Alexandra Boltasseva

Prof. Alexandra Boltasseva is the Ron and Dotty Garvin Tonjes Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, with a courtesy appointment in Materials Engineering. She leads the Quantum Nanophotonics group at the Birck Nanotechnology Center, focusing on plasmonics, metasurfaces, epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials, and machine learning-assisted photonics. Her work bridges fundamental research and applications in quantum technologies, nanolasers, and integrated photonic devices.

• College of Engineering, Purdue University
• Birck Nanotechnology Center
• Quantum Science Center

Her research interests span quantum nanophotonics, plasmonics with 2D materials, nonlinear optics, and machine learning for photonic design. Recent projects explore photonic time crystals, ENZ-enhanced quantum emitters, and refractory plasmonic materials like MXenes and titanium nitride.

The 15 most recent publications highlight trends in quantum light sources (e.g., single-photon emitters in silicon nitride), machine learning applications to optimize nanostructures, and nonlinear photonic materials. Key subfields include 2D materials, photonic time crystals, ENZ optics, and plasmonic enhancement of optoelectronic performance.

Scientific accolades include:

• Optica R. W. Wood Prize (2023)
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2024, 2021, 2020, 2017)
• National Academy of Inventors Fellow (2020)
• SPIE Fellow (2015)
• Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation Award (2021)

She advises PhD students like Soham Saha, Shaimaa Azzam, and Deesha Shah, who have received prestigious awards. Her team collaborates on quantum photonics and nanoscale energy distributions of plasmonic hot-carriers.