Director's Welcome
Welcome to the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute. The AMLCI occupies a distinctive position in the advanced materials science landscape by focusing on adaptive, responsive, and active soft matter. Building upon the world-leading research strength in liquid crystals, the AMLCI embraces a comprehensive approach to interdisciplinary research at the interface between soft matter and other optical, nanoscale and biological materials, among others.
Recently celebrating its 60th anniversary, the Institute has catalyzed countless scientific breakthroughs in liquid crystal technology, thereby firmly establishing itself as the global leader in liquid crystal science. The most significant success, however, is our inspiring network of alumni who are now leaders in industry and academia, innovators in start-up companies—incredible ambassadors for liquid crystal science worldwide.
Over the past five years, the AMLCI realized significant upgrades and transformations throughout our two campus locations, in the LCM Building and in the lower level of the ISB. The state-of-the-art X-ray scattering facility now provides options utilizing in operandi tools such as polarized optical microscopy and 3-D printing, the Cleanroom Research & Prototyping Facility experienced the installation of new deposition tools, and the 3-D Printing and Non-Linear Optical Microscopy Facility the installation of a unique non-linear optical microscope including second harmonic generation as well as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. Our members (56 total) from six KSU colleges and numerous departments in the College of Arts & Sciences garnered over 22% of the overall funding at KSU and published close to 1,000 articles over the past five years.
The AMLCI continues to hold its annual Materials Day in late April with the theme for 2026 focusing on Polymers & Elastomers that will feature an exciting list of invited and keynote speakers. Each summer, the AMLCI welcome NSF-REU, KSU SURE, and cohorts of the Intel Summer School.
I am excited to see where we are heading and trust that our continued commitment to facility and infrastructure improvements as well as educational and outreach activities will position us well for years to come.
