Current Members

kmdani ('at' oist.jp)

• Full Professor [November 2023 - present]
• Associate Professor [April 2018 - October 2023]
• Assistant Professor [November 2011 - March 2018]

I joined OIST as an Asst. Professor in Nov. 2011 after completing a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2006 with a PhD in Physics under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Chemla. I obtained a BS from Caltech in Mathematics with a senior thesis in Quantum Information Theory under John Preskill and Hideo Mabuchi. My recent research interests have been in studying 2D materials and energy materials using novel techniques in time-resolved multi-dimensional photoemission spectroscopy developed here at OIST.

yumi.ito ('at'oist.jp)

• [April 2015 - present]

I began my career at Texas State University in September 2004 as a part-time editorial assistant and joined the staff full-time for Dani Unit as an administrative assistant in April 2015. My key element for the unit is caring and warmth in assisting them in achieving their objectives from administrative side, and in helping them have a laugh and fun. Favoring trip and movies, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. An oni-wife and a mother of a King-Kong baby boy.

michael.man (‘at’ oist.jp)

• Staff Scientist [December 2017 - present]
• Postdoc [December 2012 - December 2017]

I earned both my Master’s and PhD degrees from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), where I focused on the growth and characterization of nanostructures and ultrathin films using low energy electron microscopy and photoemission electron microscopy (LEEM/PEEM). LEEM/PEEM is a powerful and versatile technique that enables time- and spatially-resolved measurements of structural, electronic, and chemical states with spatial resolution down to the nanometer scale. In December 2012, I joined Prof. Dani's group at OIST, where we aim to combine my expertise in LEEM/PEEM microscopy with the group’s strengths in ultrafast spectroscopy techniques. Together, we have advanced new experimental approaches to investigate ultrafast processes, such as carrier and exciton dynamics, at fundamental time (femtoseconds to picoseconds) and spatial scales. A pivotal contribution of my work has been the development of time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM), a groundbreaking technique that enables the visualization of electron dynamics, effectively capturing "movies" of electrons in motion across materials. Through TR-PEEM, we have gained valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of charge carriers. Additionally, I developed another platform, TR-XUV-μ-ARPES, which allows space-, time-, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This powerful technique has unlocked new possibilities to observe and track the dynamics of various excitonic species across complex momentum-space landscapes, deepening our understanding of exciton behaviors and interactions within materials.

julien.madeo ('at' oist.jp)
 

• Staff Scientist [July 2019 - present]
• Postdoc [July 2014 - June 2019] [February 2012 - April 2012]

I did my PhD in Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain at Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where I studied quantum cascade lasers using THz time-domain spectroscopy and their optical nonlinearities for wavelength conversion. In 2012, I visited OIST for a few months to provide help in building the first lab of the FSU. Then, I came back to Paris for two years in Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques, Paris 7 University to study microcavity THz sources and InAs/AlSb based quantum cascade lasers. Since 2014, I am back in the FSU and my current interests cover: THz optoelectronics and devices, ultrafast and nonlinear optics as well as 2D materials and heterostructures.

jacques.hawecker ('at' oist.jp)
 

[February 2022 - present]

I obtained my physics Ph.D. in 2021 researching within the Nano-THz group in the Laboratoire de l’École Normale Supérieure (LPENS) in Paris. During my Ph.D. I probed two different aspects of modern physics: light-matter interactions and quantum materials. To access this physics, I developed a THz time domain spectroscopy (TDS) system capable of probing THz intersubband polaritonic systems at an ultrafast time scale while resonantly pumping one of the polariton branches with a THz quantum cascade laser. Another aspect of my work was to explore and understand the THz emission from different types of spintronic heterostructures. During my Ph.D. research, I developed a keen interest towards quantum materials and light-matter interactions with a strong emphasis on ultrafast phenomenon. I joined the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit at OIST in February 2022, where I will be able to explore in depth this intriguing physics.

takumi.fukuda ('at' oist.jp)
 

[April 2024 - present]
 

