Let's make Quantum Materials together!

Professor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

University of Maryland, College Park

Email: efrain@umd.edu

Phone: (301) 405-1541

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About Me

Education

Ph.D. Materials Science, May 2009, Department of Materials Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA
B.S. Materials Science, June 2003, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Professional Experience

Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2022 -- present
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2018 – 2022
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2012 – 2018
Affiliate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2013 – present
Affiliate Professor, Department of Physics, 2015 – present
National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellow, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2009-2012
Graduate Research Assistant and Post-baccalaureate Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Los Alamos, NM, 2003-2009
Board of Directors of the American Institute of Physics
UMD Quantum Materials Center
UMD Chemical Physics Program
Graduate Program Director for Chemistry (2018-2021)
Co-chair of the science program of the 2018 American Conference on Neutron Scattering
Tobin J. Marks Lecture on Chemical Discovery, chair (2020)
Co-organizer of annual Fundamentals of Quantum Materials Winter School
Memberships in: American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Neutron Scattering Society of America, American Crystallographic Association, and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

Research Interests

Materials and solid state chemistry. Inorganic quantum materials. Synthesis and characterization of transition metal oxides and chalcogenides. Neutron scattering investigation of magnetic materials. Exploratory synthesis of quantum materials using solvothermal and hydrothermal methods. Preparation of mesoporous metal oxides for defeat of chemical warfare agents. Structure-property relationships through crystallographic studies.

Major Recognitions and Honors

Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers
Margaret C. Etter Early Career Award in Crystallography
NSF CAREER Award
Office of Naval Research, MURI on Superconductivity
DOE Basic Energy Sciences grant in neutron scattering
UMD Graduate School Research and Scholarship Award
National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at NIST

Significant Professional Service and Activities

Faculty Co-Advisor of the American Chemical Society Club and Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Graduate Student Organization
Co-organizer of the first Neutron Day at the University of Maryland
Co-chair of the science program of the 2018 American Conference on Neutron Scattering
Co-organizer of symposia: ACS National Meeting Synthetic Chemistry Approaches to Magnetic Materials and Emergent Phenomena in the Solid State; American Crystallographic Association Meeting Materials Discovery and Crystal Growth
Co-organizer of the schools Fundamentals of Quantum Materials and School on Representational Analysis and Magnetic Structures
Memberships in American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Neutron Scattering Society of America, American Crystallographic Association, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
Other Campus Affiliations: Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials, UMD NanoCenter, UMD Energy Research Center, Chemical Physics Program
Outreach: Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Science and Technology Series for Spring 2017 & 2015; Panelist and participant for bilingual event titled Sábado de Ciencas and Paving the Way: Event for Latino High School Parents and Students, Northwestern High School, Fall 2014; Co-organizer and panelist Workshop STEM Expo for Parents sponsored by the Office for Minorities in Science and Engineering, 2014.

Fundamentals Of Quantum Materials: A Practical Guide To Synthesis And Exploration

Efrain E Rodriguez, Johnpierre Paglione, Nicholas P Butch

Despite a long tradition of sophisticated, creative materials synthesis among quantum materials researchers, a sense of broader community has been lacking. In initiating the Fundamentals of Quantum Materials Winter School held annually at the University of Maryland, we wanted to bring together the next generation of growers to learn techniques and pointers directly from senior scientists, and it turns out that we were not alone. The enthusiasm from both students and teachers has been both gratifying and invigorating. Four schools later, we can confidently say that physicists, chemists, and materials scientists, experimentalists and theorists alike, all want to know how to make a good sample. With this in mind, we asked our lecturers to record their most important ideas and share their expertise with a broader audience. This resource is a compilation of fundamental and practical guides on the modern methods of materials synthesis utilized by these experts. We hope that you enjoy reading their essential guidance and state-of-the-art techniques as you explore the Fundamentals of Quantum Materials.