Air Force Young Investigator Award

MSI PI Ognjen Ilic (assistant professor, Mechanical Engineering) has received a 2022 Air Force Young Investigator Award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This award supports early-career researchers who show exceptional promise in conducting creative research in science and engineering that furthers the Air Force’s mission. The announcement appears on the Air Force Research Laboratory website: AFOSR Awards Grants to 36 Scientists and Engineers Through Its Young Investigator Research Program.

Professor Ilic’s project, “Macro-Scale and Long-Range Optical Actuation with Nanophotonic Materials,” will study the interaction between nanoscale optical systems and high-power beams of light. The project's goal is to develop the capability to mechanically manipulate objects at long distances. The group will leverage state of the art computational and nano-fabrication resources at the University of Minnesota to demonstrate prototypes of ultra-lightweight metamaterial objects that can be moved and manipulated by light. This work seeks to push the boundaries of contactless actuation, including for high-speed propulsion and metamaterial spacecraft without the need to carry onboard fuel.

Professor Ilic uses MSI to perform large-scale simulations of optical phenomena in nanoscale structures and to design materials and devices with new photonic functionalities.