Vinayak P. Dravid

Vinayak P. Dravid serves as the Abraham Harris Chaired Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering. He directs both the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Center (NUANCE) and the Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource, an NSF-NNCI Node. His leadership spans multiple institutional initiatives including the Global McCormick Initiative (GMI) and the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN).

Dr. Dravid's research focuses on nanoscale solutions to global challenges in energy, environment, and sustainability. His group pursues two primary themes: seeing and sensing the invisible through advanced multimodal imaging across length scales (from atomic to organismal), and hard metrology in soft matter for quantitative characterization of biological and soft materials. Key application areas include environmental remediation (e.g., OHM Sponge technology for oil/water separation), biomedical diagnostics, quantum materials, and energy storage systems.

His recent publications reveal strong trends in in-situ/operando electron microscopy for dynamic process observation, nanocomposite design for environmental applications, and quantum material characterization. The work spans interdisciplinary domains including environmental engineering, quantum computing hardware, catalysis, and biophotonics, with increasing integration of AI/ML for image analysis and materials discovery.

• Fellow, Royal Microscopical Society (2017)
• IIT Bombay Distinguished Alumnus Award (2012)
• AAAS Fellow (2010)
• NSF Young Investigator Award (1993–1998)
• Highly Cited Researcher designation

Dr. Dravid actively mentors graduate students through the VPD Group's structured subgroup system (Environmental, Hybrid Microscopy, Quantum/Energy) and has secured significant NSF, DOE, and NIH funding. His NUANCE and SHyNE centers provide critical infrastructure for over 500 researchers annually. Current projects include commercialization of sponge-based pollution remediation technology through MFNS-Tech and development of AI-driven microscopy techniques inspired by astronomical imaging algorithms.