Ultrafast spectroscopy
Femtosecond pump-probe and multidimensional methods, resolving electronic and vibrational dynamics as they happen.
PhD candidate · Graduate Research Assistant · Deep Spectroscopy Lab, MSU
Watching one
nanoparticle
change its mind.
Md Akter Hossain Reaz — ultrafast spectroscopy and single-particle electrochemistry of nano- and quantum materials.
I use femtosecond light to read what happens to a single particle while an electrochemical potential pushes charge in and out of it — the dynamics that ensemble measurements average away.
Ultrafast spectroscopy
Single-particle electrochemistry
Plasmonics / LSPR
Quantum & nanomaterials
Energy storage & conversion
Sensing
Single-particle spectroelectrochemistry
E = +0.00 V · λmax = 640 nm
Cyclic voltammogram
Scattering spectrum
Ultrafast phonon response
A simulated reversible one-electron voltammogram drives the panels: injected charge shifts and damps the plasmon resonance and stiffens the acoustic modes. Simulation — not measured data.
Research
Physical & materials chemistry
I'm a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University, working with Dr. Elad Harel in the Deep Spectroscopy Lab. My project applies ultrafast spectroscopy to nano- and quantum materials held under an electrochemical gradient, so that structural and electronic dynamics can be followed on a single particle rather than inferred from a population average.
Before MSU I spent four years building energy-storage materials in Bangladesh — first as a research assistant and then as a research fellow at BUET, where I developed crushed 3D-graphene / manganese-oxide composites for supercapacitors and hard-carbon anodes from cotton and jute waste for Na/K-ion battery prototypes. A later fellowship at BCSIR took the same nanomaterials work into food science: green synthesis, antibacterial activity, and preservation and packaging.
The thread running through all of it is the same question in different clothes: how does structure at the nanoscale set what a material can do — store charge, catalyse, sense, convert energy — and what tools let us see that directly. I'm proficient across XRD, FESEM, EDX, TEM, XPS, Raman, FTIR and the full electrochemical toolkit, and I analyse in MATLAB and OriginLab.
I've authored or co-authored 26 peer-reviewed journal articles alongside 18 conference papers and presentations, cited around 700 times to date. I also teach — general chemistry laboratory at MSU, and previously at BUET and Dhaka City College.
26Journal articles
696Citations
13h-index
2023Started at MSU
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Single-particle electrochemistry
Optical readout of one particle under applied potential, instead of averaging over a heterogeneous ensemble.
Quantum materials
Low-dimensional and correlated systems, and the coherent behaviour that emerges from their structure.
Nanomaterials
Design and fabrication of nano-space-architected functional materials with controlled size and morphology.
Physical chemistry
The fundamental physical and chemical principles underlying how these materials behave.
Materials chemistry
Synthesis, characterisation and structure-property relationships across composite and hybrid systems.
Electrochemistry
Voltammetry, impedance and galvanostatic methods, from bulk three-electrode cells down to single particles.
Electrocatalysis & sensing
Supported nanocatalysts and modified electrodes for reduction chemistry and electrochemical detection.
Energy storage & conversion
Supercapacitor and battery electrodes: graphene-metal-oxide composites, biomass carbons, Zn-ion cathodes.
Projects
Eight, 2018 — presentUltrafast spectroscopy of nano- and quantum materials under electrochemical control
Doctoral project. Applying femtosecond and multidimensional optical methods to single particles while an electrochemical potential drives charge in and out — resolving dynamics that ensemble measurements average away, and connecting optical response directly to redox state.
- Ongoing
- Ultrafast optics
- Spectroelectrochemistry
Analysis pipeline for single-particle scattering spectra
MATLAB toolchain that turns wavelength-scan image stacks into per-particle spectra: particle identification, background handling, spectral extraction and batch processing across scans.
- MATLAB
- Image analysis
- Internal tool
Biomass-derived Na/K-ion battery prototype
Converted cotton and jute waste into hard-carbon anodes and cellulose-based gel membranes, then built and characterised half and full cells. Investigated ion storage and the exchange mechanism across a polyelectrolytic cellulose gel separator, with the goal of a genuinely low-cost next-generation storage chemistry.
