the influence of varying physical and chemical environments on these particles.
“Nature builds very complex molecules that can thrive in the complex biological environment with ease. Using natural enzymes as an inspiration, my research explores the role of ligand chemistry, metal oxidation states, and surface defects on tuning the properties of materials,” he says. “These principles are useful in understanding how materials can be built or how batteries work and even how materials degrade under extreme environments.”
Current focus areas of his research are on improved performance for batteries, microelectronics, critical minerals and thermal energy storage.
“Despite being an age-old technology, we still do not know the exact mechanism by which additives control the life of a lead-acid battery,” he says. “Our research is highlighting the importance of looking at this problem across varying length scales from angstrom to millimeters.”
His group also synthesizes low-density targets for lasers, used to study generation of extreme ultraviolet radiation that drives semiconductor chip manufacturing. Another research thrust aims to uncover new materials for residential and commercial heating by repurposing thermal energy left over from industrial processes.
As he looks back on his time at UCF, he is grateful for the many experiences that paved the way for his professional journey.
He says active student chapters that hosted guest speakers talks helped him make connections that aided his research, and that state-of-the-art facilities such as the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center were instrumental in his work. He adds that the opportunity to work in Seal’s lab, contributing to advanced research, was a highlight of his time at UCF.
“My research work at Dr. Seal’s lab was at the cutting edge of the science at that time. For example, we were conducting pioneering research on the biomedical applications of nanoceria,” he says. “This was an exciting phase of life where our publications were not only cited by others in the group, but we were among the few who were dictating the field, and Dr. Seal’s lab is still conducting pioneering research on ceria nanoparticles.”
He also appreciated the opportunity to work with other scientists, underscoring the importance of the university’s harmonious research environment.
“My research experience at UCF also taught me about the power of collaborations,” Karakoti says. “We had several collaborations within the UCF, owing to its rich diversity of faculty, and also outside UCF, building important connections as well as learning about different fields from the best researchers in the world.”
- Written by Bel Huston