Highlights
- The National Science Foundation awarded ASU $419,790 for a CAREER grant running July 2026 through June 2031.
- PI Sandhya Susarla will study how topology controls exciton confinement in twisted two-dimensional semiconductor materials.
- The project targets excitonic devices for low-power computing and includes K-12 outreach programs at ASU.
- ASU has now produced more than 220 professors who have received the NSF CAREER distinction, per university records.
The National Science Foundation has awarded Arizona State University $419,790 to study how topology shapes the behavior of excitons in twisted two-dimensional semiconductors, with the stated goal of advancing low-power computing devices.
Principal investigator Sandhya Susarla will lead the project, designated Award 2542499 under NSF's Condensed Matter Physics program. The grant period runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031.
The research focuses on how short- and long-range topological textures in real space modulate exciton confinement in twisted heterostructures. Excitons are quasiparticles sensitive to external perturbations such as strain and electric field; the project's non-technical abstract states that insights from the work are "expected to have far-reaching implications, including the development of excitonic devices for low-power computing."
The grant is a CAREER award, the NSF program that identifies promising early-career faculty and funds the integration of research with teaching. ASU has been a consistent recipient: the university has produced more than 220 professors who have received the NSF CAREER distinction, according to ASU News.
What is the educational component of this grant?
The project integrates two outreach programs aimed at K-12 students. Materials Your Mind targets middle schoolers and Let's Code Materials targets high schoolers, using visual arts and coding to introduce concepts of topology, lattices, and excitons. The abstract states these activities are "sustained and scaled through partnerships with existing outreach platforms within Arizona State University and support increased undergraduate recruitment into materials science and engineering."
The NSF award page lists the recipient organization as Arizona State University in Scottsdale. The full award record is available on the NSF AwardSearch database.
The grant period opens July 1, 2026.
Sources
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- nsf.gov retrieved 12/07/2026 01:22
- news.asu.edu retrieved 12/07/2026 01:22
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 12/07/2026 01:22. Every claim traces to a source.