- Working prototype
- CV · CCCD · EIS · GITT
- Glovebox synthesis
Crushed 3D-graphene rGO–MnOx composites for supercapacitors
My MSc work and the thread that followed it. Metal and metal-oxide templating produces a crushed three-dimensional graphene scaffold; decorating it with manganese oxide nanorods lifts capacitive performance well above either component. The core result was establishing which morphological features actually drive the gain.
Self-doped activated carbons from car exhaust
Vehicle exhaust soot as a feedstock for supercapacitor electrodes. Pyrolytic activation yields mesoporous carbon that is heteroatom self-doped by its own origin — no separate doping step — with long cycle life and high specific capacitance.
- J. Electrochem. Soc. ↗
- ECS JSS Sci. Technol. ↗
- Third paper under review
Aqueous zinc-ion battery cathodes
Carrying the crushed-graphene / manganese-oxide architecture over from capacitive storage into aqueous Zn-ion intercalation chemistry, where the same conductive scaffold has to survive repeated Zn insertion.
- Manuscript in preparation
- 2 conference talks
Green adhesives from supramolecular dynamic bonds
Polyampholyte hydrogels as a model system for self-healing: relating healing efficiency to supramolecular gel structure, and measuring heavy-metal-ion uptake by cyclic voltammetry to model the sorption kinetics.
- Hydrogel mechanics
- Metal-ion sorption
- Student mentoring
Nanomaterials in food science
Green-synthesised nanomaterials applied to antibacterial activity, preservation and packaging — alongside formulation work developing high-nutrient foods from cheap, locally available ingredients.
Experience
2017 — presentGraduate Research Assistant
Deep Spectroscopy Lab (The Harel Group), Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University · Advisor: Dr. Elad Harel
- Ultrafast spectroscopy and single-particle electrochemistry of nano- and quantum materials.
- Building and running the optical and electrochemical measurements, and the analysis pipelines behind them.
- Advanced to PhD candidacy in April 2025.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University · CEM 161 and CEM 162 General Chemistry Laboratory · four semesters
- Course instructor for general chemistry laboratory sections.
- Collaborated with faculty on lectures, exams and writing assignments; weekly teaching meetings.
- Continuous assessment, proctoring and grading; prepared course materials.
- Outstanding Teaching Assistance Award, 2024–25.
Research Fellow
Institute of Food Science and Technology, BCSIR, Dhaka · Quality Control Division · Supervisor: Dr. Tasnim Farzana
- Green synthesis and characterisation of nanomaterials, applied to food technology.
- Antibacterial activity studies; preservation, packaging and food-safety techniques.
- Formulated high-nutrient foods from low-cost local ingredients; food quality assurance testing.
Research Fellow
Department of Chemistry, BUET · "A novel biomass-derived Na/K-ion battery prototype" · Funded by EPRC, Bangladesh · PI: Dr. Al-Nakib Chowdhury
- Converted cotton and jute waste into hard carbons and soft cellulose-based gel membranes.
- Fabricated hard-carbon anodes for Na/K-ion half and full cells and built a working prototype.
- Investigated ion storage and exchange across a polyelectrolytic cellulose gel separator.
- Glovebox and inert-atmosphere work; CV, CCCD, EIS, GITT; XRD, XPS, Raman, HRTEM, FTIR, UV, FESEM.
- Supported postgraduate researchers in designing and running their own work.
Research Fellow
Department of Chemistry, BUET · "Green adhesives from supramolecular dynamic bonds of polymers" · Ministry of Education project · PI: Dr. Chanchal Kumar Roy
- Prepared and mechanically characterised polyampholyte hydrogels.
- Measured heavy-metal-ion removal by cyclic voltammetry and modelled the sorption kinetics.
- Linked self-healing efficiency to supramolecular gel structure; mentored graduate thesis students.
Lecturer
Department of Chemistry, Dhaka City College, Dhaka
- Taught A-level chemistry lectures and laboratory to about 100 students; set and graded assessments.
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Chemistry, BUET · 3D-graphene rGO–MnOx composites for electrochemical capacitors · PI: Dr. Shakhawat Hossain Firoz
- Developed crushed 3D-graphene rGO–MnOx composites using metal and metal-oxide templates.
- Related morphology to the chemical and physical properties of the nanocomposite.
- Interpreted electrochemical performance against the full characterisation dataset.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Chemistry, BUET, Dhaka
- General chemistry laboratory for about 60 level-1 and level-2 BSc engineering students across disciplines.
