Rakina Islam - ECE PhD Student of the Month - May 2023
Rakina Islam is finishing her first year in the PhD program in Electrical Engineering at the Helen and John C. Hartmann Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Her current research focuses on developing Lead (Pb) based Colloidal Quantum Dots (CQDs) for the use in the development of novel electrically pumped lasers. She is currently co-advised by Dr. Leonid Tsybeskov and Dr. Dong-Kyun Ko.
What would you say that could be the next big thing in your area of research?
Developing electrically pumped lasers with low lasing threshold can be instrumental in the advancements in the fields of photonics, chemical sensing and medical diagnostics. Colloidal Quantum Dots (CQDs) can be an excellent class of nanomaterial to be utilized as a coherent light source for such lasers due to their advantageous properties. CQDs with their controllable optical properties and facile fabrication opportunities are expected to have substantial contribution in overcoming the challenges associated with electrically pumped lasers.
You won the first prize at the ECE PhD Stories Spring 2023. How do you like the event and the prize?
The event was designed very effectively to impel us into thinking about the trivial to significant research we do in our everyday lives outside the academia. It really made us realize how we acquire effective research skills while pursuing a graduate degree. This is why I thoroughly enjoyed the event listening to the amazing stories by the participants and the prize that came with it. The prize served as a huge encouragement behind the participation in the competition. It also helped in gathering facilities to ensure an enriched research experience. I hope the ECE department keeps encouraging us in this manner.
As an international student who have studied at NJIT for one semester, tell us about one interesting thing that you found out about the area.
As an international student, it is very challenging in general to settle down in a new place and immediately start pursuing a higher education degree. But NJIT and its location helped me combat that very easily. The most interesting thing about the area is the diversity in students which helps international students fit in very quickly and not feel like an outsider.