Who We Are...
Adam Z. Stieg, Ph.D.
CNSI Associate Director of Technology Centers; Director, Nano & Pico Characterization Lab
(t) 310.206.2902
SYNPOSIS: Adam Stieg is a Research Scientist and Associate Director of CNSI responsible for oversight of the Institute’s six Technology Centers – a collection of open-access user facilities that foster innovation across disciplines, facilitate university collaborations with industry, and aid in the rapid commercialization of discoveries by supporting researchers from academia and industry. Dr. Stieg earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Drew University and his Ph.D. in Inorganic/Physical Chemistry from UCLA.
RESEARCH: As a scientist and educator, Dr. Stieg’s research seeks to bridge the gap between our fundamental understanding of nanomaterials and how these systems tend toward complexity at mesoscopic scales. By applying high-performance measurement systems to the rational design of functional nanosystems and architectures, Dr. Stieg strives to address modern challenges renewable energy, developmental biology, and neuromorphic computing.
A current list of Adam Stieg’s scholarly publications can be found here. 
Ongoing Research & Development Areas
Intrinsic Computing
The self-organization of dynamical structures in complex natural systems is associated with an intrinsic capacity for computation. Purpose-built dynamical systems known as atomic switch networks (ASN) comprised of highly interconnected, networks of inorganic synapses (atomic switches) combines the advantages of controlled design with those of self-organization to produce a system whose intrinsic dynamics facilitate neuromorphic computation.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- “Emergent Dynamics of Neuromorphic Nanowire Networks” Scientific Reports, 9: 14920 (2019).
- “Atomic Switch Networks: Nanoarchitectonic Design of a Complex System for Natural Computing” Nanotechnology 26, 204003 (2015).
- “Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Atomic Switch Networks for Reservoir Computing” Nanotechnology 38(24), 384004 (2013).
- “Neuromorphic Atomic Switch Networks” PLoS One, 7(8) e42772 (2012).
Regenerative Medicine
A major hurdle for the cardiac stem cell therapy is the fact that embryonic stem cells remain phenotypically at the fetal stages in culture. Critical for the application of PSCs to the cardiac regeneration is a comprehensive understanding of the role of biophysical environment during their maturation. Bio-electromechanical cues are required for further maturation of the stem cell derived cardiomyocytes.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- “Emergent Dynamics of Neuromorphic Nanowire Networks” Scientific Reports, 9: 14920 (2019).
- “Atomic Switch Networks: Nanoarchitectonic Design of a Complex System for Natural Computing” Nanotechnology 26, 204003 (2015).
- “Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Atomic Switch Networks for Reservoir Computing” Nanotechnology 38(24), 384004 (2013).
- “Neuromorphic Atomic Switch Networks” PLoS One, 7(8) e42772 (2012).
Nanoarchitectronics
The rational design and fabrication of robust, functional materials from atomic and molecular building blocks relies on a capacity to exploit chemical insight while managing the delicate balance between thermodynamic and kinetic effects. Developments in self- and directed-assembly through field-induced manipulation has enabled the preparation of functional materials, structures, and devices extending over various scales through a top-down meets bottom-approach.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
- “Piezoelectric effect in CVD-grown atomic-monolayer triangular MoS2 piezotronics” Nature Communications 6, 7430 (2015).
- “The optoelectronic role of chlorine in CH3NH3PbI3-xClx based perovskite solar cells” Nature Communications 6, 7269 (2015)
- “Thermodynamically Controlled Self-Assembly of Covalent Nanoarchitectures in Aqueous Solution” ACS Nano, 5(5), 3923-3929 (2011).
Method Development
Fundamental and applied research relies on the detection and characterization of physical observables related to matter, energy and time. To overcome the limitations imposed by any one individual technique, we seek to generate multidimensional datasets that serve to bridge resolution gaps and integrate structural information. Although integrated detection, measurement, and imaging systems are hard to come by; a motto of our approach remains “if you can’t buy it, you build it”.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
- “Nanocharacterization in Dentistry“. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 11, (6), 2523-2545 (2011).
- “A low noise all fiber interferometer for high resolution frequency modulated atomic force microscopy imaging in liquid” Review of Scientific Instruments 81, 023703 (2010).
- “A flexible, new electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope for nanoscale studies at the solid-liquid interface” Review of Scientific Instruments 79, 103701 (2008).
