Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN)

a Research Immersion in Materials Science & Engineering (RIMSE) program of the UC San Diego MRSEC, a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

About the SSSiN: The Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnolgy (SSSiN) is run by Prof. Michael Sailor in the Silicon Nanomaterials Research Laboratory at UC San Diego. The SSSiN is one of three Research Immersion in Materials Science & Engineering (RIMSE) programs of the UC San Diego MRSEC. Begun in 2003, the SSSiN is an immersive workshop focussed on the synthesis, properties, and applications of silicon-based nanomaterials. It integrates participants from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill levels: high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, industry researchers, and university professors. As part of the RIMSE training program, it also serves as a “bootcamp” for selected students at the beginning of their MS or PhD degrees, for MRSEC REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates), and for UC San Diego undergraduate participants. Course elements include lectures, hands-on laboratory training, and a capstone “Discovery Project”- an independent research project implemented by a team of trainees under the mentorship of a current research group member.

Program Details: Dates, application instructions, and deadlines are given at mrsec.ucsd.edu/rimse.

 

Course Content – link to text, lecture notes, etc.

 

2026 Participants

Bagel with capers

It could be you
AA Student, Pharmacological Chemistry
UC San Diego
ORCID: XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ


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2026 Mentors

Joseph P. Briggs
Post-Doc, Chemistry & Biochemistry
ORCID: 0000-0001-7892-4869


Joseph is a post-doctoral researcher in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. from Colorado School of Mines in Chemical and Biological Engineering, with a minor in Quantum Engineering, jointly advised by Carolyn Koh (CBE) and Reuben Collins (Physics). His PhD work focused on alternative forms of silicon for quantum information science.
email: jobriggs_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Jiuk Byun
PhD Student, Materials Science & Engineering
ORCID: 0000-0001-9810-8869


Jiuk is a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UC San Diego who joined the lab in 2023. She received her B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from Mount Holyoke College. She conducted her undergraduate research with Professor Wei Chen and helped develop a new procedure for spin coating polydopamine thin films. She also worked with Professor Dirk Englund’s group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. Before joining UCSD, she researched coatings and carbonization of nature-inspired polymer materials in Professor Haeshin Lee’s lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She participated in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology remotely in 2021 and in-person in 2023, and served as a mentor in 2024. Her research interests include surface modification of porous silicon nanoparticles and materials for sensing and catalysis applications.
email: jibyun_at_ucsd.edu

James S. Cohan
PhD Student, Chemistry
ORCID: 0009-0005-6155-057X

James is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Florida State University, where he worked in Robert Schurko’s group on solid-state NMR spectroscopy of coordination polymers and dopant effects on ZnO nanoparticles. He is interested in nanoparticles for drug delivery and characterizing them using solid-state NMR methods.
email: jcohan_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Oscar Calzada
PhD Student, Chemical & Nanoengineering
ORCID: 0000-0001-8922-4438

Oscar Calzada Martinez is a PhD student in the UCSD Department of Chemical and Nanoengineering who joined the lab in 2022. He has been a participant (2021) and a Senior Mentor (2022-24) in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs. Oscar has projects on porous nanoparticles used as small molecule delivery systems for bacterial infections, and as targeted therapeutics for treatment of brain injuries.
email: ocalzada_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Edward T. Nguyen
Post-Doc, Chemistry & Biochemistry
ORCID: 0000-0002-4787-8270

Eddie is a post-doctoral researcher in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry who was previously Adjunct Professor of Chemistry in the San Diego Community College and Grossmont College districts. He received both his B.S. and M.S. from CSU Long Beach (Advisor: Xianhui Bu) and obtained his Ph.D. from Florida State University (Advisor: Geoffrey F. Strouse, Focus: transition metal carbide nanocrystals). He participated in the SSSiN program as an RET (Research Experiences for Teachers) trainee in 2024, and is serving as a Senior Mentor in the 2025 SSSiN.
email: edn005_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Gabriella Stark
PhD Student, Chemistry & Biochemistry
ORCID: 0000-0003-1304-9404

Gabriella is a PhD Student in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. She was a participant in the 2021  Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs, and acted as a Senior Mentor in the 2022 through 2024 SSSiN. Her research focus is on surface chemistry of porous silicon nanoparticles to load and deliver biologic therapeutics, preserving function, extending release, and maximizing circulation time.
email: gastark_at_ucsd.edu

Ashley Tamura
MRSEC Associate Education Director
ORCID: 0000-0002-2540-6125

Ashley Tamura is the Associate Education Director of the UC San Diego MRSEC. She received both her B.S. and M.S. from UC San Diego while working on the phase-tunable colloidal synthesis of tungsten disulfide nanocrystals with Dr. Alina M. Schimpf. With her research background and her experience as an Adjunct Professor in the San Diego Community College and Southwestern College districts, Ashley forms a bridge between the research and the education elements of the MRSEC and the RIMSE program. She participated as an RET in the 2023 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology, and as a Senior Mentor in 2024. Her research focus is on the physical, chemical, and optical properties of porous silicon.
email: aktamura_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Previous SSSiN Participants