Nanoscale Horizons blog

Nanoscale Horizons 10^th Anniversary ‘Community Spotlight’ – Meeting our Emerging Investigators

Celebrating our Nanoscale Horizons Emerging Investigators!

Last year, we were pleased to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of Nanoscale Horizons. We are so grateful to our fantastic community of authors, reviewers, board members and readers, and wanted to showcase some of them in a series of ‘Community Spotlight’ blog articles.

In our latest ‘Community Spotlight’ blog, we feature some of our Nanoscale Horizons Emerging Investigators. Our Emerging Investigators are rising stars in the early stages of their independent careers, who have been identified as having the potential to influence future directions in the field.

Dr. Schoop received her Diploma in Chemistry from Johannes Gutenberg University (2010) and PhD in Chemistry from Princeton University (2015). She then went on to work as a Minerva fast-track fellow under Professor Bettina Lotsch at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (2015-2017). Dr. Schoop joined the Princeton University Department of Chemistry Faculty in 2017, was tenured in 2022 and promoted to full professor in 2024. Since 2024 she directs the Princeton Center for Complex Materials, an NSF-funded MRSEC. In 2019 she won the Beckman Young Investigator Award and became a Moore foundation EPiQS Materials Synthesis Investigator. In 2020 she was awarded the Packard fellowship for science and engineering and in 2021 the Sloan fellowship in Chemistry and the DOD Office of Naval Research Young Investigator award. In 2022 she was awarded the NSF CAREER award and in 2025 the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The Schoop lab studies Quantum Materials for a chemical perspective. They consider paradigms from chemistry such as chemical bonding to predict, synthesize and characterize new quantum materials. They also use novel synthetic approaches, aided by inorganic chemistry to synthesize yet unreleased quantum materials, both in bulk and 2D form. For example, they have established the use of liquid exfoliation as a valid route to synthesize 2D quantum materials and their inks.

1) Could you provide a brief summary of your most recent Nanoscale Horizons publication?

In our most recent Nanoscale Horizon publication, we report the first synthesis of free standing CrOCl monolayers. CrOCl has been researched for its unresting magic properties, especially when thin. Its exfoliation was not quite staring forward and needed some chemical tricks, which is the main advancement of the paper.

2) How has your research progressed on from the work published in your Emerging Investigators article?

Since we published the Emerging Investigator article, which was about using chemical exfoliation to synthesize 1D materials, we have deepened our knowledge about many specific aspects of chemical exfoliation. When are intercalates important, which kind of intercalates and modification of bulk structures are possible, and if we can make other 1D materials that way.

Read Leslie’s Emerging Investigator article here:

Chemical exfoliation of 1-dimensional antiferromagnetic nanoribbons from a non-van der Waals material

Mulan Yang, Guangming Cheng, Nitish Mathur, Ratnadwip Singha, Fang Yuan, Nan Yao and Leslie M. Schoop

Nanoscale Horiz., 2024, 9, 479-486

Dr Ahu Gumrah Dumanli-Parry is a Lecturer in Bioinspired Soft Matter at the University of Manchester and PI of the Bioinspired Functional Materials (BioFuM) research group. Her research sits at the intersection of materials science, biology, and design, developing adaptive and sustainable photonic materials inspired by nature’s hierarchical architectures. She investigates bottom-up self-assembly in natural polymers such as cellulose and chitin, translating molecular order into responsive optical systems for sensing, smart textiles, and sustainable packaging. Her work integrates soft matter physics, advanced optical characterisation, and scalable nanomanufacturing strategies to engineer structural colour with precision and efficiency. She established her independent laboratory in 2019 as a bp-ICAM Kathleen Lonsdale Research Fellow and was selected as a Nanoscale Horizons Emerging Investigator in 2023 for her work on edible cellulose-based colorimetric systems. Her research has since expanded into translational innovation, including the founding of Colorolicious, a university spin-out developing edible liquid-crystal colourants for food applications.

1) How do you feel about the Emerging Investigator collection in Nanoscale Horizons as a place to showcase research from early career researchers in nanoscience and nanotechnology?

Having been part of the Emerging Investigator collection myself, I know first-hand how impactful this platform can be. Early-career academics often produce highly original work but can struggle for visibility in a competitive publishing landscape. The RSC Emerging Investigator series provides precisely that visibility as these highlight independence and scientific creativity.
Importantly, I appreciate that the series recognises that academic careers are not linear. “Emerging” does not simply mean young or newly appointed; many researchers reach independence through diverse and sometimes non-traditional trajectories. By acknowledging this, the RSC demonstrates an inclusive and progressive understanding of what early-stage leadership in science truly means. That recognition matters deeply for building confidence and community within nanoscience.

2) Where do you see the nanoscience field in the next 10 years?

I may be biased, but I believe the future of nanoscience lies firmly in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary fileds. The grand challenges we face such as sustainability, energy transition, water security, food systems, waste reduction, health technologies, robotics, biotechnology, and AI (and so on) cannot be solved within isolated disciplinary silos.

