Milan E. Delor

Milan E. Delor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University, leading the Delor Lab. His research focuses on directing energy flow in quantum, meta-, and nanomaterials using light-based techniques. He holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield (2014) and completed postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley (2016–2019). Key roles include Principal Investigator at Columbia since 2019 and NSF CAREER Award recipient in 2025. His work spans ultrafast spectroscopy, super-resolution microscopy, and collaborations with both experimental and theoretical groups globally.

Education:

• PhD in Physical Chemistry, University of Sheffield (2010–2014)
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Naomi Ginsberg Group, UC Berkeley (2016–2019)
• Doctoral Prize Fellow, University of Sheffield (2015)

Research Interests:

Delor's lab develops tools to non-invasively image energy transport in materials at femtosecond-to-hour timescales and nanometer-scale precision. Key themes include:

• Controlling electron and energy flow in 2D materials
• Imaging nonlinear optics and polariton dynamics
• Exploiting quantum phenomena for device applications

His group collaborates widely, leveraging expertise in nonlinear optics, ultrafast microscopy, and materials design.

Awards & Recognition:

• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2025)
• Sloan Research Fellowship (2025)
• NSF CAREER Award (2025)

Advising & Labs:

Supervises a multidisciplinary team of ~15 graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates. The lab combines experimental and theoretical approaches, with facilities for femtosecond laser systems, cryogenic setups, and state-of-the-art microscopy. Notable collaborations include the Columbia Quantum Initiative and the Schuck and Basov groups.