Kim named ACS Materials Rising Star for nano-sized science

It seems only fitting that for nano-sized discoveries MSU’s Seokhyoung Kim received a super-sized honor — being named an ACS Rising Star in Materials Science.

Just one of 14 recipients chosen by the American Chemical Society’s journal ACS Materials Au, Kim joins a group of early career scientists highlighted for their research innovation and global impact in the field.

“This honor means a lot to me because it reflects the collective effort of our group over the past several years,” Kim said.

“From the beginning, our team has jumped into bold questions and challenging problems, and none of our achievements would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of my students.”

At MSU,  the Kim Group is working at the frontier of nanomaterials, blending chemistry and physics to better understand their interactions with light.

The team’s breakthroughs are paving the way for next-generation technologies aiming to revolutionize electronics, energy, and information processing.

In the new Rising Star issue, ACS Materials Au highlighted the lab’s paper, “Emerging Vapor-Phase Growth Methods for Halide Perovskite Thin Films and Nanostructures,” which explores novel techniques for synthesizing semiconductor materials.

“What excites me most is the chance to push the limits of discovering new quantum materials,” Kim added.

“Every step of the process brings something unexpected, and we are constantly learning along the way. That sense of tackling the unknown and challenging problems at a fundamental level is what keeps our team excited about the work we do.”

In addition to reporting first-of-its-kind science in publications like ACS Nano, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, and Advanced Optical Material, you'll find the Kim Group at community science nights and festivals alike championing STEM outreach.

By creating a long-running lithographic art activity, they’ve introduced thousands of  PreK-5 students to the concepts of nanofabrication – and published a paper on its success in the Journal of Chemical Education.

For Kim, the ACS accolade is motivation to push further, and ultimately a chance to honor the work of his students who are fast becoming rising stars in material science themselves.

“To me, this recognition is really about acknowledging their contributions and the many years of continued effort that made this work possible.”