NEWS

2022
06/22: Marina is elevated to the grade of IEEE Senior member.
06/22: Congrats to Peifen for being awarded the Summer Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) Award for summer 2022-23!
05/22: Marina delivers an invited talk on thermophotovoltaics at the Spring MRS Meeting.
05/22: Meghna is awarded the College of Engineering Jeffrey Gibeling Best Master’s Thesis Award. Well done Meghna!
05/22: Congrats to Richa on her PhD Thesis defense.
04/22: Peifen and Tao’s paper on Transient Structural Colors with Magnesium-Based Reflective Filters has been published in Advanced Optical Materials. Check the article here.
04/22: Our paper on hot-carrier dynamics in near-infrared photocatalytic metals is published in Phys. Rev. B. Check the article here.
04/22: Margaret is awarded the prestigious NSF-GRFP. Congrats Margaret!
​03/2022: John’s paper on machine learning applied to halide perovskites is published in J. Phys. Chem. Letters. Check the publication here!
​01/2022: Leite is nominated a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow!
01/2022: The LeiteLab is awarded the University Partnerships Investment Area Team, a collaboration with Dr. Kenny Chowdhary from Sandia National Laboratories. Together, we will implement machine learning methods to unravel degradation mechanisms in perovskite solar cells.
2021
12/2021: The group welcomes Mansha and Abi, new grad students!
12/2021: Leite gives an invited talk at the Pacifichem 2020. Thanks to Mihri Özkan for the kind invitation. Check the meeting’s program here
​11/2021: The Leite Lab takes Fall MRS by storm! Ece, Richa, and Meghna present their results on solid-state batteries and halide perovskites for solar cells at the in-person meeting. Peifen and Margaret shared their findings on transient photonics and thermophotovoltaics during the online meeting. MSL was one of the meeting Chairs. Thanks MRS, for a fantastic meeting!
10/2021: Leite presents invited talks at the AVS 67 and the XXXV Brazilian North and Northeast Regional Physics Meeting
09/2021: Leite presents a Colloquium at the Department of Physics, Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Thanks Carol, for the kind invitation. It was great seeing several old friends and colleagues!
09/2021: John and Erica’s paper on perovskites’ dynamic response to humidity and light is highlighted on the front cover of Adv. Optical Materials.
09/2021: Leite and Dr. Míguez (from the Institute of Materials Science of Seville) co-edit a special issue on “Photophysical Processes in Metal Halide Perovskites” for Adv. Optical Materials. Check out the Editorial here
08/2021: Leite becomes an SPIE Senior Member. See news here.
08/2021: Meghna’s paper on machine learning for perovskite solar cells is now published on J. Phys. Chem. Letters. Good job Meghna! Access the pdf here.
08/2021: Leite presents an invited talk on materials for thermophotovoltaics at SPIE:
08/2021: Leite gives an invited talk on transient photonics at the RAPID Meeting
07/2021: John’s article on Emission Dynamics in Triple-Cation Halide Perovskites is published in Adv. Optical Materials. Well done John! See full article here.
07/2021: Leite presents an invited talk at META
06/2021: Leite share’s the groups’ latest results on perovskites for optoelectronics with an invited talk at the 2021 Photonics North meeting.
05/2021: Tom's article on selective etching properties of Mg thin films is published in Optical Materials Express. Good job! See full article here.
04/2021: We welcome David, a new undergraduate student that will be working on perovskite solar cells!
04/2021: Leite gives an invited talk at the  Spring MRS Meeting, Frontier Energy Science in Halide Perovskite Symposium. Thanks for the organizers for the kind invitation!
03/2021: Congrats to Meghna for receiving the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship award!
03/2021: Richa presents a talk at the 2021 American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting!
03/2021: Tao and Meghna present talks at the 2021 SPIE Photonics West Meeting.
03/2021: Leite presents an invited talk about the group’s most recent work on perovskites at the NanoGe Spring Meeting.
02/2021: Leite is a speaker for the “Professional development in Materials Science series of talks, as part of the Materials Outreach Corporation - an MSE/UC Davis undergraduate organization. 
2020
12/2020: Welcome Margaret Duncan, new PhD student in the group!
12/2020: Congrats to Meghna for winning the best poster award at the Fall MRS Meeting!
12/2020: Leite presents three invited talks at the 2020 Fall MRS Meeting!
10/2020: Tao and Peifen’s invited review article is published in Adv. Optical Materials. Good job Tao and Peifen!
10/2020: The Leite group, in collaboration with Prof. Munday (ECE) and Prof. McCormick (MSE), is awarded a DARPA grant to realize materials for ultra-high temperature photonics!
08/2020: We are delighted to have Prof. M. Dias joining us at UC Davis for her sabbatical.
07/2020: New invited review article on Imaging Metal Halide Perovskites Material and Properties at the Nanoscale is on the cover of Adv. Energy Materials. Great job, John and Richa!
06/2020: Leite Lab is awarded an NSF grant to advance the understanding of environmental stressors on perovskite’s stability. Thanks NSF!
05/2020: Our collaboration with J. Munday and A. Rocha is published in ACS Photonics and featured as a supplementary cover. Check the article here
04/2020: New paper on correlative microscopy of perovskite solar cells is published and highlighted on the front cover of Adv. Materials Interfaces.
02/2020: Paper about the ISOS Protocols for Stability Assessment and Reporting for Perovskite Photovoltaics is published in Nature Energy.
01/2020: Leite is featured on the “Women Scientists at the Forefront of Energy Research: A Virtual Issue, Part 2” of ACS Energy Letters. Check out the piece here.
01/2020: Paper about perovskite photovoltaics is published in Nature Energy! Check it here
01/2020: Our most recent review paper on perovskite solar cells is now published in Adv. Energy Materials. Check the manuscript here
01/2020: Leite is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Energy Letters! Check the journal here
01/2020: Welcome Dr. Tao Gong, new post-doc in the group!

