Two grad students’ impact on advanced materials for energy and electronics

How James Unzaga and Leo Georgopoulos are using the National Science Foundation Fellowship to improve electronics

Since 2008, Beckwith-Bascom Professor Mike Arnold has led a research group on advanced materials for energy and electronics. The group currently has 10 students: a mixture of postdocs, PhD students, masters students and a few undergraduates. Beyond academic achievement and interest, Professor Arnold says that there are additional attributes he assesses when recruiting students for the program.

“I like to recruit people with good personalities that are fun to work with, positive, and who like doing things outside of the lab,” Arnold says. “So James and Leo fit that really well.” 

James Unzaga and Leonidas (Leo) Georgopoulos enjoy rock climbing together. They have even participated in the Crazylegs Classic, an annual 8K that Arnold has promoted among students and faculty – even making it a competition between the two groups to see who can finish the fastest. It’s these camaraderie-building experiences that make students like James and Leo successful in and out of the lab.

Their ability to work hard, and have fun while doing it, has brought the two PhD candidates national recognition. 

The National Science Foundation appointed James and Leo as research fellows starting in 2023. Now, a year into their three-year fellowships, both of them have had some time to reflect upon why they chose to pursue PhDs within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, what they have accomplished in their research group and where they see themselves after they’ve earned their degrees. 

Why they chose Wisconsin 

Growing up in Utah and Montana, James earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Montana State University Billings. When considering what he wanted to do after undergrad, James says he felt compelled to study solid states of matter. 

“From a very young age, I have always been interested in electronics,” James says. “So to finally understand how they work and how to make them better, I felt was really powerful.” 

Other factors guided James towards Madison too, including the city size and having Professor Arnold as an advisor. 

Like James, Leo said being a part of Professor Arnold’s research group was a major selling point. A Chicago-native, Leo obtained his bachelor’s in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University. There, he conducted research with Professor Mark Hersam – who served as Mike Arnold’s advisor when he was pursuing his PhD. 

That personal connection led Leo to an intellectual one: “At first, I thought I would maybe like to do physics or chemistry – I was also interested in electronics – but then I realized materials science was a middle ground between all of these things.”

And it was here, in that middleground, where Leo and James have conducted invaluable research. 

What they’ve accomplished 

In Arnold’s group, students are researching new materials for semiconductor electronics and energy applications. Their main goal is to address fundamental materials challenges, particularly in the nanometer scale, so that they can further advance technology such as integrated circuits, communication technology, unconventional electronics, solar cells and photodetectors, artificial materials, sensors and chemical separations. 

James and Leo’s research revolves around carbon nanotubes, a super strong material that measures only one billionth of a meter in diameter. 

Since 2014, the research group has been studying carbon nanotubes to upgrade electronics in a major way. While computer chips are currently made out of silicon, Arnold hopes his group can learn how to make them out of carbon. Back in 2022, the group was even featured on Bloomberg’s QuickTake for their work. 

“It could be a pretty transformative discovery in that there’s computer chips in every device we have,” Arnold says. “If we could be successful in our research, we could put our material into every computer chip in the world.” 

Leo stresses that these discoveries did not occur overnight, however; the research is a culmination of the group’s efforts. “Some people in the group have been gone for 10 years, but the stuff that they did, it’s still being used now,” he says. 

When considering how the group and its discoveries have evolved, Leo says he has a clear goal in mind: to make an impact. 

Where they’re headed 

Not only does Leo hope to make a meaningful impact on the materials science and engineering industry, but also on the research group. After he receives his PhD within the next four to five years, he hopes others will carry on the group’s legacy. 

As for James, he plans to take what he’s learned here to lead projects that have scientific merit and make a difference. He hopes to wrap up his PhD in the next three years. But as he looks forward, James also looks back on his decision to pursue his PhD at UW-Madison. 

Being a part of the Advanced Materials for Energy and Electronics research group has been equally about research and fun. Rock climbing, Crazylegs and picnics have all added to his experience here. 

His recommendation: “If anyone is on the fence about applying, just do it.” 

You can apply for our graduate programs on our website. For more information about the Research Group on Advanced Materials for Energy and Electronics, check out their website. If you have specific questions about the research group, they can be directed to Professor Mike Arnold. 

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