Alem group research is focused on how advanced electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy techniques can be utilized to further solve the existing challenges in novel nanostructures and devices.  With the utilization of Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscopy (S/TEM) imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and through development of advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms, we aim to understand the underlying physics and chemistry at the atomic scale that leads to certain macroscale physical, electronic, and optical properties. Among all, defects and interfaces can modulate the electronic, plasmonic, and optical properties of nanostructures.  Alem group research is focused on understanding the atomic and chemical structure of the defects, edges, grain boundaries, and interfaces and their stability and transition dynamics using scanning/transmission electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy under static and dynamic conditions.

Our aim is to understand and develop structure-property relationships in a variety of nanostructures such as 2D materials, complex oxides, high entropy oxides, metalattices, and novel carbon-based and organic nanostructures. Using computer-aided analysis algorithms and through the quantification of the structure at the picometer regime, we aim to uncover the metrology of atomic structure at the defects, dopants, domain walls, and interfaces to further determine the underlying physics leading to anisotropy, symmetry breaking, polarization, configurational entropy, local strain, and ordering in nanostructures.