Awards/Honors: M. S. Leite

17. National Academy of Engineering, invited participant of Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium      2018

16. National Academy of Engineering, invited participant of EU-US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium      2017

15. APS Ovshinsky Sustainable Energy Fellowship       2016

14. UMD Graduate School Research and Scholarship Award (RASA)        2015

13. Maryland Academy of Science Young Outstanding Scientist Award         2014

12. Best Poster Award – 40th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference        06/2014

11. UMD College of Engineering Minta Martin Award         05/2014

10. Best Poster Award – 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference       06/2011

9. Honor Award for 2007-2009 PhD Theses in Physics – Brazilian Physical Society           2010

8. IUPAP Young Author Best Paper Award (28th ICPS, Vienna, Austria)         07/2008

7. Young Investigator Award (Summer School on Modern Concepts for Creating and Analyzing

Surfaces and Nanoscale Materials, Girona, Spain)      05/2008

6. Best student poster award (13th Brazilian Workshop on Semiconductor Physics)       04/2007

5. Graduate fellowship (São Paulo Research Foundation, Brazil)      03/2004 – 09/2007

4. DAAD Fellowship (German Academia Exchange Service)        03 – 09/2006

3. 55th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting (Germany)         07/2005

2. Maters fellowship (CAPES Foundation, Brazil)   08/2003 – 07/2003

1. Undergraduate research fellowship (CAPES Foundation, Brazil)      04/1998 – 12/2000

Awards/Honors: team members while under Leite’s guidance

72. Meghna Srivastava – Fall MRS Meeting Best Poster Award, 2020

71. John M. Howard – Fall MRS Meeting Best Poster Award, 2019

70. John M. Howard – UMD Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship for Summer 2019

69. John M. Howard – Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship (UMD), fall 2019.

68. John M. Howard – UMD Graduate School Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant, 2018

67. Natalie Schwab – selected to JUAMI ( Joint Undertaking for African Materials Institute, NSF funded summer school), 2018

66. Zack Benson – UMD Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, Summer 2018

65. Zack Benson – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2018

64. Sabrina Curtis – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2018

63. Alan Kaplan – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2018

62. Natalie Schwab – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship honorable mention, 2018

61. John M. Howard – Harry K. Wells Graduate Fellowship (UMD), AY 2018-2019.

60. Julia Huddy – “best technical work” award. NSF-REU in ‘Transportation Electrification’ at UMD, Summer 2017.

59. Elizabeth Tennyson – Silver Medal Graduate Student Award finalists for the MRS Fall Meeting, 2017

58. John Howard – The Jacob K. Goldhaber travel grant, Spring 2017

57. Alexander Yulaev – 2nd place poster award at AVS Mid-Atlantic DC Regional Meeting, Spring 2017

56. Alan Kaplan – ASPIRE Summer research fellowship, Summer 2017

55. Elizabeth Tennyson – All-S.T.A.R. Fellowship, Academic year 2017-18

54. Chen Gong – 2nd place at OSA/SPIE Student Poster Competition in Optics and Photonics, Spring 2017

53. Elizabeth Tennyson – honorable mention at OSA/SPIE Student Poster Competition in Optics and Photonics, Spring 2017

52. Elizabeth Tennyson – UMD Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, Summer 2017

51. Chen Gong – UMD Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, Summer 2017

50. Elizabeth Tennyson – Best Student Presentation finalist, 44th IEEE PVSC, 2017

49. Zinab Jadidi  – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2017

48. John Howard – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2017

47. Elizabeth M. Tennyson – selected to participate on ARPA-e student program at the energy innovation summit. Washington, D.C.

