Zahra Fakhraai
Born
Iran
Alma materSharif University of Technology
University of Waterloo
AwardsAPS John H. Dillon Medal (2019)
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Pennsylvania
University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Toronto

Zahra Fakhraai is an Iranian-Canadian materials scientist who is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Fakhraai does research focused on glass transition, nonlinear optics, nanoparticle plasmonics, and polymer physics. She studies the impact of nanoconfinement on the structure of materials. She was awarded the 2019 American Physical Society John H. Dillon Medal. Fakhraai was one of the researchers to start laying the ground work to better understand the optical properties of glass.[1]

Early life and education

Fakhraai studied physics at Sharif University of Technology.[2][3] She graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics in 1999 and a master's degree in 2001.[2] She moved to the University of Waterloo for her graduate studies, earning a PhD in 2007.[4] She worked on thin polymer films and how they interact with surfaces.[2] Farkhraai joined the University of Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow, working with Gilbert Walker. She moved to University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council fellow, where she worked with Mark Ediger.[5]

Career

Fakhraai was appointed to the University of Pennsylvania as an Assistant Professor in 2011.[2] She is a co-director of REACT (Research and Education in Active Coating Technologies for the Human Habitat), a program which trains students to develop new coating for disaster relief.[4] She studies material properties at small length scales and slow dynamics.[6] Specifically, she is interested in glassy materials at interfaces.[7][8] Her group demonstrated that below the glass transition temperature, the interfacial dynamics of materials are orders of magnitude faster than dynamics in the bulk. They investigate how this mobile interfacial layer impacts the properties of the materials.[7]

Understanding the dynamics of the interfacial layer permits Fakhraai to produce glasses that are near-equilibrium at temperatures lower than their glass transition temperature, using physical vapour deposition.[7][9] The glass transition temperature represents the temperature at which a system is unable to reach an equilibrium on lab timescales.[9] Physical vapour deposition allows each molecule that is deposited on the surface to experience enhanced mobility, allowing them to reach their lowest energy state.[9] She studies how chemical structure and fabrication techniques impact the optoelectronic properties of thin films, including their birefringence and charge transport.[7][10] She demonstrated that it is possible to make amorphous phases of glass at high density.[10][11]

Fakhraai's group have developed synthetic routes to create dielectric-core gold nanoparticles.[7] These nanoparticles can be used for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, biological sensing and temperature monitoring. Their random molecular packing results in an inherently disordered structure and magnetic dipole plasmons.[7] Her recent work has looked at the surface assembly and adhesion of amyloid aggregates using atomic force microscopy.[7][12] Her group have developed high resolution characterisation techniques to study amyloid aggregates in aqueous conditions.[7] She also studies the growth of peptides and proteins in two- and three-dimensions, as well as supercooled liquids.[13][14]

Fakhraai was concerned about the impact of Donald Trump's travel ban and has spoken about the need to support students protected by the DACA program.[15][16][17] She is an advocate for women in science, and has urged social scientists to consider the agency and humanity of women scientists when talking about a so-called gender-equality paradox.[18]

Fakhraai collaborated with Tianyi Liu and Patrick Walsh, a chemistry professor. They designed and synthesised a new molecule with a perfect spherical shape. This unique molecule can never align themselves with any substrate as they are deposited. Results were these stable glasses are birefringent, a surprising result in a round material.[19]

Awards and honours

References

  1. ↑ "Researchers lay groundwork to better understanding optical properties of glass". phys.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Zahra Fakhraai | Fakhraai Group". web.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  3. ↑ "PRISM/PCCM SEMINAR SERIES FALL 2016: Zahra Fakhraai, University of Pennsylvania". PRISM. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  4. 1 2 "Alumni Profile: Zahra Fakhraai". Science. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  5. ↑ "Professor Zahra Fakhraai | UW-Madison Department of Chemistry". www.chem.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  6. ↑ Fakhraai, Zahra; Forrest, James A. (2005-07-07). "Probing Slow Dynamics in Supported Thin Polymer Films". Physical Review Letters. 95 (2): 025701. Bibcode:2005PhRvL..95b5701F. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.95.025701. ISSN 0031-9007. PMID 16090698.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Department of Chemistry". www.chem.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  8. ↑ Fakhraai, Z.; Forrest, J. A. (2008-02-01). "Measuring the Surface Dynamics of Glassy Polymers". Science. 319 (5863): 600–604. doi:10.1126/science.1151205. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 18239120. S2CID 20464858.
  9. 1 2 3 "NSF Award Search: Award#1628407 - Engineering Stable Glass Films Using Molecular Design and Surface-Mediated Equilibration". nsf.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  10. 1 2 "New structural and optical properties of glass are identified". www.laserfocusworld.com. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  11. ↑ "Birefringent Stable Glasses with Predominantly Isotropic Molecular Orientation | MRSEC". mrsec.org. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  12. ↑ Fakhraai, Zahra; Petersson, E. James; Lin, Yi-Chih (2015-01-27). "Detailed Mechanism of Rapid Amyloid Fibril Self-Assembly Due to Surface Diffusion". Biophysical Journal. 108 (2): 523a. Bibcode:2015BpJ...108..523L. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2014.11.2871. ISSN 0006-3495.
  13. ↑ "Zahra Fakhraai: DEPARTMENT FACULTY". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  14. ↑ "Dr. Zahra Fakhraai, University of Pennsylvania". physics.mcmaster.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  15. ↑ Writers, Susan Snyder, Jonathan Lai and Luis Ferre Sadurni, Staff. "Trump order leaves foreign students 'feeling trapped and isolated'". The Inquirer. Retrieved 2019-03-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Simon, Caroline. "Students and faculty affected by immigration ban face an uncertain future". www.thedp.com. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  17. ↑ Alberski, Ania. "At a Penn Democrats event, panelists call on students to protect DACA by taking concrete action". www.thedp.com. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  18. ↑ "Letters: Why Does Gender Equality Mean Fewer Women in STEM?". The Atlantic. 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  19. ↑ "Researchers lay groundwork to better understanding optical properties of glass". phys.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  20. ↑ "Frank J. Padden Jr. Award". www.aps.org. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  21. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award#1350044 - CAREER: Free Surface Mobility and its Role in the Formation of Exceptionally Stable Glasses". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  22. ↑ "Zahra Fakhraai Receives Sloan Fellowship | Department of Chemistry". www.chem.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  23. ↑ "Announcing The Journal of Physical Chemistry-PHYS Lectureship Award Winners". pubs.acs.org. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  24. ↑ "Zahra is Selected as a Penn Fellow | Fakhraai Group". web.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  25. ↑ "2018 Stanley Corrsin Award Recipient". www.aps.org. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  26. ↑ "Zahra Fakhraai Receives ACS WCC Award | Department of Chemistry". www.chem.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
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