During the 2023-2024 academic year, seven researchers at the University of Notre Dame received prestigious early career awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is the National Science Foundation's (NSF) most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
Each awardee receives around half a million dollars in funding over five years to support projects that lead to new discoveries and create tangible benefits for society.
Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said, “We congratulate these exemplary faculty on receiving CAREER Awards. Notre Dame’s consistent success in this area over the past decade is an indication not only of the groundbreaking research conducted at the University but also of the way Notre Dame faculty are able to translate their work into our classrooms and community. We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for supporting and affirming this important work.”
This year’s CAREER Award recipients are:
Siddharth Joshi, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
Joshi will conduct a project titled “Bio-Inspired Microsystems for Energy-Efficient Real-Time Sensing, Decision, and Adaptation.” Joshi will improve the hardware that underpins contemporary artificial intelligence (AI). Joshi will develop microelectronic systems that can efficiently sense physical signals from their environment, make real-time decisions, and adapt and learn with minimal energy usage. Joshi's designs will draw inspiration from biology to create the technologies that will power the next generation of intelligent devices ranging from smarter cellphones to brain-machine interfaces.
Joshi will also collaborate with industry partners and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to build the US microelectronics workforce.
Taeho Jung, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
Jung will conduct a project titled “Heterogeneous Secure Computation for Large-scale Data Processing.” Jung will develop methodologies and a theoretical foundation for heterogeneous secure computation for large-scale data processing. The heterogeneous secure computation framework resulting from this project will enhance cybersecurity, individual privacy, and national security by significantly improving the efficiency and scalability of secure computations performed on encrypted data.
Jung will also develop an educational program that will help high school students gain experience in secure computation research.
Matthew Rosenberger, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
Rosenberger will conduct a project titled “Atomically-Precise Single Photon Emitters.” He will use atomic force microscopes to gain a deeper understanding of a special type of light emitter called a single photon emitter. By improving the way we measure and manipulate single photon emitters, Rosenberger will help advance quantum technologies.
At the same time, Rosenberger will develop training materials to help other researchers learn how to use atomic force microscopes.
Nicholas Salter, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics.
Salter will conduct a project titled “Moduli Spaces, Fundamental Groups, and Asphericality.” Salter's project brings together two fields of mathematics: algebraic geometry and topology. Salter will study moduli spaces, which are a kind of “mathematical world map” that classify all instances of a mathematical object. Mathematicians do not fully understand the “shape" of many important moduli spaces, and Salter hopes to make progress by importing ideas from the field of geometric topology.
Salter will also work to enhance mathematics education by starting an annual one-week program to train K-12 teachers to run mathematical enrichment activities known as Math Circles.
Ragnar Stroberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Stroberg will conduct a project titled “Quantifying Uncertainties of Ab Initio Nuclear Structure Calculations for New Physics Searches.” Stroberg will develop theoretical techniques to guide and interpret high-precision measurements searching for signals of new physics within the atomic nucleus. Ultimately, these techniques aim to help physicists move beyond the current "standard model” in particle physics.
At the same time, Stroberg will develop material for a free open-source textbook on nuclear physics.
Yichun Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Wang will conduct a project titled “Engineering Chiral Nanoscale Interactions to Enhance Nanomaterial Transport and Uptake in Tissue and at Biointerfaces.” This project aims to explore and utilize chirality — a property where a structure and its mirror image are not superimposable — which is present in both biological and non-biological materials. Specifically, Wang will focus on the chiral nature of nanoscale building blocks such as proteins, nucleic acids, glycans, and lipids. By engineering chiral nanoparticles, she seeks to understand how these particles move within and interact with the human body for the rational design of efficient drug delivery systems.
Wang will also create a "Nano in Life" exhibit at the South Bend Children's Museum and offer summer research opportunities to local high school students and international undergraduate students.
Matthew Zahr, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
Zahr will conduct a project titled “Nonlinear Finite Element Manifolds for Improved Simulation of Shock-Dominated Turbulent Flows.” Zahr will develop a new way of simulating complex fluid dynamics. Zahr's findings will help explain the movement of fluids in the air, space, the body, and the environment.
Zahr will also develop educational materials for students to learn about fluid dynamics through a module for Indiana fifth graders, a summer research program for undergraduates, and a set of free online resources.
Established in 1995, NSF CAREER awards currently support 37 active research projects at the University of Notre Dame. To learn more, please visit https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/faculty-early-career-development-program-career.
Contact: Brett Beasley / Writer and Editorial Program Manager
Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame
bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183
research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch
About Notre Dame Research:
The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.
Originally published by at research.nd.edu on July 31, 2024.