Joshua Caldwell

Joshua D. Caldwell is a Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University's School of Engineering, with courtesy appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chemistry. He also directs the Interdisciplinary Program in Materials Science. His research focuses on nanoscale electromagnetic energy confinement, infrared nanophotonics, and material characterization, particularly in 2D materials like hexagonal boron nitride. Key achievements include identifying hyperbolic properties in hBN during a sabbatical at the University of Manchester and pioneering work on phonon polaritons.

Education: B.A. in Chemistry from Virginia Tech (2000), Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from University of Florida (2004). Postdoctoral work at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), where he became a staff scientist and later a supervisor.

Research Interests: Development of advanced optical systems using polaritons, design of nanoscale optical components, and characterization of novel materials. The Caldwell lab houses state-of-the-art tools like Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) systems, ultrafast pump-probe microscopes, and nano-FTIR systems enabling sub-20 nm resolution. Recent work includes studies on hyperbolic shear polaritons and epsilon-near-zero materials.

Grants & Recognition: Recipient of three NanoScience Institute (NSI) Grants at NRL and several awards for published works. Current projects emphasize thermal emission engineering and plasmonic quasi-BIC metasurfaces.

Lab & Collaborations: The lab specializes in exfoliation/transfer of 2D materials and has developed the VINSE transfer tool. Collaborations include Prof. Kostya Novoselov (University of Manchester) on 2D material nanophotonics.