Nanoscience will increasingly serve as the connective tissue between physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering. In my own work, bioinspired approaches provide a powerful framework. Nature has already solved many complex functional challenges at the nanoscale. By understanding and adapting those strategies, we can develop materials that are not only high-performing but also sustainable and adaptive.

3) In your opinion, how could members of the community be more involved with the journal?

I think focused thematic issues around emerging frontiers, for example sustainable nanomanufacturing, bioinspired photonics, AI-enabled nanomaterials could further energise the community. These curated themes help build identity and momentum around new directions.

I would also welcome more interactive community-building activities led by the journal workshops, panel discussions, or small focused symposia aligned with major conferences. Creating spaces where authors, reviewers, and editors can interact beyond manuscript submission strengthens scientific exchange. I would be very happy to contribute to such initiatives.

4) Could you provide a brief summary of your most recent Nanoscale Horizons publication?

In our recent Nanoscale Horizons paper (actually it has been 2 years since it is published), we developed an edible colorimetric timer based on the dynamic structural colour changes of the cholesteric cellulose mesophases. Water-based cholesteric phases of cellulose naturally change colour as a function of hydration and pitch variation. We created a binary system and coated the cholesteric layer. By carefully tuning the coating architecture and controlling evaporation and hydration kinetics, we engineered a system in which colour evolution correlates with time.

The result is a fully edible, biodegradable timer that visually reports hydration state or elapsed processing time. This concept opens opportunities for food quality monitoring, smart packaging, and environmentally responsive sensing technologies.

5) How has your research progressed on from the work published in your Emerging Investigators article?

The Emerging Investigators article marked the beginning of a much larger research direction for my group. Since then, we have expanded from proof-of-concept edible colour systems to a broader programme on structural colour engineering and scalable nanomanufacturing.

We are now developing stretchable cholesteric filaments, flow-controlled photonic architectures, cold-chain colour sensors, and biosensing platforms based on cellulose and other sustainable biopolymers.

Importantly, this work has also translated beyond academia. It led to the founding of a spin-out company focused on edible structural colour technologies, demonstrating how fundamental nanoscience can move toward real-world impact. For me, this progression reflects the exciting space where rigorous soft-matter physics meets sustainable innovation.

Read Ahu’s Emerging Investigator article here:

Edible cellulose-based colorimetric timer

Gen Kamita, Silvia Vignolini and Ahu Gümrah Dumanli

Nanoscale Horiz., 2023, 8, 887-891

Saptarshi Das is an Endowed Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State University, where he leads the Das Research Group. His research focuses on two-dimensional (2D) materials and their integration into next generation nanoelectronic systems spanning logic, memory, neuromorphic computing, and intelligent sensing. His group works at the intersection of materials, devices, and circuits, with an emphasis on scalable synthesis, contact engineering, monolithic 3D integration, and physics-driven computation. He is actively involved in advancing 2D CMOS, in-memory and in-sensor computing, and energy-efficient hardware architectures inspired by biological systems. His research aims to uncover new device physics in 2D and van der Waals materials and translate them into scalable, system-level technologies. Key directions include: Contact and interface engineering for high-performance 2D transistors 3D monolithic integration of 2D materials for compact logic and memory Neuromorphic and in-sensor computing using material-native dynamics Cryogenic and extreme-environment electronics Intelligent sensing platforms that merge materials innovation with AI

1) How do you feel about the Emerging Investigator collection in Nanoscale Horizons as a place to showcase research from early career researchers in nanoscience and nanotechnology?

The Emerging Investigator collection plays an important role in amplifying bold, forward-looking research from early career scientists. At this stage of one’s career, researchers often take intellectual risks and explore unconventional directions. Providing a visible, high-quality platform for such work not only accelerates individual careers but also helps shape the trajectory of the field. In nanoscience, where interdisciplinary thinking is essential, this kind of spotlight fosters creativity, visibility, and community building.

2) Where do you see the nanoscience field in the next 10 years?

Over the next decade, I expect nanoscience to transition even more strongly from material discovery to system-level impact. We will likely see tighter integration between novel low-dimensional materials, advanced device architectures, and AI-driven design methodologies. Beyond performance scaling, key themes will include energy efficiency, 3D integration, heterogeneous architectures, and functionality under extreme conditions (cryogenic, high temperature, radiation). The most exciting developments will come from co-design across materials, devices, and computation, where physics itself becomes part of the information-processing paradigm.

Read Saptarshi’s Emerging Investigator article here:

Hardware Trojans based on two-dimensional memtransistors

Akshay Wali, Harikrishnan Ravichandran and Saptarshi Das

Nanoscale Horiz., 2023, 8, 603-615

We sincerely hope you enjoy reading about some of our Emerging Investigators! Keep an eye out for our future Community Spotlight blogs highlighting more of our Emerging Investigators.