Interface-driven electronic structure
I connect atomic-scale interface chemistry and geometry to electronic structure and transport, with an emphasis on mechanisms that remain meaningful under device integration.
Sathvik Ajay Iyengar
2026 Schmidt Science Fellow
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Materials Science Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
PhD, Materials Science and NanoEngineering
Rice University
Rice University
Quantum interfaces, memory, logic, and interconnects
Sathvik Ajay Iyengar
I am a 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow at UC Berkeley co-advised by Profs. Asir Khan and Sayeef Salahuddin studying how charge, spin, polarization, and heat interact across ultrathin interfaces in electronic materials for energy-efficient computing and AI hardware.
At Rice University, where I completed my PhD in 2025, I studied hybridization in atomically thin materials at two distinct levels. I discovered Glaphene™, an interlayer hybrid of graphene and 2D silica glass, and I demonstrated quantum flexoelectricity arising from curvature-driven intralayer hybridization in graphene.
I now build on that foundation to design device-relevant heterostructures that connect atomic-scale interfacial structure to switching energy, scaling limits, and functional behavior in integrated stacks. You can explore more in research, browse selected and full publications, or get in touch.
Sathvik Ajay Iyengar
2026 Schmidt Science Fellow
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Materials Science Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
PhD, Materials Science and NanoEngineering
Rice University
Rice University
Quantum interfaces
Logic & Memory
Interconnects
I am a 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow at UC Berkeley co-advised by Profs. Asir Khan and Sayeef Salahuddin. I study how charge, spin, polarization, and heat interact across ultrathin interfaces in electronic materials for energy-efficient computing and AI hardware.
About
My work has evolved from discovering new interface phenomena in low-dimensional materials to engineering those same phenomena inside realistic device stacks, where process windows, variability, and reliability matter just as much as the underlying physics. Rather than asking only what emerges at an interface, I focus on what can be controlled, reproduced, and ultimately scaled within heterogeneous integration.
In practice, that means treating interface physics knobs as interdependent. Screening length, field penetration, and dipole formation shift alongside polarization coupling, spin and orbital proximity effects, and thermal boundary transport as bias, thickness, and temperature change. I use that framework to connect microscopic interfacial structure with switching energy, drift, and functional behavior in integrated stacks.
Several fellowships and formative programs have shaped how I think about this work and where I want to take it next:
Purdue Trailblazer in Engineering (2025) : future faculty development
Mentorship, professional development, and a national cohort focused on research excellence, leadership, and broadening participation in engineering.
Rice Future Faculty Fellow (2025) : future faculty development
Structured mentorship and preparation for academic careers, including feedback loops on research vision, teaching, and interviewing.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow (2024–2025 funded, 2025–present): international collaboration
Research training and collaboration in Japan, strengthening my approach to building projects across institutions and disciplines.
Inaugural Quad Fellow (2023–present): leadership in science diplomacy
NSF-RT Fellow (2021–2023) : interdisciplinary training
Cross-domain training that shaped how I structure problems across materials, devices, and applications.
Outside the lab, I enjoy playing Carnatic violin, improving my Japanese, working out, and gaming. I’m always happy to connect about research, collaboration, and new directions in electronic interfaces and energy-efficient computing.
Research
My research centers on interfaces as active design elements rather than passive boundaries. I study how atomic-scale structure, chemistry, and fields reshape electronic behavior, then translate those mechanisms into stacks that matter for low-power devices.
Coupled degrees of freedom
I study how multiple channels couple at ultrathin interfaces, including electrostatics, polarization fields, proximity effects, and thermal boundary transport.
Device-relevant stacks
I translate interface mechanisms into heterostructures that matter for switching energy, variability, and scaling constraints in energy-efficient computing.
Methods
I combine synthesis and integration with spectroscopy and electrical and magnetic transport measurements to close the loop from structure to function.
Publications
Selected work spans ultrathin interfaces, 2D materials synthesis, quantum phenomena, device integration, and broader perspectives on translation from materials discovery to technology.
