Prashant Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras (2012). He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, focusing on analytical transmission electron microscopy. Under the guidance of Profs. K. Andre Mkhoyan and Michael Tsapatsis, his research pioneered the development of two-dimensional porous materials, resulting in publications in journals like Nature, Science, and Angewandte Chemie. He was also granted a patent related to zeolite membranes. Prashant received graduate student awards from Materials Research Society (MRS) and Microscopy Society of America (MSA). Transitioning to a post-doctoral role at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under the mentorship of Prof. Nicholas Kotov, he ventured into colloidal chemistry. His innovative work on multi-scale porosity and chirality control using biomimetic self-assembly was published on Nature's cover. Prashant's contributions were acknowledged with the Biointerfaces’ Institute Post-Doctoral Innovator Award at the University of Michigan. Passionate about microscopy, he advocates for STEM careers and mentors aspiring scientists. Beyond research, he finds joy in yoga, weightlifting, badminton, and photography. He currently heads the Kumar ATOMIC Lab - https://prashantksk.wixsite.com/kumar-atomic-lab