Sreeprasad Sreenivasan

A “long-haul” paper is finally out in Adv. Mater. We show GNR FETs can reach single-molecule-level sensitivity and controlled edge roughness can enhance sensing . Big shout-out to Kavish for leading + thanks to collaborators & CINT for facility support. advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad…

New paper in Small: chromite spinels where Lewis acidity predicts and controls OER reconstruction. Operando EIS + DFT link acidity → shell growth + lattice oxygen activation. Congrats Abhirami for your first paper!! DOI: 10.1002/smll.202508245 #OER #Electrocatalysis #Spinels

UTEP Chemistry is hiring a TT Assistant Prof in Analytical Chemistry (research + teach analytical/ instrumental; UG & grad). R1 + HSI campus, ACS-certified BS, MS & PhD. Apply & help shape impact in water/air, border-health, energy/materials. utep.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetail…

1. Why are you meeting? Most people think it’s to check in on work. It’s actually to build trust, show you care, and develop your team. The work is the vehicle. Your relationship is the engine. Tip: Be explicit about these goals.

@Vero_Augustyn @UTEPCHEMISTRY @VillagranLab @HarishBanda3 @RobertPankow Thank you for accepting the invite and visiting us. It was a great talk🙌

Spin-selective catalysis on single molecules aided by in-Siri geometrical transformation. Latest from the lab FQML. Congrats @KavishSaini7 et al.

🔥Just out in @NanoLetters from @fqmlutep: our work reveals the pivotal role of a catalyst’s magnetic moment and different spin potentials in enhancing OER!🧲✨ Kudos Aruna!🎉🌀Big shoutout to our collaborators at Villagran Lab & Rao Group🔬🤝 Learn more:pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…

#PhD student: Makes $30k a year. Works on weekends as well. Zero life-work balance. "Do you think I have a chance to become a professor?" Prof: "Yes, of course! Finish this project and we will publish excellent papers. I am sure you will easily find a faculty position." ▫️ 2 years later: Student finishes the project. Professor writes a report. Papers are published. Student: "Do you think my CV is strong enough?" Prof: "Yes, you are the best!" ▫️ Next 4 months: Student submits 50 well-tailored applications for faculty positions. Zero interviews. A lot of broken dreams. ▫️ Key takeaways: 1. Make sure you distinguish encouragement from reality. - By encouraging you, your advisor may unintentionally give you too much hope. Keep a cool head. 2. Always ask other faculties for external opinion on your case. - Your advisor’s opinion is always biased. Look for more input outside your group. 3. Don’t expect fairness during candidate selection. - Hiring process is subjective by definition. It is done by people with very different views on who is the best. You may put tons of efforts into a research statement only to find out later that no one really reads it. 4. The reality is brutal. - Departments can receive 300-500 candidates per opening. Many have excellent CVs and cool ideas. At top- and mid-rank universities, selection criteria can become extremely questionable (like, who exactly was your PhD advisor? Is your recomm. letter 3 pages long? etc). And there is no need to say “You don’t know anything about it. It’s not like this”. I went through this myself. Many times. Along with many colleagues. Do not expect fairness. See luck as a big factor. Apply broadly but have a backdoor ready. #AcademicTwitter

The perfect job or career path doesn’t exist. Every career has positives and negatives, and the key is to think about the positives that are most important to you and the negatives that you find most palatable, and know that what you choose doesn’t have to be your final choice.

PhD is largely about leadership development. Advisors play a major role in it. Especially their management & mentorship styles. Research topics are secondary. ▫️ Below are the key points for establishing a great #research group. They will help your students excel. ▫️ 1. Inspire students to lead their projects. They should feel ownership of their work. 2. Discourage them from seeing failures at work as global disasters. Explain that learning requires failures. 3. Train them how to see the “big picture” (instead of always focusing on the details of their work). 4. Discourage excessive perfectionism. Teach them how to be efficient. 5. Inspire them to become a better version of their advisor. Not a copy!!! 6. Urge them to give as many talks as possible. At seminars, conferences and any local events. Well-developed communication skills are paramount for their future. 7. Help students develop networking skills. Introduce them to your colleagues and collaborators. 8. Let them to lead the collaborations that you initiated for their project. If there’s none, consider introducing collaborations into your student’s project. 9. At seminars, encourage them to ask questions & discuss their own topics with speakers whenever possible. 10. Ask for feedback on your approaches and group environment. Show them that getting feedback is normal and helpful for a group leader. Your #studentswill become greater team builders in the future. 11. Ensure that students ask each other for help and advice. They shouldn’t get used to solving problems solely on their own. It won’t make them great leaders. 12. Ensure their projects don't imply overworking. Help them make new collaborations if the project is too complex and time-consuming. 13. Discuss “senior” academic stuff (grants, budgets, tenure, etc). Help students understand how academia works. Encourage asking questions and have a group-wide discussion! 14. Diversify their skills and knowledge by giving access to experimental facilities and connecting them with experts. 15. Force them to prioritize lab safety over anything else. 16. Emphasize the importance of programming languages for data processing and analysis (Python, Julia, Matlab). It can significantly broaden their career opportunities. 17. Finally, don’t make them feel uncomfortable about having their personal lives. Let them manage their time! When to come and leave the lab, when to take vacation and how long it should be. Trust their judgement! There are many more points. But even if you follow these points, it will make a big difference for your students. ▫️ PhD graduates can become great leaders in various industry. And advisors can become a catalyst of their big adventures. ▫️ #AcademicTwitter #phdvoice #AcademicChatter

Becoming a leader means shifting your focus from doing to empowering. The important metric is no longer what you can get done yourself, but rather how you can empower others to do their best work.

UTEP commencement and Aruna’s doctoral hooding done!!! Congrats Dr. Aruna. Proud of you!!!

My second PhD student, Aruna, successfully defended her thesis. She is truly exceptional, and I am immensely proud. I eagerly anticipate her future accomplishments as a research leader. A future start in the making!!!!! Congratulations, Aruna!

You don’t have to be “brainy” to be a scientist. Here are some quotes from the book by Peter Medawar, a biologist and a Nobel laureate. (+ my comments) #AcademicTwitter #science #phdlife

The FQML participated in the 2023 Semiannual in-person ElectroCat meeting at Santa Fe. Enjoyed it a lot. Presented our research, met potential collaborators, and learned a lot. There was a snowstorm to make it more interesting. Looking forward to the next.

A great start to 2023. Congrats Alexis and Ana. Article in @ACSEnergyLett Many more to come. Stay tuned to @fqmlutep sreenivasanlab.com

Attention to detail...to get attention...

Super excited for my student @Aruna97988575 who is the winner and people's choice of the 3MT competition @UTEP. Now she will compete in the regional 3MT competition. Kudos!!! @UTEPCHEMISTRY @fqmlutep

Do not miss our new article on 3D printing of Li-ion batteries! NMC111 positive electrode via vat photopolymerization precursors approach 🔋⚙️ @AnaC_MartinezM @TSSREEPRASAD @LoicDupont80 @panier_stephane @UTEP @fqmlutep @ORNL @youngstownstate @UPJV_Univ nature.com/articles/s4159…

My first student defended his thesis today. Super proud. He will start his independent career in January 2023. All the very best Mohamed.