Mingda Li is Norman C Rasmussen Assistant Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering, joined the Department January 2018. His research interest lies in understanding the mechanism of complex defects on materials’ functional properties, and engineering the defects toward efficient and optimized energy applications. His research group, Energy Nano Group (ENG), is currently developing microscopic quantum theories of defects, growing single crystals with controllable defects, and using artificial intelligence algorithms to assist spectroscopy analysis, to resolve the role that defects are playing on energy transport and conversion processes.