Featured publications
Sub-nm Curvature Unlocks Quantum Flexoelectricity in Graphene
, J. G. McHugh, J. P. Salvage, R. Vajtai, A. B. Dalton*, M. Tripathi*, P. M. Ajayan*, V. Meunier* (2025, arXiv preprint; under review, Advanced Materials)
Glaphene: a 2D hybrid of silica glass and graphene
, M. Tripathi, A. Srivastava, A. Biswas, T. Gray, M. Terrones, A. Dalton, M. A. Pimenta, R. Vajtai, V. Meunier, P. M. Ajayan, Advanced Materials, 2419136 (2025)
A Researcher’s Perspective on Unconventional Lab-to-Fab for 2D Semiconductor Devices
*, S. Bhattacharyya*, S. Roy, N. R. Glavin, A. K. Roy, P. M. Ajayan, ACS Nano, 17(14), 12955–12970 (2023)
Realizing quantum technologies in nanomaterials and nanoscience
, A. B. Puthirath, V. Swaminathan, Advanced Materials, 2107839 (2022)
Molecular size-dependent subcontinuum solvent permeation and ultrafast nanofiltration across nanoporous graphene membranes
C. Cheng, , R. Karnik, Nature Nanotechnology, 16, 989–995 (2021)
All publications (by year)
20252025
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Sub-nm Curvature Unlocks Quantum Flexoelectricity in Graphene;
, J. G. McHugh, J. P. Salvage, R. Vajtai, A. B. Dalton*, M. Tripathi*, P. M. Ajayan*, V. Meunier*; (2025, arXiv preprint; under review, Advanced Materials) -
Investing in the Indo-Pacific Promise: Early-Career STEM Diplomacy Across the Quad and ASEAN;
*, J. D. Ingram, R. Araki; AAAS Science & Diplomacy (2025) (invited, early view) -
Glaphene: a 2D hybrid of silica glass and graphene;
, M. Tripathi, A. Srivastava, A. Biswas, T. Gray, M. Terrones, A. Dalton, M. A. Pimenta, R. Vajtai, V. Meunier, P. M. Ajayan; Advanced Materials, 2419136 (2025) -
Spatially-controlled polymorph growth of MoO₂ by physical vapor deposition;
J. Elkins*, *, O. Verma, K. Khodabandehloo, A. Krishnamoorthy, J. Zhou, T. Pieshkov, J. Murukeshan, T. Gray, P. Nordlander, S. Link, A. B. Puthirath, P. M. Ajayan; Nano Letters, 25(6), 2283–2289 (2025) -
Mechanistic Understanding and Demonstration of Direct Chemical Vapor Deposition of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Across Metal Contacts;
L. M. Sassi*, *, A. B. Puthirath, Y. Huang, X. Li, T. Terlier, A. Moujibpour, A. P. C. Teixeira, P. Bharadwaj, C. S. Tiwary, R. Vajtai, S. Talapatra, B. I. Yakobson, P. M. Ajayan; ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 7(14), 6499–6510 (2025)
20242024
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The Rise of Xene Hybrids;
P. Kumar*, G. Singh, X. Guan, S. Roy, J. Lee, I. Y. Kim, X. Li, F. Bu, R. Bahadur, , J. Yi, D. Zhao, P. M. Ajayan, A. Vinu; Advanced Materials, 2403881 (2024) -
Frictional Characteristics of Graphene on Textured Surfaces;
M. Tripathi, , M. H. Rahman, V. Gadhamshetty, P. M. Ajayan, A. B. Dalton; Fundamentals of Friction and Wear on the Nanoscale, 241–264 (2024) -
Go Fast Alone, or Go Far Together: the Power of International Education and Collaboration;
*, X. Hernández-Cruz*, E. Hibbert*, S. Suzuki*; Institute of International Education (2024) -
Vertical heterostructure of graphite–MoS₂ for gas sensing;
M. Tripathi, G. Deokar, J. Casanova-Chafer, J. Jin, A. Sierra-Castillo, S. P. Ogilvie, F. Lee, , A. Biswas, E. Haye, A. Genovese, E. Llobet, J. F. Colomer, I. Jurewicz, V. Gadhamshetty, P. M. Ajayan, U. Schwingenschlogl, P. MFJ Costa, A. B. Dalton; Nanoscale Horizons (2024)
20232023
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Solutions Are the Problem: Ordered Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework Films by Chemical Vapor Deposition;
J. P. Daum*, A. Ajnsztajn*, , J. Lowenstein, S. Roy, G. Gao, E. H. R. Tsai, P. M. Ajayan, R. Verduzco; ACS Nano, 17(21), 21411–21419 (2023) -
A Researcher’s Perspective on Unconventional Lab-to-Fab for 2D Semiconductor Devices;
