Zhiyuan Fan Ph.D.
Recent Physics & Astronomy graduate Zhiyuan Fan Ph.D. completed his dissertation on “Optical Activity of Chiral Nanomaterials: Effects of Short Range and Long Range Electromagnetic Interactions.”
Fan used “DNA origami” to create new nanostructures that bend light in ways that do not occur naturally. His article on the structures made of gold nanoparticles (DNA-based self-assembly of chiral plasmonic nanostructures with tailored optical response) with his adviser Dr. Alexander Govorov, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, is one of the most-cited papers published in Nature.
Fan received a Clippinger Fellowship from Ohio University in 2012-13.
In His Words
“While a graduate student, most of my projects were related to plasmonic circular dichroism of chiral nanostructures. Currently I’m working at University of Texas at Austin as a postdoctoral researcher. I will continue working in the field of photonics and plasmonics, and focusing on design, analysis and optimization of novel electrooptic devices.
“At Ohio University, we have a team of very experienced professors at teaching and research. One may be a little slow at the beginning of his or her Ph.D. program, but don’t worry, our faculty speed. In my first year, I was just solving a Poission equation and wondering how plasmonics would work out of it. After six years, Dr. Govorov had taught me lots of stuff and guided me through about 20 projects in collaboration with research teams around the globe. I’m very grateful that I can study and work on my favorite subject while Dr. Govorov can always provide me with good advice and share with me the most updated information and experience of frontier projects in the field.
“Whatever job one may get into, teamwork and efficient communication are the most important factors for becoming a success. So every group meeting or seminar is a good opportunity for us students to practice such skills, as well as to be exposed to the latest research that may not be available in the classroom.
“It is often easier to solve a problem than to really understand the physics behind it. However, it’s the understanding of physics that allows scientists and engineers to create many new devices that are faster in operation, more compact in size and more efficient in energy consumption. The education at Ohio University has changed me from the ‘worker’ who routinely solved exercise problems to someone who will apply physics to real-world applications. But this is just the beginning, I will continue exploring the beauty of physics.”
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