Keck Foundation Investment Powers Breakthrough Research at UCSB
The W.M. KECK FOUNDATION is helping UC Santa Barbara researchers pursue bold, high-impact ideas across science and engineering. This year's funded projects includes: Elaheh Ahmadi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and PhD student Navid Kafi, who are investigating whether introducing disorder into advanced materials can enhance superconductivity, a counterintuitive approach that could inform future electronics and quantum technologies.
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."