Regina Ragan

Regina Ragan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary challenges at the intersection of materials science, chemistry, and physics for novel device development.

Education:

• PhD, California Institute of Technology, Applied Physics, 2002
• M.S., California Institute of Technology, Applied Physics, 1998
• B.S., University of California, Los Angeles, Materials Science and Engineering, 1996

Her group studies self-assembly mechanisms and nanomaterials for applications in energy systems and low-cost diagnostic devices, with recent work on telemedicine innovations and SERS sensors capable of identifying trace analytes in biological contexts.

Current research trends include molecular structure engineering, spinodal decomposition in composites, and thermodynamic driving forces for nanoscale device optimization. The group has published in ACS Nano and actively trains graduate researchers like Hong (thesis defended 2022), Sebastian, Héctor, Chloe, and Will.

Laboratory Highlights:

• Develops nanosystems via self-assembly and scanning probe microscopy
• Pursues atomic/molecular control in energy materials
• Focuses on record-performance SERS architectures