Program Basics

The UMD/NIST PML fellows program is formally know as the NIST Nanoscale Science and Technology Postdoctoral and Visiting Senior Fellowship Program.

The program is funded by a cooperative agreement between the NIST PML (Physical Measurement Laboratory) and UMD's IREAP, and supports research projects within various nanoscience measurement topics.

Researchers at all levels are hired at UMD's IREAP to work at NIST PML in Gaithersburg, MD with mentorship from a project leader from either the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division or the Nanoscale Device Characterization Division.

Fellows publish and present at professional conferences while receiving personalized professional development mentorship as part of the program. Alumni have gone on to positions in academia, government labs, and industry.

The program has existed since 2006, starting under the leadership of Ellen Williams, and has served 170 fellows to date.

Nandita AbhyankarNandita Abhyankar
Amit AgrawalAmit Agrawal
NIST Fellows no photoJasleen Bindra
Sean BlakleySean Blakley
Hsin-Yun (Joy) ChaoHsin-Yun (Joy) Chao
Lu ChenLu Chen
Melanie ChestnutMelanie Chestnut
Sergey DushenkoSergey Dushenko
Justin ElenewskiJustin Elenewski
Sungmin KimSungmin Kim
Xiyuan LuXiyuan Lu
Advait MadhavanAdvait Madhavan
Yulia MaximenkoYulia Maximenko
Maicol OchoaMaicol Ochoa
Jeffrey SchwartzJeffrey Schwartz
Ashutosh RaoAshutosh Rao
Evgheni StrelcovEvgheni Strelcov
Philippe TalatchianPhilippe Talatchian
NIST Fellows no photoDaniel (Ming-Chun) Tang
Polina VabishchevichPolina Vabishchevich
Christopher WallinChristopher Wallin
Mingkang WangMingkang Wang
NIST Fellows no photoFei Xue
Yang YangYang Yang
NIST Fellows no photoJulia Zhang

The Team

Roxanne Defendini

Roxanne Defendini

Roxanne is the program's Business Coordinator, leading all aspects related to fellow appointments, purchases, travel, and VISA matters.

She and Daniel S. lead the program's diversity and visibility initiatives.

Daniel Lathrop

Daniel Lathrop

Dan is the program's Principal Investigator, supervising the entire program and providing professional development mentoring.

Daniel Serrano

Daniel Serrano

Daniel is the program's Scientific Coordinator, ensuring that fellows have what they need to perform their research. He leads professional development initiatives, including one-on-one mentoring and a seminar/workshop series. Daniel works with each fellow individually to ensure they align their activities with their future career goals.

He and Roxanne lead the program's equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Projects/Mentors

Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division

Check out the Microsystems and Nanotechnology group and project leaders (possible mentors) for each of the topics. Find out more about the division on their site.

    Nanoscale Device Characterization Division

    Check out the Nanoscale Device Characterization group and project leaders (possible mentors) for each of the listed topics. Find out more about the division on their site.


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