Stephen S. Nonnenmann
My research interests combine materials science, surface science, electrochemistry, and nanomechanics approaches to answer the question: “What mechanisms drive transduction and transport across interfaces under realistic operation conditions?” Material structure dictates functionality and significantly influences the performance of many device applications involving electrodes and active surfaces. I impact this field by identifying the environmental factors inducing / limiting materials functionality and then pioneering advanced microscopy approaches to directly observe interfacial phenomena in situ, yield key parameters, and inform materials theory and synthesis. I fully expect to leverage our unique local probes to address challenges at dissimilar materials interfaces that affect energy, electronic, and bio technologies.
Current Research
The Nonnenmann Lab leads a multi-faceted, creative, dynamic research program that determine nanoscale structure ↔ property relationships within functional materials that inform energy, electronic, and biological application designs. Our unique research approach targets local heterogeneous stimulus-response cycles of materials under extreme environmental perturbation in situ, or “in position” / “real-time”.
We bridge the gap between experimental and theoretical studies to enable the observation and manipulation of physiochemical phenomena within functional materials under actual environmental conditions by pioneering advanced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) that:
• address defect-mediated electroactivity across electrode-electrolyte interfaces;
• study resistive switching mechanisms within confined geometries;
• clarify the local nanomechanical and nanoelectronic response of soft biopolymers.
Academic Background
Professional Appointments:
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA
Associate Professor 9/2019 - present
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA
Assistant Professor 9/2013 - 8/2019
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
Nano Bio Interface Center (NBIC) Postdoctoral Research Fellow 2010 - 2013
Advisor: Prof. Dawn A. Bonnell
Princeton University Princeton, NJ
Postdoctoral Researcher Spring 2010
Advisor: Prof. Michael C. McAlpine
Education:
Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering 2010
Thesis: Integrated Non-Planar Ferroelectric Nanostructures
Advisor: Prof. Jonathan E. Spanier
Committee Members: Profs. Michel Barsoum, Caroline Schauer, Steven May, Wei Shih, Andrew Rappe
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
M.S.E., Materials Science and Engineering 2003
Thesis: Raman Spectroscopy of TeO2-based Glasses for Advanced Raman Gain Applications
Advisors: Prof. Alfons Schulte and Prof. Kathleen Richardson
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Alfred, NY
B.S.E, Glass Science and Engineering 2001
Thesis: Effects and Analysis of Water Adsorption in Nd-doped Phosphate Laser Fusion Glasses
Advisor: Prof. James Shelby