I received the Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) in March 2024 at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, where I studied light-induced electronic and structural dynamics in two-dimensional (2D) layered materials investigated using two kinds of time-resolved pump-probe techniques: coherent phonon spectroscopy based on transient reflectivity changes and ultrafast electron diffraction measurements. Particularly, my research during my Ph.D. journey focused on non-equilibrium transient phenomena arising from electron-phonon interactions, such as photocarrier-driven structural phase transitions and phonon-driven quasiparticle states, mainly in Molybdenum ditelluride polymorphs under various photoexcitation conditions. I joined the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit in April 2024 to further explore the intriguing non-equilibrium physics of 2D and other quantum materials by time-resolved ARPES techniques.

gyan.prakash ('at' oist.jp)

[January 2025 - present]

I earned my PhD from the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 2020. My doctoral research focused on investigating coherent phonon and carrier dynamics in 3D topological insulators, graphene-gold hybrid plasmonic nanostructures, and ultrathin gold nanowires using femtosecond lasers. Following my PhD, I joined Prof. Tom Murphy's lab at the University of Maryland, College Park, as a postdoctoral research associate (2019 - 2024). There, I worked on setting up a scattering-type near-field scanning optical microscope (SNOM), performing near-field imaging of propagating optical modes in photonic resonators, testing graphene-based terahertz detectors, and conducting ultrafast characterization of 2D materials integrated on photonic devices.  At the Dani Unit at OIST, I aim to leverage my expertise to advance time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, explore carrier dynamics and Coulomb-bound states in atomically thin novel materials, and contribute to research on intense nonlinear optical phenomena.

sebastien.roux ('at' oist.jp)

[September 2025 - present]

I am an experimental physicist specialized in the optoelectronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials and their heterostructures. During my Ph.D. studies from 2019 to 2023 at the LEM and GEMaC laboratories at Université Paris-Saclay in France, I investigated excitons in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in the bulk, at surfaces, and at twisted interfaces using time-resolved cathodoluminescence. During my postdoctoral fellowship at LPCNO in Toulouse (2023–2025), I studied the recently discovered sliding ferroelectricity of hBN interfaces and its impact on the optical properties of adjacent WSe₂ monolayers. I also investigated excitons in heavily n-doped WSe₂ monolayers using time-resolved photoluminescence experiments on a homemade charge-tunable device.

I joined the FSU as a postdoc in September 2025 to investigate excitons, defects, and ferroelectricity in 2D heterostructures through the group’s advanced ultrafast spectroscopy tools

joanna.nadolna ('at' oist.jp)

• Research Fellow [August 2024 - present]

I am a researcher at the University of Gdansk in Poland. I received my PhD in Technical Science from Gdansk University of Technology in Poland, where I focused on the study of photocatalytic materials based on TiO2. My research experience includes the synthesis of nanomaterials and their advanced characterization, gained through several fellowships: Hokkaido University, Japan (2012, 2013, 2016), Université Paris-Sud, France (2013), Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel (2019-2020), University of Crete, Greece (2023), and Monash University, Australia (2024). My research interests lie in understanding the physicochemical properties of photocatalysts modified with upconversion particles. As a research fellow at FSU, I will be characterizing upconversion particle-TiO2 materials using TR-PEEM.

xing.zhu1 ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [September 2019 - present]
• Rotation Student [May 2019 - August 2019]
• Intern [October 2017 - June 2018]

I received my bachelor from South University of Science and Technology of China. I join the femtosecond spectroscopy unit as research intern for six months. Previously I worked on the magnetic and optical properties of new-rising 2D materials from first-principles calculation. And now my research interests focus on the terahertz and its applications in imaging and spectroscopy. In FSU, I’ll study strong-field/broadband THz generation and THz spectroscopy of magnetic materials.

mariacarla.lupu ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [September 2021 - present]
• Rotation Student [May 2021 - August 2021]

I received both my bachelor and master degrees at University Politehnica of Bucharest, in Romania. My master program was about engineering and applications of lasers and particle accelerators. For my master thesis I worked on the implementation of an adaptive optics system in a high-power laser facility. I joined FSU as a rotation student, where I will work on high harmonic generation.

