Research Engineering light–matter exchange
Manipulation by Light
We harness light-induced heating, cooling, and temperature gradients for programmable, energy-efficient control of matter across multiple length scales.
Measurement with Light
We integrate optical manipulation and artificial intelligence to enable volumetric imaging, mechanoscopy, and highly sensitive chiroptical measurement.
Manipulation of Light
We engineer quantum materials, resonant structures, photonic crystals, and metamaterials to program light–matter interactions across length scales.
About
When light meets matter, energy, momentum, and information are exchanged. We engineer this light-matter exchange into optical manipulation platforms that unify manipulation by light and manipulation of light, enabling advanced photonic systems with broad impact.
Group Leader: Yuebing Zheng
Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering
Texas Materials Institute
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712, United States
Phone: 1 (512) 471-0228
Email: zheng@austin.utexas.edu
Recent Publications
- Excitons in Monolayer Tungsten Disulfide
- Interfacially Engineered Liquid-in-Liquid Bubble Printing
- Optothermal Bubble Etch Lithography
- Programmable Rotation of Single Cells Along Arbitrary Axes via Opto-Thermo-Osmotic Torque
- Ice-Phase Optothermal Tweezers
- Freeform Optical Flow Based on Meta-Conveyors for Compact, Programmable In-Situ Nanomanipulation
- Patterned High-Entropy Alloy Electrocatalyst for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution via Laser-Directed Bubble Printing
- High-Q Multimodal Guided-Surface Lattice Resonances in Index-Discontinuous Environments
- Sound Matters: Using Acoustics to Move Material
- Optical Colloidal Assembly
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Materials
- Manipulating Fano Coupling in an Opto-Thermoelectric Field
- Dual-Functional Photonic Battery Enabling Dynamic Radiative Thermal Management and Power Supply
- Independently Tunable Flat Bands and Correlations in a Graphene Double Moiré System
- Tunable Photon-Recoil Forces and Negative Torque at Flat-Top Beam Edges
- Ultrabroadband and Band-selective Thermal Meta-emitters by Machine Learning
- Opto-Thermoelectric Nanosorters
- Bubble-Printing-Enabled Direct Synthesis and Patterning of Compositionally Tunable Complex Oxides
- Optothermal Ice-Water Interface Management for Cross-Scale Enrichment and Molecular Sensing
- Bioinspired Photonic Materials for Advanced Thermal Management
Featured Publications
Thermal Photonics with Machine Learning [Nature 2025]
Nanophotonics and Machine Learning [Springer 2023]
Opto-Thermoelectric Tweezers [Nature Photonics 2018]
