California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA

10/13/2026

Congratulations to CNSI member and UCLA professor Yu Huang, who has been named a 2026 Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Engineering and Technology! 🏆

A professor at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, Huang is being recognized for research that extends the lifespan of hydrogen fuel cell catalysts while reducing reliance on costly platinum. Her work could help make hydrogen fuel cells more durable and affordable, advancing clean energy technologies for transportation and industrial applications.

Learn more in the link below!

10/06/2026

Join CNSI Education, along with UCLA graduate student volunteers, will be participating in a day of big-scale fun with nano-scale science for National Technology Day on Friday, October 9 (in honor of the nanometer scale of 10⁻⁹).

Our wonderful group of UCLA grad students will share their knowledge of all things small with the UCLA undergraduate student and staff community, setting up a booth in front of the CNSI and showing off all sorts of cool phenomena—from holographic chocolate and popping boba to magnetic liquids and self-cleaning surfaces!

Please refer to the flyer below for more information.

10/02/2026

What happens when UCLA undergrads step beyond the classroom and into the world of biotech startups? 🔬

Through the Magnify Incubator Internship Program, the fourth cohort of Magnify interns, who completed the program earlier this year, gained hands-on research experience, developed technical and professional skills, and explored potential careers in biotechnology. For some, the experience opened doors to what comes next—including one intern who transitioned into a full-time research role with her host company.

Applications are now open for the 2026–27 cohort! Learn more and apply in the link below: https://magnify.cnsi.ucla.edu/2026/10/01/magnify-internship-program-fourth-cohort/

09/18/2026

What if the hardware itself could become the neural network? 🧠

UCLA researchers have helped pioneer a new approach to computing in which self-organizing networks of nanowires or nanoparticles physically adapt to incoming information, enabling complex data processing with low power demands. A new review in Nature Reviews Physics explores how these systems could complement cloud computing by bringing energy-efficient AI processing to the edge—potentially supporting applications in smart devices, autonomous vehicles, industrial robots and satellites.

The work features California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA technical director Adam Stieg and CNSI member and NPC Advisory Committee member James Gimzewski, who were among the lead investigators behind one of the first studies to introduce this approach.

Learn more in the link below!

Digital computing using silicon chips has transformed nearly every aspect of modern life and enabled the remarkable growth of artificial intelligence. But as AI models scale up, that growth comes with increasing demands for energy, water and computing infrastructure...

08/25/2026

CNSI member Jianwei "John" Miao, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, is leading research that could change how scientists understand the formation of crystals 💎

Using advanced 3D atomic imaging, Miao and his team examined more than 8,000 crystal nuclei and found that they form through gradual changes in atomic order, challenging the century-old classical nucleation theory. Their findings introduce a new model that could deepen our understanding of phase transitions and inform the development of next-generation materials, including advanced alloys.

Read more in the link below!

The most common scientific approach for thinking about how condensation, freezing and other phase transitions begin is based in classical nucleation theory, which was developed about a century ago. Thousands of experiments have supported a key equation describing how...

08/11/2026

What if AI could design proteins that have never existed in nature? 🧬

CNSI member Jason Zhang, assistant professor of bioengineering at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, is using to design novel proteins with potential applications in drug development, diagnostics, and precision medicine. His lab is developing proteins that can target traditionally “undruggable” proteins involved in diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and cancer.

Read more in the link below:

The decades-old scientific quest to create brand new proteins has been turbocharged in the era of artificial intelligence. UCLA Newsroom graphic inviting readers to take a survey and help shape future coverage, featuring a blue speech bubble with a...

08/11/2026

Congratulations to California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA members Yu Huang and Richard Kaner on their election as full members of the European Academy of Engineering! 🎉

Huang was recognized for pioneering advances in sustainable technologies, energy conversion and storage, and quantum materials, while Kaner was honored for his internationally acclaimed contributions to materials chemistry, including work on conducting polymers, graphene, and advanced functional materials. Both Huang and Kaner are distinguished professors in the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Read more in the link below!

Distinguished Professors Yu Huang and Richard Kaner have been elected full members of the European Academy of Engineering (EAE). The academy is an international scientific organization composed of the world’s leading scientists, scholars and engineers...

08/07/2026

Most batteries spend more than 70% of their lifetime at rest—but what happens to them when they’re not being used? 🔋

Two new studies led by UCLA Samueli School of Engineering researchers, featuring CNSI members Yuzhang Li and Philippe Sautet, reveal how next-generation metal-anode batteries degrade during idle periods and identify strategies to slow that aging. The research found significant capacity losses in several metal batteries during rest, while new electrolyte designs reduced capacity loss in zinc batteries from more than one-third to less than 1.5% after 24 hours. Together, the findings could help extend battery lifetimes and advance more sustainable energy storage for electric vehicles and the power grid.

Learn more in the link below!

Most batteries spend more than 70% of their lifetime at rest. Yet few studies have examined calendar aging, which is how a battery degrades when it is neither charging nor being used. Now, a pair of complementary papers published in Joule and Nature Communications...

07/24/2026

CNSI member Yongjie Hu and his team have made the first observation of quantum heat waves at room temperature, demonstrating that heat can travel along guided pathways through crystalline materials rather than diffusing uniformly 🔥

Published in Nature Physics, the discovery could enable more efficient thermal management in next-generation electronics, AI hardware, and quantum technologies.

Learn more in the link below!

Efficient heat management in solids is key to advancing the next generation of electronics. However, wavelike heat movement — known as phonon focusing — had only been observed at extremely low, or cryogenic, temperatures, limiting its study and practical use...

07/22/2026

Researchers led by CNSI member Sergio Carbajo have developed an AI-enhanced imaging approach that dramatically improves the ability to see through light-scattering materials such as biological tissue, fog, and cloudy liquids 🔬

Published in Light: Science & Applications, the new physics-based machine learning system produces clearer, near real-time images using low-cost silicon cameras, with potential applications ranging from biomedical imaging and surgical guidance to autonomous vehicles and industrial sensing.

Learn more in the link below:

A research team led by UCLA and the University of Rochester has demonstrated a promising evolution of an imaging system designed to capture details within “complex media,” which scatter light, from depicting structures inside body tissue to seeing obstacles through...