*, S. Bhattacharyya*, S. Roy, N. R. Glavin, A. K. Roy, P. M. Ajayan; ACS Nano, 17(14), 12955–12970 (2023) -
Non-Linear Optics at Twist Interfaces in h-BN/SiC Heterostructures;
A. Biswas, R. Xu, G. A. Alvarez, J. Zhang, J. Christiansen-Salameh, A. B. Puthirath, K. Burns, J. A. Hachtel, T. Li, , T. Gray, C. Li, X. Zhang, H. Kannan, J. Elkins, T. S. Pieshkov, R. Vajtai, A. G. Birdwell, M. R. Neupane, E. J. Garratt, T. G. Ivanov, B. B. Pate, Y. Zhao, H. Zhu, Z. Tian, A. Rubio, P. M. Ajayan; Advanced Materials, 35(47), 2304624 (2023) -
Structural, Optical, and Thermal Properties of BN Thin Films Grown on Diamond via Pulsed Laser Deposition;
A. Biswas, G. A. Alvarez, T. Li, J. Christiansen-Salameh, E. Jeong, A. B. Puthirath, , C. Li, T. Gray, X. Zhang, T. S. Pieshkov, H. Kannan, J. Elkins, R. Vajtai, A. G. Birdwell, M. R. Neupane, E. J. Garratt, B. B. Pate, T. G. Ivanov, Y. Zhao, Z. Tian, P. M. Ajayan; Physical Review Materials, 7(9), 094602 (2023) -
Unravelling the Room Temperature Growth of Two-Dimensional h-BN Nanosheets for Multifunctional Applications;
A. Biswas, R. Maiti, F. Lee, C. Y. Chen, T. Li, A. B. Puthirath, , C. Li, X. Zhang, H. Kannan, T. Gray, M. A. S. R. Saadi, J. Elkins, A. G. Birdwell, M. R. Neupane, P. B. Shah, D. A. Ruzmetov, T. G. Ivanov, R. Vajtai, Y. Zhao, A. L. Gaeta, M. Tripathi, A. Dalton, P. M. Ajayan; Nanoscale Horizons, 8(5), 641–651 (2023) -
Unidirectional Domain Growth of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Thin Films;
A. Biswas, Q. Ruan, F. Lee, C. Li, , F. Lee, A. B. Puthirath, X. Zhang, H. Kannan, T. Gray, A. G. Birdwell, M. R. Neupane, P. B. Shah, D. A. Ruzmetov, T. G. Ivanov, R. Vajtai, M. Tripathi, A. Dalton, B. I. Yakobson, P. M. Ajayan; Applied Materials Today, 30, 101734 (2023)
20222022
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Realizing quantum technologies in nanomaterials and nanoscience;
, A. B. Puthirath, V. Swaminathan; Advanced Materials, 2107839 (2022) -
Properties and device performance of BN thin films grown on GaN by pulsed laser deposition;
A. Biswas, M. Xu, K. Fu, J. Zhou, R. Xu, A. B. Puthirath, J. A. Hachtel, C. Li, , H. Kannan, X. Zhang, T. Gray, R. Vajtai, A. G. Birdwell, M. R. Neupane, D. A. Ruzmetov, P. B. Shah, T. Ivanov, H. Zhu, Y. Zhao*, P. M. Ajayan; Applied Physics Letters, 121, 092105 (2022) -
Non-van der Waals quasi-2D materials: Recent Advances in Synthesis, Emergent Properties and Applications;
A. P. Balan, A. B. Puthirath, S. Roy, G. Costin, E. F. Oliveira, M. A. S. R. Saadi, V. Sreepal, R. Friedrich, P. Serles, A. Biswas, , N. Chakingal, S. Bhattacharyya, S. K. Saju, S. C. Pardo, L. M. Sassi, T. Filleter, A. Krasheninnikov, D. S. Galvao, R. Vajtai, R. R. Nair, P. M. Ajayan; Materials Today, 58, 164–200 (2022)
20212021
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Molecular size-dependent subcontinuum solvent permeation and ultrafast nanofiltration across nanoporous graphene membranes;
C. Cheng, , R. Karnik; Nature Nanotechnology, 16, 989–995 (2021) -
Structure, properties, and applications of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride;
S. Roy, X. Zhang, A. B. Puthirath, A. Meiyazhagan, S. Bhattacharyya, M. M. Rahman, G. Babu, S. Susarla, S. K. Saju, M. K. Tran, L. M. Sassi, M. A. S. R. Saadi, J. Lai, O. Sahin, S. M. Sajadi, B. Dharmarajan, D. Salpekar, N. Chakingal, A. Baburaj, X. Shuai, K. A. Miller, J. M. Gayle, A. Ajnsztajn, T. Prasankumar, V. V. J. Harikrishnan, V. Ojha, H. Kannan, A. Z. Khater, Z. Zhu, , P. A. S. Autreto, E. F. Oliveira, G. Gao, A. G. Birdwell, M. R. Neupane, T. G. Ivanov, J. T.-Tijerina, R. M. Yadav, S. Arepalli, R. Vajtai, P. M. Ajayan; Advanced Materials, 2101589 (2021)
20192019
