Thin film growth and materials physics of complex oxides: Structure-Property-Processing interrelationships; crystalline oxides on semiconductors; functional metal oxide thin film deposition and processing for microelectronic, magneto-electronic, optical and high frequency applications.

Oxide thin film heterostructures: growth mechanisms and defect structures; physics of magneto-transport and electro-transport; half-metallic ferromagnets; transport phenomena in highly correlated systems; multiferroic oxide heterostructures; size effects; self-assembled oxide nanostructures.

Nanoscale Characterization: understanding materials physics at the nanoscale using scanned probes; applications of scanning force microscopy to study domains, switching and polarization dynamics in ferroic thin films; scaling studies using electric and magnetic force microscopy, application of TEM techniques to solving materials problems; high resolution imaging of defect and crystal structure; analytical electron microscopy and micro-diffraction techniques; Lorentz imaging of domains.

Materials Processing for Devices: nano-fabrication technologies; novel physical phenomena in complex electronic and magnetic materials with shrinking dimensions; dry etching technologies for device fabrication.

Photovoltaics for solar energy conversion: Oxide based thin films and nanostructures for solar energy conversion;  ferroelectrics based solar cells; bandgap engineering in oxide heterostructures.

Thermoelectrics for Energy Efficiency:  Band and correlated oxides for thermoelectrics; band structure engineering through defect chemistry control in oxides; thermal transport measurements.

Information Technologies: non-volatile information storage technologies; ferroelectric memories; Dynamic Random Access Memories; field effect devices; thin film magnetic and magneto-resistive devices; CMR thin films and heterostructures; oxide spin valves and magnetic tunnel junctions.