Lightning up the Smart Materials: Applications and Structural Insights

Lightning up the Smart Materials: Applications and Structural Insights brings together researchers exploring light-responsive molecules, photoswitches, and advanced functional materials. The symposium highlights how molecular systems respond to light, undergo structural transformations, and enable applications in  soft materials, and adaptive technologies. It emphasizes the connection between molecular structure, dynamics, and material performance using approaches such as solid-state NMR, electron diffraction, optical spectroscopy, EPR, and computational modeling. The program fosters interdisciplinary discussion on emerging strategies for designing, characterizing, and optimizing next-generation light-activated materials for scientific and technological applications.

Convened by

• Claudia Avalos, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, NYU; 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD
• Brijith Thomas, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD