May 4, 2021 | No Comments | By Sarah Preis
Susanna Thon, HEMI Fellow and associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been featured in the Optics and Photonics News in a Q&A about her work, career, and lessons learned.
In the feature, Thon speaks to her passion for mentoring others and emphasizes the importance of networking, communication, and leadership skills for career development. She also provides advice to young scientists who are discouraged about their current career path, shares information she wishes she had early on in her career, and discusses what she has learned through mentorship: as both a mentor and a mentee.
Optics and Photonics News is The Optical Society’s monthly news magazine. It provides in-depth coverage of recent developments in the field of optics, as well as informative pieces on topics from science and society to business. OPN strives to make optics accessible to researchers, engineers, businesspeople and students.
Thon’s work applies techniques from nanophotonics and scalable fabrication to produce devices and materials with novel optical and electrical functionality. Her team is currently working on a number of projects, including the development of plasmonic-photocatalytic systems that use nanoparticles containing aluminum to enhance light absorption in titanium dioxide. Team members are also researching ways to use nanostructured materials, such as colloidal quantum dots and plasmonic metal nanoparticles, to build multicolored, transparent, and next-generation devices.
Read her full Q&A here.