Bahl receives MURI funding for photonic materials research

3/2/2020

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MechSE associate professor Gaurav Bahl is leading a proposal awarded funding through the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) from the Department of Defense.

Bahl’s proposal “Robust Photonic Materials with High-Order Topological Protection” is about photonic high order topological insulators.

The Bahl Research Group performs experimental research at the interface of optical and mechanical systems. Their research focuses on systems that incorporate both optical and mechanical elements. Particularly, they are interested in mechanisms where light interacts with photonic microdevices such as radiation pressure, gradient force, electrostrictive pressure, and photothermal effects to produce new sensors and actuators.

In total, researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering at Illinois are either leading or involved with six projects selected for funding from the Department of Defense—totaling more projects than any other institution.

The DoD’s multidisciplinary university research initiative distributed $185 million in awards to 26 projects. These highly competitive awards bring together teams of investigators to help solve the department’s unique problems with emerging technologies.  

“Modern science and engineering problems often intersect more than one scientific discipline,” said Dr. Bindu Nair, DoD’s Deputy Director for Basic Research. “Research of these problems is particularly well suited to a multidisciplinary team effort, which accelerates research progress to enable more rapid R&D breakthroughs by cross-fertilization of ideas, and can hasten the transition of basic research findings to practical applications.”

In addition to Bahl’s project, Grainger researchers are also involved in the following projects:

  • A Multimodal Approach to Network Information Dynamics
  • Active and Reconfigurable Topological Mechanical Metamaterials from the Nanoscale to the Macroscale
  • Implementation of Axion Electrodynamics in Topological Films and Devices
  • Endosymbiont Control and Enhancement of Leafhopper Brochosomes
  • Unraveling the Mechanisms of Ice Nucleation and Anti-Icing Through an Integrated Multiscale Approach

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This story was published March 2, 2020.