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Surface treated nanofibers as high current yielding breath humidity sensors for wearable electronics;
*, S. Pillalamarri*, S. K. Jana, M. R. Islam, T. Ahuja, J. S. Mohanty, T. Pradeep; ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 1, 951–960 (2019)
Manuscripts in preparation
In preparation and under reviewDrafts
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Emerging Electronic Material Interfaces as a Platform for Energy-Efficient Computing;
, P. M. Ajayan, V. Meunier, T. Ghani, S. Salahuddin, A. I. Khan; (invited perspective for Nature Reviews Materials) -
Liquid Electronics: Structuring Liquids for Next-Generation Devices;
M. Tripathi*, *, M. A. S. R. Saadi, M. M. Rahman, P. M. Ajayan, A. Dalton; (invited perspective for Nature Nanotechnology) -
Controlled engineering of straintronics and twistronics in 2D materials;
M. Tripathi*, *, M. H. U. Rahman, S. Slathia, H. J. Wood, A. Sredenschek, X. Shuai, C. S. Tiwary, A. Mohite, M. Terrones, P. M. Ajayan, V. Meunier, A. B. Dalton; (under review, Small) -
In-situ Control of vdW Twist via Fe Diffusion in Bilayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenide MoS₂;
*, J. Elkins*, S. Agrawal*, I. Chukwunyere, Y. Wang, T. Terlier, S. Kar, S. Suwas, V. Meunier, P. M. Ajayan; (in preparation) -
Formation, modulation, and Ostwald ripening of nanowrinkles in 2D heterostructures;
, J. G. McHugh, F. Lee, A. A. Graf, H. Wood, S. Ogilvie, P. Lynch, C. Wei, C. Boland, J. Parthenios, K. Papagelis, S. Roy, A. Biswas, M. M. Rahman, G. Venkataramana, C. S. Tiwary, P. M. Ajayan, A. B. Dalton, M. Tripathi; (in preparation)
Patents
Patents and applicationsIP
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Hybridized Two-Dimensional Heterostructures;
Pulickel M. Ajayan, Sathvik Ajay Iyengar, Anchal Srivastava, Vincent Meunier; Patent pending (2025) -
Co-evaporation of monomer pairs for covalent organic framework film growth;
Jeremy Daum, Alec Ajnsztajn, Sathvik Ajay Iyengar, Rafael Verduzco, Pulickel M. Ajayan; US Patent Application 18/817,919 (2025) -
Multilayer multifunctional nasal filter;
T. Pradeep, Arun Karthick S, Srikrishnarka Pillalamarri, Vishal Kumar, Ramesh Kumar, Sathvik Ajay; PCT/IN2018/050108 (2018)
Service and Teaching Development
Teaching, education development, and invited talks
- 2025 Invited Talk: Georgia State University, Department of Chemistry, “Atomically-thin Interfaces: From Nanoscale Physics to Membranes and Biophysics”
- 2025 Invited Talk: Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, “Electronic Interfaces between Atomically-thin Heterostructures and Hybrids”
- 2025 Fall Materials Research Society: Best talk in NM01 (Scalable 2D Materials: Synthesis, Processing, Metrology, and Device Implementation)
- 2022 Rice NSF Research Traineeship Representative: Poster presentation and press release, NRT Annual Meeting, Blacksburg, VA
- Fall 2021, 2022 Graduate Teaching Assistant, MSNE503: Thermodynamics in Materials Science; Instructor: Prof. Ming Tang; Level: Graduate & Undergraduate
- 2021–present Graduate Advisory Board Liaison for Teaching, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Center for Teaching Excellence, Rice University
Addendum: Certificate in Teaching Excellence (2022–2024)
This two-year graduate-level certification through Rice University’s Center for Teaching Excellence centered on evidence-based pedagogy and reflective practice. It included applied training in de-jargonizing technical material, scaffolding, peer feedback, instructional design, and inclusive teaching, and it concluded with a synthesis capstone mini-thesis grounded in both education literature and classroom implementation.
Contact
Location
Berkeley, CA