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Welcome to the Roberts Group!

The Roberts group develops new optical techniques to investigate energy transfer, charge transport, and spin dynamics in molecular materials. Current projects include design of hybrid organic:inorganic structures for shifting light's frequency spectrum, development of new optical microscopy methods for tracking excited species in nanoscale domains and at interfaces, and examining materials that allow for strong coupling of molecules to light.

Our Research

Recent News

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April 2026: Congrats to Honghao! Honghao contributed to a new paper just released this week in Chem. Sci. that examines how energy transfer from silicon quantum dots to surface ligands is influenced by ligand flexibility. This work represents a joint collaboration between our group and the Tang group at Utah, the Mangolini and Su groups at UC Riverside, and the Eaves group at CU Boulder. Nice work everyone!

March 2026: Congratulations to Honghao who successfully defended his thesis investigating how strong coupling between quantum dots and surface ligands can be used to control energy transfer! Congratulations Dr. Wang!

January 2026: A new paper investigating photoinduced heat transfer from plasmonic indium tin oxide nanocrystals to molecular ligands was just accepted by ACS Nano! This paper represents a collaboration between our group and the Milliron group at Michigan and the Schaller and Chen groups at Northwestern. Congrats everyone!

October 2025: Welcomes are in order for new graduate students Ashley, Ben, Kate, and Kaylin who joined the group this month! Welcome to the group everyone!

October 2025: Congrats are in order for Xinyi, Jussi, and Danielle. Their new paper investigating blue-to-ultraviolet photon upconversion using perovskite quantum dot sensitizers was just accepted by ACS Energy Lett.! This paper was made possible with an assist from the Page Group. Great work everyone!

August 2025: Congrats to Jussi! His new paper investigating phthalocyanine-based photocatalysts that use near-infrared light to fuel 3D printing was just accepted by J. Mater. Chem. A! This paper represents the latest in our ongoing collaboration with the Page Group. Nice work everyone!  

July 2025: Congrats to Cam! Her new paper investigating light-driven heating of plasmonic indium tin oxide nanocrystals was just accepted by Nano Lett! This paper represents a collaboration between our lab and the Milliron, Truskett, and Baiz groups via UT Austin's MRSEC, the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials!

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