{{Infobox scientist | name = Eilaf Egap | workplaces = Emory University <br> Massachusetts Institute of Technology <br> Rice University | education = University of Washington <br> Stony Brook University | thesis_title = New Organic Semiconductors for Electronics and Optoelectronics | thesis_year = 2011 | doctoral_advisor = Samson Jenekhe }}
'''Eilaf Egap''' (née Ahmed) is an adjunct assistant professor of Materials Science at Rice University. She works on imaging techniques and biomaterials for early diagnostics and drug delivery. She was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology MLK Visiting Scholar in 2011.
== Early life and education == Egap was born in Athens, Ohio, and went to school in New York City.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://msne.rice.edu/egap-aims-to-inspire|title=Eilaf Egap aims to inspire {{!}} Materials Science and NanoEngineering {{!}} Rice University|website=msne.rice.edu|access-date=2018-12-05}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She started her academic career at Stony Brook University as a philosophy major, but was inspired by her chemistry professor and switched to chemistry.<ref name=":0" /> She graduated from Stony Brook University in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://houston.eventful.com/events/msne-seminar-series-molecularandnanostructureen-/E0-001-095841391-5|title=Eventful: MSNE Seminar Series - "Molecular and Nanostructure Engineering of Polymer Semiconductors for Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications" (450/451/500)|website=Eventful|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref> She completed her postgraduate studies in 2011 at the University of Washington under the supervision of Samson Jenekhe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://engineering.rice.edu/news/engineering-hires-two-molecular-nanotechnology-faculty|title=Engineering hires two molecular nanotechnology faculty {{!}} Rice Engineering {{!}} Rice University|website=engineering.rice.edu|access-date=2018-12-05|archive-date=2018-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206102323/https://engineering.rice.edu/news/engineering-hires-two-molecular-nanotechnology-faculty|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her doctoral work focused on the design and synthesis of organic macromolecules. She examined the structure–property relationships of these macromolecules in next generation electronic devices, including organic field-effect transistors, organic photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes. She investigated how charge carriers and excitons are confined in 0D and 1D nanostructures.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.chemistry.gatech.edu/event/dr-eilaf-ahmed|title=Dr. Eilaf Ahmed {{!}} Georgia Tech Chemistry & Biochemistry|website=www.chemistry.gatech.edu|access-date=2018-12-05}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This included benzobisthiazole-thiophene copolymers, which can be used for OFETs and OPVs.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ahmed|first1=Eilaf|last2=Kim|first2=Felix S.|last3=Xin|first3=Hao|last4=Jenekhe|first4=Samson A.|date=2009-11-24|title=Benzobisthiazole−Thiophene Copolymer Semiconductors: Synthesis, Enhanced Stability, Field-Effect Transistors, and Efficient Solar Cells|journal=Macromolecules|volume=42|issue=22|pages=8615–8618|doi=10.1021/ma9015278|issn=0024-9297|bibcode=2009MaMol..42.8615A}}</ref> She worked on oligothiophene-functionalised naphthalene diimide nanowires that can form in solution.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jenekhe|first1=Samson A.|last2=Ahmed|first2=Eilaf|last3=Ren|first3=Guoqiang|date=2012-11-06|title=Nanowires of oligothiophene-functionalized naphthalene diimides: self assembly, morphology, and all-nanowire bulk heterojunction solar cells|journal=Journal of Materials Chemistry|volume=22|issue=46|pages=24373–24379|doi=10.1039/C2JM33787H|issn=1364-5501}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Design of New Electron Acceptor Materials for Organic Photovoltaics: Synthesis, Electron Transport, Photophysics, and Photovoltaic Properties of Oligothiophene-Functionalized Naphthalene Diimides|journal = Chemistry of Materials|volume = 23|issue = 20|pages = 4563–4577|last1=Ahmed|first1=Eilaf|last2=Ren|first2=Guoqiang|date=2011-09-30|doi=10.1021/cm2019668|last3=Kim|first3=Felix S.|last4=Hollenbeck|first4=Emily C.|last5=Jenekhe|first5=Samson A.}}</ref> Whilst at the University of Washington she developed electron-transport materials for efficient blue phosphorescent OLEDs, using FIrpic and oligoquinolines.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ahmed|first1=Eilaf|last2=Earmme|first2=Taeshik|last3=Jenekhe|first3=Samson A.|date=2011-10-21|title=New Solution-Processable Electron Transport Materials for Highly Efficient Blue Phosphorescent OLEDs|journal=Advanced Functional Materials|volume=21|issue=20|pages=3889–3899|doi=10.1002/adfm.201100848|s2cid=96897448 |issn=1616-3028}}</ref>
