Moonsub Shim
Moonsub Shim
  • Professor, Willett Faculty Scholar and Associate Head of Graduate Studies
  • Director of Graduate Studies
(217) 333-7361
312E Materials Science & Eng Bld

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Professional Highlights

  • Professor Moonsub Shim received his B.S. degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees both from the University of Chicago in 1998 and 2001. After working as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, he joined the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Illinois in 2002. Recognitions for his achievements include the Xerox Award for Faculty Research (2007), National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2004), Racheff Assistant Professorship (2002-2004), the Willett Faculty Scholar Award (2010-2014) and Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (2014).

Research Statement

The overarching goal of my research program is to understand charging and charge separation/recombination phenomena in materials, especially in low-dimensional systems at the nanometer length scale. Charging and charge separation/recombination are fundamental processes that govern how electronic, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic devices operate. Materials with nanometer dimensions can provide intricate control over charging and charge separation processes and allow new engineering paradigms and prospects for devices with unprecedented performance. However, ubiquitously large surface-to-volume ratio of materials in this size regime often leads to large deviations from expected properties. Understanding such unexpected behavior can in turn lead to new means of manipulating novel phenomena occurring at the nanoscale. The ability to control surface and interfacial effects is then critical in elucidating the underlying materials’ properties and in developing any future technologies. Hence, I study how charging and charge separation processes affect structure, electrical and optical properties, and chemical reactivity with special attention to the materials’ responses to variations at surfaces and interfaces. Insights gained from these studies are then exploited to develop new materials exhibiting superior properties useful for solar energy conversion and high performance nano- and macro-electronics and optoelectronics.

Research Areas

  • Electronic Materials
  • Polymers

Research Topics

Selected Articles in Journals

Research Honors

  • Dean's Award for Faculty Research, University of Illinois (2014)
  • Willet Faculty Scholar (2010-2014)
  • Xerox Award for Faculty Research, University of Illinois (2007)
  • National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2004)
  • Racheff Assistant Professor, University of Illinois (2002-2004)

Recent Courses Taught

  • MSE 201 - Phases and Phase Relations
  • MSE 280 A - Engineering Materials
  • MSE 396 - Introduction to Research
  • MSE 404 LD1 (MSE 404 LD2, MSE 404 NP1, MSE 404 NP2) - Novel Photovoltaics
  • MSE 488 - Optical Materials
  • MSE 529 - Hard Materials Seminar