Menka Jain

Menka Jain is a Professor in the Department of Physics and the Institute of Materials Science at the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on functional metal-oxide materials, including dielectrics, ferroelectrics, and multiferroics, with applications in energy, electronics, and biomedical fields. She holds a PhD in Chemical Physics from the University of Puerto Rico (2004) and earlier degrees from Shri Sahu Ji Maharaj University, India. Her work involves advanced synthesis techniques like chemical solution deposition and pulsed laser deposition, coupled with state-of-the-art characterization tools such as SQUID magnetometry, XRD, and TEM. Key achievements include a Director’s Funded Postdoctoral Fellowship at Los Alamos National Lab and over 20 peer-reviewed publications in journals like Advanced Materials and Physical Review Letters. Her lab specializes in engineered nanocomposites and thin films for novel electronic and magnetic properties.

• Education:
• PhD, Chemical Physics, University of Puerto Rico (2004)
• MS, Physics, Shri Sahu Ji Maharaj University (1998)
• B.S., Physics & Mathematics, Shri Sahu Ji Maharaj University (1996)

Research Highlights: Dr. Jain’s group explores strain effects, dopant engineering, and defect dynamics in materials like manganites and cobaltites. Ongoing projects emphasize magnetoelectric coupling in bilayer composites and biodegradable piezoelectric nanofibers for medical use. She collaborates with national labs and leverages UConn’s cleanroom facilities for device fabrication.

Awards:

• DOE-Funded Research
• Los Alamos National Lab Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

Lab & Resources: The lab houses thin film synthesis equipment (CSD, PLD) and advanced characterization tools (SQUID, TEM). Devices are fabricated using UV photolithography and sputtering systems.