Rice University: Geoff Wehmeyer wins CAREER Award

Geoff Wehmeyer and his research group use Rice University’s electron microscopes to deepen understanding of nanoscale heat transfer and improve the performance of products ranging from transistors to light-emitting diodes and heat-assisted magnetic recording devices.

Wehmeyer proposes developing scanning transmission electron microscopy nano-thermometry experiments. By using atomic-scale calculations, researchers could better understand interfacial heat transport and offer high-resolution insight into relations between interface structure and thermal performance.

The award will also support Wehmeyer’s collaborations with the Rice Office of STEM Engagement and Houston-area community colleges on summer research experiences for students and outreach events that promote career opportunities in nanotechnology and thermal management.

Wehmeyer earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2018, and joined the Rice faculty the same year. In 2019, he was one of nine researchers in the U.S. selected to receive NASA’s Early Career Faculty Award from the Space Technologies Mission Directorate. He was also awarded a Sophia Meyer Farb Prize for Teaching by Rice’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter in 2021.

His Nanoscale Heat Transfer Lab includes two postdoctoral scholars, four doctoral students, a master’s student and six undergraduate researchers.