prajakta.kokate ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [January 2022 - present]
• Rotation Student [September 2021 - December 2021]

I graduated from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata in June 2020 with physics as my major subject. I started my Ph.D. studies at OIST in January 2021 and joined the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit for my third-term lab rotation. I have a background in ultrafast spectroscopy (THz-TDS) as part of my Master's thesis. As a rotation student, my work will focus on understanding and doing measurements using photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM).

harley.suchiang ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [May 2023 - present]
• Rotation Student [May 2022 - August 2022]

I completed my BS-MS dual degree program at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Kolkata, India. For my master's project, I studied the spin-orbit interaction of light in plasmonic metasurfaces using Muller polarimetry. As a graduate student at OIST, my first lab rotation will be at the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit (FSU) where I will be making an XUV beamline for TR-ARPES experiments.

nanami.tomoda ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [May 2023 - present]
• Rotation Student [January 2023 - April 2023]

I received my undergraduate degree from Tokyo university of science with a B. Eng. in Chemical Engineering. I was an internship student in Qi unit from 2020 to 2021 and studied interface degradation of each perovskite solar cell layer. My first rotation was Quantum Material Science Unit, and my second was Organic and Carbon Nanomaterials Unit. As shown in my previous research, I am interested in material science. In this unit, I am working partly on TMDC heterostructures project to explore non-equilibrium excitonic insulator physics and valleytronics.

t.hanano ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [September 2024 - present]
• Rotation Student [May 2024 - August2024]

I graduated from the University of Rochester with a Bachelor of Science in Optics. I joined FSU as an intern in the summer of 2022, where I studied Higher Harmonic Generation (HHG). I returned to FSU as a rotation student, and I will be working on HHG for my rotation project.

a.mitra ('at' oist.jp)

• PhD Student [May 2025 - present]
• Intern [May 2023 - April 2024]

I graduated with a BS-MS dual degree majoring in Physics and minoring in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal. During my master's, I studied the biexciton and polaron dynamics in metal halide perovskites using Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectroscopy and also studied ab-initio theory for polarons. Simultaneously, I have also worked on novel TMDC-like Ge-based heterostructures to compute emergence of optoelectronic properties due to strain. I joined the FSU in summer 2023 as an intern and fabricated perovskite solar cell devices to study its interface using TR-PEEM. 

As evident from my background, I am interested in optoelectronic properties of materials. I returned to OIST as a graduate student and now join the unit in summer 2025 as a PhD student to use TR-PEEM and further explore my interest in understanding fundaments physics of novel materials.

alexanderlau.siing ('at' oist.jp)

• Technician [October 2024- Present]
• Visiting researcher [April- August 2024]

I received my Masters in Theoretical Physics and Applications in CY Cergy, France, 2019. From then under joint research between TU Wien and Université Paris Saclay, I assisted in developing customized apertures to generate electron vortices for EMCD spectroscopy in electron microscopes and studying the physics behind phase augmented electron beams.

I was introduced to the unit in 2024 as a visiting researcher to assist in a brand new and curious project: developing a medical device using femtosecond pulses for endovascular surgery. Being excited about the project, I decided to continue working with the unit as a technician. Working with the FSU unit is a wonderful experience with motivated colleagues and a great way to learn new expertise while expanding one's professional horizon.

benedikt.capanni ('at' oist.jp)

• Intern Student [August 2025 - present]

I am a third-year physics student at the University of Konstanz in Germany. During my bachelor's studies, I have been working as a research assistant in the Ultrafast Phenomena and Photonics research group. I came to OIST as a research intern, where I will be working on “Two-Color Microplasma-Based THz Radiation” and, based on the work conducted here, I will also write my bachelor's thesis.

ruiqi.tang ('at' oist.jp)

• Intern Student [September 2025 - present]

I just finished my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, where I majored in physics and women's and gender studies. In the past, I mostly worked on the synthesis and characterization of quantum materials, and I look forward to learning, exploring, and contributing to projects during my time here.