Ahmadi & Kafi – Keck Bridge Grant
Prof. Elaheh Ahmadi and PhD student Navid Kafi explore an emerging class of nitride materials with potential applications in future electronics and quantum technologies
Excerpt from the RMCOE News article "Bridging Discovery and Impact: Keck Foundation Investment Powers Breakthrough Research at UCSB"
An investment from the W. M. Keck Foundation is helping UC Santa Barbara researchers push forward with ambitious, high-impact work across science and engineering—advancing discoveries that could reshape fields ranging from materials science to climate research.
Through the foundation’s Bridge Funding Initiative, UCSB has been awarded $1.2 million to support six innovative research projects led by early- and mid-career faculty and their graduate students. The program is designed to accelerate promising ideas at critical stages, enabling researchers to sustain momentum and pursue transformative breakthroughs. At UCSB, the selected projects reflect the university’s strength in interdisciplinary collaboration and its commitment to advancing fundamental science with real-world potential.
“We are deeply grateful to the W.M. Keck Foundation for its continued partnership with UCSB and for recognizing the importance of supporting bold, early-stage research,” said Rachel Segalman, vice chancellor of research and professor of materials and chemical engineering. “Supporting our faculty and students is essential to advancing discovery and enabling them to pursue ideas that can open entirely new directions in science and engineering.”
Unlocking New Possibilities in Superconductors
Elaheh Ahmadi, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and PhD student Navid Kafi are exploring how introducing disorder into materials may enhance their ability to conduct electricity without resistance, a counterintuitive idea that could influence future electronics and quantum technologies.
“Bridge funding acts as a vital safety net that sustains research during the ‘gap’ between major grants,” said Ahmadi, who holds the Mehrabian Endowed Career Development Chair. “It is critical for innovation because it allows researchers to gather the preliminary data needed to prove a high-risk idea is viable. For graduate students, it provides financial stability, ensuring their stipends and research can continue without interruption.”
While conventional nitrides have already revolutionized lighting and power electronics, this project focuses on quaternary transition metal nitrides, an emerging class of nitrides with significant superconducting potential. To study these complex systems, the team will synthesize ultra-thin films using a modified molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), an advanced growth technique that enables atomic-level control over composition and structure, allowing researchers to precisely tune film composition and observe how it influences superconducting behavior.
“Superconductivity is a state where electricity flows with zero friction, meaning no energy is lost as heat,” Ahmadi explained. “We see the importance of this technology today in MRI scanners and in quantum computing, where superconducting circuits are used to build qubits.”
For Kafi, the opportunities provided by this project are both practical and deeply motivating.
“The Keck Bridge funding allows me to maximize the time that I can spend on our research and setting up the tool needed for this project, which is the work I enjoy doing the most,” he said. “This project presents an opportunity for me to work on something bold, which is exactly the type of science I want to do.”
Other UCSB teams selected for Keck Bridge grants include Brooke Gardner and Soham Chowdhury in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, Gen Li and Fan Liu in earth science, Angela Pitenis and Katy Dilley in materials, Elizabeth Wilbanks and Victoria Jones in ecology, evolution, and marine biology, and Enoch Yeung and Alec Taylor in mechanical engineering.
About the W. M. Keck Foundation
The W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 in Los Angeles by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Company. One of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations, the W. M. Keck Foundation supports outstanding science, engineering and medical research. The Foundation also supports undergraduate education and maintains a program within Southern California to support arts and culture, education, health and community service projects.
Caption: Electrical and computer engineering associate professor Elaheh Ahmadi (left) and her PhD student Navid Kafi are looking to unlock new possibilities in superconductors
