Prashant K. Jain

Prashant K. Jain is the G. L. Clark Professor of Physical Chemistry and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He leads a research group focused on nanoscale light-matter interactions, plasmonics, and sustainable energy conversion. His work bridges chemistry, physics, and materials science, with applications in catalysis, artificial photosynthesis, and nanomaterials. He is affiliated with the Materials Research Lab, Physics, and IQUIST. Jain has received numerous awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and NSF CAREER Award. His teaching excellence is recognized with multiple campus awards. His lab develops tools like nanoDDSCAT for nanoscale photonics simulations.

• Education: PhD in Chemistry (Georgia Tech), Postdocs at Harvard and UC Berkeley.
• Research: Plasmonic catalysis, super-resolution spectroscopy, and quantum materials.
• Affiliations: Materials Research Lab, IQUIST, and Department of Physics.

Research highlights include CO₂ reduction using plasmonic nanoparticles, superionic nanocrystals, and advanced SERS techniques. Over 120 peer-reviewed articles and frequent invited lectures. Advised numerous graduate students and postdocs now in academia and industry.