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Professor Emerita - Condensed Matter Experiment, Materials Science

Ph. D. University of Maryland, College Park, 1995
M.S., Pohang Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, 1990
B.S., Seoul National University, Korea, 1988

Research Interests

• Condensed Matter Experiments
• Materials Science
• Superconductivity
• Biophysics

My research theme has been perovskite oxide materials and their applications. My main research effort at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is developing scanning laser microscope (SLM) techniques and demonstrating the usage of SLM in high temperature superconductors. My group has developed and is in the process of developing several modes of SLM. A new mode of SLM enables us to visualize different physical properties in the specimens, most of which cannot be measured with any other techniques. Using SLM, we study basic quantum mechanical questions (such as quantum phase slip) and questions relevant in superconducting wire development (such as the dominant mechanism limiting current carrying capabilities, how superconducting thin films behave in ac current, etc.).

I have also begun a biophysics research using Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). I am interested in the formation and growth of protein aggregates, especially insulin and superoxide dismutase (SOD). We are using AFM to visualize the insoluble aggregates in order to understand how the population of aggregate species changes depending on the incubation conditions and in time.

What we do in the laboratory is applying physical concepts to solve materials issues which lead into further understanding of physical phenomena, understanding of material itself, and the actual usage of the materials in applications.