Jens Neu 

Group Leader

Jens got his Ph.D. from the Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, in Germany for his research into THz Metamaterials. After graduation he moved to the United States. He joined the Chemistry Department at Yale university where he study amino acids, peptides, and nanoparticles under the supervision of Charles A. Schmuttenmaer. He then also joined the  molecular biophysics and biochemistry department at Yale, studying conductivity and photophysics in proteins.

In January 2023, Jens became group leader of his own research group in the department of Physics at UNT. His research interests cover THz spectroscopy on any material that is exciting (or can be excited :) ). A particular focus lies on materials for renewable energy production, i.e. solar cells. 

Kendra Hamilton

Graduate Student 

Kendra graduated from the University of North Texas (UNT) with a bachelor's in physics in May of 2023. She began studying Terahertz spectroscopy in January of 2023  joining our group for her graduate studies. She is working toward her PhD in physics at UNT. Kendra's primary interest is the study of emerging solar materials. 

Danil Khaiumov

Graduate Student

Ensieh Poshtkouhian Bavi

Graduate Student

Ensieh Bavi holds a B.S. and M.S. in physics from the University of Mazandaran in Iran. Ensieh joined our group as  Ph.D. student in physics Summer 2024. She conducts interdisciplinary research with a concentration on the green fabrication of Micro/Nanomaterials for different applications. Driven by the recent advances in the field of polymer science and the application of polymers in various fields, her goal is to fabricate polymeric-based materials with a specific physical property for different applications including Biomaterials, Drug delivery, Tissue Engineering, Food Nanotechnology, sustainable materials, and Bioelectronics.

Hugo A. Gallardo

Graduate Student

On May 2022, Hugo A. Gallardo received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and minors in pure mathematics and computer science from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He then worked as a quality engineer for a Japanese automobile manufacturer before beginning work toward his PhD in physics at the University of North Texas (UNT). Hugo’s research consists largely of Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for gas capture, occasionally working with his colleagues in the terahertz (THz) laboratory to verify the validity of the simulations. In his spare time, Hugo indulges in pure mathematics — particularly topology —, hiking, and road trips.

Mari Salinas

Undergraduate Student

Mari is an undergraduate in our group. Her research focuses on instrumentation for ultrafast spectroscopy, specifically autocorrelation, and materials synthesis. She is working on dye-sensitized solar materials. 

Meghna Subramanium

Undergraduate Student

Meghna is an undergraduate studying physics at the University of California, Berkeley. She has studied terahertz spectroscopy with Jens for the past two summers and is always excited to learn more about the characterization and applications of emerging materials.