Benjamin Ofori Okai

Benjamin Ofori Okai is an Assistant Professor of Photon Science at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, operated by Stanford University. His research focuses on ultrafast dynamics, terahertz spectroscopy, and materials under extreme conditions. He holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from MIT (2016), an S.M. from MIT (2013), and a B.Sc. from Yale University (2009).

Research Interests: Okai explores phenomena such as warm dense matter, laser-matter interactions, and structural dynamics using advanced techniques like X-ray diffraction and ultrafast electron diffraction. His work bridges condensed matter physics and applied photon science, with applications in energy materials and planetary science.
Key Contributions: Recent studies include measuring phonon hardening in gold, nanodiamond formation under shock compression, and giant terahertz birefringence in WTe2. He has pioneered single-shot THz spectroscopy methods for conductivity measurements in extreme states of matter.
Awards: Honors include the Panofsky Fellowship (2021), NSF Graduate Fellowship (2011), and Howard Douglass Moore Prize (2009).
Advising: Mentors postdoctoral researcher Eric Sung. Engaged in experimental setups at SLAC and the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).
Labs/Teams: Principal Investigator at Stanford PULSE Institute; collaborates with groups at SLAC, MIT, and European XFEL.