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Lauren Garten joined the School of Material Science and Engineering as an assistant professor in Fall 2021. Her group focuses on developing new materials for energy and electronic applications, particularly at the nexus between ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, electronics, and photovoltaics.
Lauren received her B.S. in ceramic engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in material science from the Pennsylvania State University for her work on ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric synthesis and characterization with Prof. Susan Trolier-McKinstry. She then became a post-doc at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory working on metastable materials for energy applications. After a very short stint as a material scientist at Sandia National Laboratory, she won the NRC Research Associateship from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Math which was hosted at the U.S. Naval Research Lab (NRL). She then received the Jerome and Isabella Karle Distinguished Scholar Fellowship from NRL to work on lead-free multiferroic materials and devices.
TECHNICAL REPORTS
Doctor of Philosophy in Material Science and Engineering (2014), The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Bachelor of Science in Ceramic Engineering, Magna Cum Laude (2008), University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO
Our group is investigating how material properties can be coupled to create new functionalities or enhanced performance. Specifically, we focus on the synthesis and characterization of ferroelectric thin films and multiferroic heterostructures. In a ferroelectric, the structure and electrical response can be changed by the application of an electric field.
Ferroelectrics are traditionally used in ultrasounds, sonar transducers, actuators, sensors, energy harvesters, adaptive optics, timing standards, radio frequency filters, accelerometers, capacitors, and memory. Here we are developing ferroelectric materials not only for these applications, but also to study how ferroelectricity can be used to enhance charge separation, polarization, and capture when used in or placed adjacent to photovoltaic, catalytic, or magnetic materials.
Research Areas:
• Ferroelectrics • Multiferroics • Piezoelectrics • Flexoelectrics • Magnetoelectrics • Photoferroics • Bulk photovoltaic effect • Dielectrics in extreme environments • Metastable materials synthesis
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