Abstract； Transformation of materials from one form into another has fascinated scientists over the centuries. Complex oxides, a class of ceramic materials possess electronic and magnetic properties that can be perturbed dramatically by subtle changes in crystal chemistry or external fields. I will discuss the topic of insulator-metal transitions in strongly correlated oxides, their control via disorder, orbital occupancy and electric fields and challenges these systems pose to our contemporary understanding of emergent phenomena in ionic lattices. Time permitting, I will discuss our recent efforts to adapt these wonderful properties in neuroscience and evolutionary biology.

 

Bio:  S. Ramanathan received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. He served on the research staff at Components Research, Intel for over three years. Subsequently he served on the Applied Physics faculty at Harvard University for nearly a decade. Presently he is a faculty member in materials at Purdue University.