Event
MSE Seminar: Dr. Ashutosh Giri, UMD
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
3:30 p.m.
Room 2110 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Sherri Tatum
301-405-5240
statum12@umd.edu
“Nanoscale Thermal Transport: From Fundamentals to Devices”
Abstract: The continued miniaturization of electronic devices, coupled with ever-increasing operating speeds, has created critical challenges in thermal management. Despite its central role in device performance and reliability, the intrinsic thermal conductivity of materials at the nanoscale is often underutilized, with heat mitigation largely delegated to packaging solutions. However, as device dimensions shrink and operating frequencies rise, heat accumulation—driven by dense interfaces and rapid energy dissipation—becomes a fundamental bottleneck. This talk explores the emerging opportunity to actively control and engineer thermal transport at submicron length scales and femto- to picosecond time scales in different types of material systems. I will present our recent experimental and computational efforts aimed at uncovering the fundamental mechanisms governing heat flow at the nanoscale. These insights open pathways to novel functionalities and technologies, including thermal switches, diodes, and improved thermal management strategies for energy systems such as rechargeable batteries.
Bio: Dr. Ash Giri is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, where he joined the faculty in 2025. Prior to this, he served as a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island from 2020 to 2025. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2016.
Dr. Giri’s research focuses on understanding energy transport, conversion, and storage across nano- to macro-scale systems. His group integrates advanced laser-based optical techniques with state-of-the-art computational methods to uncover fundamental mechanisms governing thermal and energy processes.
He has authored over 115 peer-reviewed journal publications, including articles in leading journals such as Nature, Nature Materials, and Physical Review Letters. His contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the ASME Bergles–Rohsenow Young Investigator Award in Heat Transfer, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering Outstanding Early Career Faculty Research Award.
