Dr. Fatemeh (Shadi) Shahedipour-Sandvik

Dean of Graduate Studies; Professor

SUNY Polytechnic Institute
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
257 Fuller Road
Albany, NY 12203
518-437-8620
Email: sshahedipour-sandvik@sunypoly.edu  
If you're interested in our work or want to work with us, email wbgoptronix@sunypoly.edu

F. (Shadi) Shahedipour-Sandvik received the Bsc degree in physics from University of Tehran-Iran and the PhD degree in experimental solid-state physics from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1992, and 1998, respectively.

From 1998 to 2001, she held a postdoctoral and Research Associate positions in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering at Northwestern University, respectively. There, she was the first to report a fully packaged GaN-based photocathode detector for solar-blind applications. In 2001, she joined the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, where she is currently a Professor of Engineering. Her research focus is on development of understanding of materials characteristics-device performance relationship, enabling improved performance and/or functionality of opto/electronic/sensing devices based on III-nitride material systems. Her current research interests include the theoretical study/simulation, design, fabrication and measurement of Cs-free photocathodes, high power HEMT, photon detectors, and beta(photo)voltaics-based on III-Nitrides. Dr. Shahedipour-Sandvik was appointed the first Presidential Fellow with the Research Foundation for SUNY in 2013, SUNY Provost Fellow in 2012, and was awarded NY Governor’s 2005 Woman of Excellence Award for her professional accomplishment and contribution to the community. She is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electronic Materials.

Emma Rocco

Research Assistant

SUNY Polytechnic Institute
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
257 Fuller Road
Albany, NY 12203
518-442-2576 (Office)

Hailing from Saratoga Springs, NY, I graduated from Smith College with a BS in Engineering Science and a minor in physics in 2016. During my time at Smith I gained experience through internships at the City of Cohoes, SUNY Polytechnic Institute CNSE, and Schneider Electric. Following graduation from Smith, I joined Prof. Shadi’s group in the summer of 2016 to pursue a PhD in Nanoscale Engineering.

I am passionate about engineering education, and specifically increasing representation of minorities within engineering. Additionally, I have a strong interest in environmental ethics and the impact the semiconductor industry has on the environment. In my free time I enjoy taking ballet class, medieval languages, and strong coffee.

Research Interests

• MOCVD growth
• Electrical and structural characterization of materials and devices
• Device design through polarization engineering
• Optimization and modification of surfaces and interfaces

Vincent Meyers

Research Assistant

SUNY Polytechnic Institute
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
257 Fuller Road
Albany, NY 12203
518-442-2576 (Office)

Research Interests

• Design, fabrication, testing and characterization of 2-DEG High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT) devices.
• Wide band gap semiconductor physics
• Photoconductive semiconductor switching
• Nonlinear optics of semiconductors

Biographical Sketch

I have a BS/BA double in Physics and Government from Houston Baptist University, where my capstone project focused on simulation of Planck-length dependence of quantum well depth. I obtained my MS in Electrical Engineering in 2016, where my thesis research focused on measuring and modelling nonlinear optical absorption in GaN and SiC at below- and above-band gap optical energies. Additional post-master's research focused on the development of a pulse-charged, high-gain semi-insulating GaN photoconductive switch. My current work in Dr. Shahedipour-Sandvik's lab concerns fabrication of high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), and thermal activation of Mg-doped GaN.​

Ben McEwen

Research Assistant

SUNY Polytechnic Institute
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
257 Fuller Road
Albany, NY 12203
518-442-2576 (Office)

Ben McEwen received a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 2017. During his time as an undergraduate, he studied the effects of epitaxial strain on tunable dielectric materials. Since joining Prof. Shahedipour-Sandvik’s lab in spring of 2018, he has been working on the design, fabrication, and characterization of MIS and MIS-HEMT devices. During his free time, Ben enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time outdoors.

Alireza Lanjani

Research Assistant

SUNY Polytechnic Institute
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
257 Fuller Road
Albany, NY 12203
518-442-2576 (Office)

I received my BS in physics from the University of Tehran and then my MS in physics from Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Following graduation from AUT, I joined Prof. Shadi’s group in Fall 2021 to pursue a Ph.D. in Nanoscale Engineering. My current work in the WBG lab is focused on the simulation of III-N materials, design, fabrication, and characterization of GaN-based photodetectors.