Education
Aug 2023 — present
Candidate since 2025
PhD, Chemistry
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan · Physical chemistry & materials chemistry · Advisor: Dr. Elad Harel
Oct 2017 — Jan 2020
CGPA 4.00 / 4.00
MSc, Chemistry
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka · Physical-inorganic chemistry · Thesis: Influence of metal (Ni) and metal oxides (iron oxide) on the electrochemical capacitance of rGO–MnOx nanocomposites · Advisor: Dr. Md. Shakhawat Hossain Firoz · Ranked 1st of 17
Jan 2012 — Dec 2015
CGPA 3.49 / 4.00
BSc (Honours), Chemistry
Comilla University, Cumilla, Bangladesh · Ranked 5th of 33
Publications
Technical skills
Electrochemistry
- Cyclic voltammetry
- Chronopotentiometry / CCCD
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
- Amperometry
- GITT
- Electrodeposition
- Battery cycle testing
Spectroscopy & microscopy
- Ultrafast / transient spectroscopy
- UV–visible spectrophotometry
- FTIR
- Raman spectroscopy
- FESEM · TEM · HRTEM · EDX
- Powder XRD
- XPS
- BET surface-area analysis
- Atomic absorption spectrometry
Instruments
- Potentiostat / galvanostat — CHI660E, Autolab PGSTAT128N, CS-350
- Glovebox & inert tube furnace
- Coin-cell crimper · slurry mixer · film coater
- Battery cycle tester
- Muffle furnace · vacuum and hot-air ovens
- Freeze dryer · orbital shaker · viscometer
- pH meter & conductometer
Software
- MATLAB — data analysis and pipelines
- OriginPro · SigmaPlot · Excel
- CHI660E · NOVA 2 · IR Resolution
- ChemDraw
- EndNote · Mendeley
- Word · PowerPoint
Laboratory & teaching
- Supervising undergraduate research
- Laboratory safety and instrument maintenance
- Chemical inventory, bookkeeping and procurement
- Undergraduate lab and general chemistry instruction
- Scientific writing — papers, reports, presentations
Languages
- Bangla — native
- English — professional working proficiency
Awards
- 2024–25
Outstanding Teaching Assistance Award — Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University
- 2023
Academic Excellence Award — Department of Chemistry, BUET, Dhaka
- 2023
Forum 86 Research Excellence Award — Forum 86, BUET, Dhaka
- 2023
Research Intensive Award — BUET, Dhaka
- 2022
Research Intensive Award — BUET, Dhaka
Service, training & affiliations
Certifications
- Science & Technology Commercialization: Patents, Product Development and Start-Ups — College of Natural Sciences & MSU Technologies, Michigan State University, Fall 2025
- Introduction to Gaussian & Drug Discovery: Theory and Practice — Department of Chemistry, BUET
- Workshop on X-ray Powder Diffraction and Data Analysis — CARS, University of Dhaka & Bangladesh Crystallographic Association
- Chemistry Today: Education and Research Lecture Series in Science, Technology and Engineering — BUET Chemistry Alumni Association, 2020
- Certificate of Appreciation, 8th Bangladesh Chemistry Olympiad, Dhaka Division, 2017
Leadership
- Social Secretary, BUET Chemistry Alumni Association — 2022 to 2024
- General Secretary, Chemistry Alumni Association, Comilla University — 2020 to 2021
Memberships
- Student Member, American Chemical Society — 2023 to date
- General Member, Bangladesh Crystallographic Association — 2022 to date
- General Member, Bangladesh Nano Society — 2021 to date
- General Member, Bangladesh Chemical Society — 2020 to date
- Life Member, BUET Chemistry Alumni Association — 2018 to date
- Life Member, Chemistry Alumni Association, Comilla University — 2017 to date
Outreach & volunteering
- Organising committee, 8th Bangladesh Chemistry Olympiad, Dhaka Division (2017)
- Organising committee, 27th Annual Conference of the Bangladesh Chemical Society (2015)
- Pre-Professional Chemistry Visit programme (2019) — BAEC, BCSIR, CARS and industrial sites
- Member, Comilla University Science Club (2015–2017)
Contact
Open to collaboration- Name
- Md Akter Hossain Reaz
- reazmd@msu.edu
ahreaz.chembuet17@gmail.com - Address
- Deep Spectroscopy Lab
Department of Chemistry
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA