BALANDIN GROUP AT UCLA

Balandin Group conducts fundamental, basic science, research aimed at understanding the properties of strongly correlated quantum materials and developing new electronic, optical, and energy conversion devices based on such materials. The underlying phenomena determining or affecting the properties of these novel materials are closely associated with phonons, i.e. quanta of crystal lattice vibrations. The materials systems of interest include 1D and 2D van der Waals materials, charge-density-wave condensate materials, and quantum, topological, and chiral materials. To investigate the properties of low-dimensional materials we fabricate the test structures in the UCLA CNSI cleanroom and conduct measurements in the laboratories operated by the group. If you are a student interested in delivering the next breakthrough in materials research, which will have a game-changing impact on future electronic and energy conversion devices, this group is for you. 

The Balandin Group is internationally recognized for pioneering studies of the thermal properties of graphene and few-layer graphene, and the discovery of unique features of phonon thermal transport in two-dimensional (2D) materials. The spectroscopy-based optothermal technique developed in the group for the first measurements of the thermal conductivity of graphene became a standard method for investigating the thermal properties of various 2D materials. The group is also known for its key contributions to the nanoscale phonon engineering concept and the phononics field. It accomplished several firsts in the field, including the possibility of controlling thermal conductivity by spatial confinement of the acoustic phonons, the experimental proof of confined acoustic phonon polarization branches in semiconductor nanowires, and the demonstration of the charge-density-wave devices at room temperature. In recognition of these discoveries, Professor Balandin received the MRS Medal from the Materials Research Society and the Pioneer of Nanotechnology Award from the IEEE Society. More information about the group’s achievements can be found at UCLA POEM LAB.

Presently, the research activities in the Balandin Group include quasi-1D and quasi-2D van der Waals materials; quantum and strongly correlated materials; low-frequency electronic noise and noise spectroscopy; inelastic light scattering spectroscopy; and heat conduction in graphene and few-layer graphene. The photos below demonstrate the exciting research of the current group members. If you would like to join the research group as a Ph.D. student you should demonstrate a strong interest in materials engineering, a background in solid-state physics, motivation for graduate education, natural curiosity, and the ability for independent work. As a group member, you should be able to enjoy life in neighborhoods around UCLA: Westwood, Hollywood, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Century City. You should also be ready to endure UCLA’s status as the number one public university in the U.S.A., according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 “Best Colleges” list, and all that comes with this status, maintained by UCLA for many years.  

Figure 1: Curious and happy Ph.D. students are loading a test structure, they fabricated in the UCLA cleanroom for electronic transport measurements (left panel). Well-dressed Ph.D. students are using an advanced microscope to visualize the nanostructure they fabricated.   

Figure 2: Ph.D. students in Balandin Group enjoy access to the most advanced nanofabrication tools and materials characterization facilities at UCLA, the number one public university in the U.S.A. for many years in a row.

If you are interested in a Ph.D. position with the group, apply for the next Fall quarter, and after that, email the PI.

If you are a current M.S. student at the MSE department interested in the capstone or thesis option, email the PI. 

The Balandin Group operates the Phonon Optimized Engineered Materials (UCLA POEM) Laboratory. The mission of the UCLA POEM Laboratory is to investigate phonon-related strongly correlated phenomena in advanced materials and develop innovative methods for controlling phonon transport and phonon interactions with other elemental excitations in advanced materials. The UCLA POEM Laboratory’s facilities include Raman spectroscopy, Brillouin – Mandelstam spectroscopy, electrical and thermal characterization equipment, electronic noise spectroscopy, microscopy, and other materials characterization equipment. The equipment consists of the van der Waals materials transfer systems, Quantum Design PPMS and Lake Shore testing systems, glove boxes, microscopy equipment, and the low-frequency electronic noise system. The group members take advantage of access to the UCLA NanoLab operated by the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and other advanced user facilities at UCLA. The images above illustrate the optothermal technique developed by Professor Balandin for measuring the thermal properties of graphene and few-layer graphene. The image, below, has been the official logo of the Balandin Group for many years.