46. Elizabeth Tennyson – Hulka Graduate Fellowship – UMERC, Clark School of Engineering, UMD, 2017.

45. Chen Gong – Harry K. Wells Graduate Fellowship – UMERC, Clark School of Engineering, UMD, 2017.

44. Chen Gong – UMD Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship, 2017/2018. (declined)

43. Alan Kaplan – ASPIRE MTech Fellowship, Spring 2017.

42. Elizabeth Tennyson – UMD PhD student selected to represent the graduate program at Frontiers in Optics Laser Science (FiO/LS) Meeting, Fall 2016.

41. Zinab Jadidi – single UMD student selected to present her REU Electrification Transportation award winning research at the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Symposium, at NSF.

40. Zinab Jadidi – UMD Electrification Transportation REU/NSF Best overall project, summer 2016.

39. Elizabeth Tennyson – UMD Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship, 2016/2017.

38. Brady Gunnarsson – UMD ASPIRE Fellowship, summer 2016.

37. Elizabeth Tennyson – Selected to participate at JUAMI – Join US Africa Materials Institute summer school, summer 2016.​

35. Dr. Mariama Dias – Schlumberger Foundation Faculty of the Future post-doc fellowship, Aug 2016 – July 2017.

34. Alexander Yulaev – AVS Mid-Atlantic DC Regional Meeting, poster presentation honorable mention, May 2016.

33. Garrett Wessler – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2016.

32. Elizabeth Tennyson – Hulka Energy Research Fellowship from the A. James Clark School of Engineering, 2016.

31. Garrett Wessler – MSE/UMD “Best student research award“, 2016.

30. Elizabeth Tennyson – single MSE student selected for the Univ. North Carolina MRS Graduate Student Exchange Meeting (40 min seminar), Spring 2016.

29. Brady Gunnarsson – UMD ASPIRE Fellowship, Spring 2016.

28. Zinab Jadidi – UMD ASPIRE Fellowship, Spring 2016.

27. Elizabeth Tennyson – IREAP/UMD Graduate Student Speaker award, Fall 2015.

26. Cinthya Yu (California Polytechnic State University, CA) wins one of the two REU-NSF best presentation award, Summer 2015.

25. Clayton Blathy (Central College, Iowa) wins one of the two REU-NSF best presentation award, Summer 2015.

24. Elizabeth Tennyson – UMD ResearchFest overall winner, June 2015.

23. Chen Gong – UMD Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, June 2015.

22. Elizabeth Tennyson – UMD Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowship, June 2015.

21. Garrett Wessler – UMD ASPIRE Fellowship, Summer 2015.

20. Elizabeth Tennyson – OSA/SPIE Student Poster Competition at UMD, 1st place, April 2015.

19. Dr. Mariama Dias – Schlumberger Foundation Faculty of the Future post-doc fellowship, Aug 2015 – July 2016.

18. Eric Bailey – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2015.

17. Allen Chang – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2015.

16. Elizabeth Tennyson – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2015.

15. Mariana Rico – UMD Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education (OMSE) Academy of Academic Excellence Award, Spring 2015.

14. Eric Bailey – Kim Borsavage and Pamela J. Stone Student Award for Outstanding Service from the Clark School of Engineering at UMD, Spring 2015.

13. Allen Chang – UMD ASPIRE Fellowship, Spring 2015.

12. Allen Chang – MSE Outstanding Research Award, Spring 2015.

11. Eric Bailey – Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering Chairman’s Outstanding Senior Award, Spring 2015.

10. Allen Chang – Outstanding ASPIRE Student Research Award, Spring 2015.

9. Elizabeth Tennyson – The Jacob K. Goldhaber travel grant, Spring 2015.

8. Chen Gong – The Jacob K. Goldhaber travel grant, Fall 2014.

7. Eric Bailey – UMD Seeds fellowship, Fall 2014.

6. Allen Chang – UMD ASPIRE Fellowship, Fall 2014.

5. Allen Chang –  IREAP Undergraduate Student Award, Summer 2014.

4. Ellen Cesewski – IREAP Undergraduate Student Award, Summer 2014.

3. Christopher Yeager – IREAP Undergraduate Student Award, Summer 2014.

2. Eric Bailey – Summer Scholars Program at MIT, Center for Materials Science and Engineering, Summer 2014.

1. Elizabeth Tennyson – Best poster award at 40th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, June 2014.

Awards/Honors of Leite Lab alumni:

2. W. Brady Gunnarsson – NSF GRFP, 2019

1. Elizabeth M. Tennyson – Marie Sklodowska-Curie post-doc fellowship, 2019