Ahmed joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow with Timothy M. Swager.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://msne.rice.edu/content/eilaf-egap|title=Eilaf Egap {{!}} Materials Science and NanoEngineering {{!}} Rice University|website=msne.rice.edu|access-date=2018-12-05|archive-date=2018-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206102323/https://msne.rice.edu/content/eilaf-egap|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://swagergroup.mit.edu/alumni|title=Alumni {{!}} The Swager Group|website=swagergroup.mit.edu|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref> She was a Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Scholar between 2011 and 2013.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://mlkscholars.mit.edu/eahmed/|title=Eilaf Ahmed, Chemistry – Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.mit.edu/2012/mlk-visiting-professors-scholars|title=MIT welcomes six new MLK visiting professors and scholars|website=MIT News|date=7 November 2012 |access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref> She developed a platform that used polymer nanoparticles for ''in vivo'' imaging.<ref name=":1" /> She won the Gordon Research Conferences Carl Storm Award in 2013 and a graduate award at the MIT Polymer Day in 2014.<ref name=":2" />
== Research == Egap joined Emory University in 2014. At the same time she held a joint position at Georgia Institute of Technology at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. She has explored the polymer chemical properties that can impact their ability to self-assemble.
She won the 2015 Thieme Publishers Chemistry Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/chemistry/2014/12/15/eilaf-ahmed-receives-thieme-chemistry-journal-award/|title=Eilaf Ahmed receives Thieme Chemistry Journal Award – The Lab Report|access-date=2018-12-05}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 2016 she was named by Chemical & Engineering News as a ''Must See'' at the American Chemical Society national meeting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/chemistry/2016/08/02/eilaf-egap-is-named-must-see-presenter-for-the-upcoming-acs-meeting-in-philadelphia/|title=Eilaf Egap is Named "Must-see" Presenter at the Upcoming ACS Meeting in Philadelphia – The Lab Report|access-date=2018-12-05|archive-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715110937/https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/chemistry/2016/08/02/eilaf-egap-is-named-must-see-presenter-for-the-upcoming-acs-meeting-in-philadelphia/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She presented her work on ways to align one-dimensional polymer nanowires.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chang|first1=Mincheol|last2=Su|first2=Zhe|last3=Egap|first3=Eilaf|date=2016-12-27|title=Alignment and Charge Transport of One-Dimensional Conjugated Polymer Nanowires in Insulating Polymer Blends|journal=Macromolecules|volume=49|issue=24|pages=9449–9456|doi=10.1021/acs.macromol.6b01721|issn=0024-9297|bibcode=2016MaMol..49.9449C}}</ref> She was awarded a National Science Foundation award to explore open-shell conjugated oligomers and polymers.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1710225|title=NSF Award Search: Award#1710225 - Design, Synthesis, and Properties of Open-Shell Organic Semiconductors|website=www.nsf.gov|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Egap|first1=Eilaf|last2=Huang|first2=Yiming|date=August 2018|title=Open-shell organic semiconductors: an emerging class of materials with novel properties|journal=Polymer Journal|volume=50|issue=8|pages=603–614|doi=10.1038/s41428-018-0070-6|s2cid=102939297|issn=1349-0540}}</ref> The polymer backbone units incorporate polythiophene and quinoidal units.<ref name=":3" /> She explored how ultra-fast transient absorption spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy can be used to characterise the systems.<ref name=":3" /> She is interested in spin-polarisation and spin-exchange.<ref name=":3" /> She ran an eight-week summer program for students from historically black colleges and universities to take part in research.<ref name=":3" />
Egap was one of the 2017 Emerging Investigators in the ''Journal of Materials Chemistry C''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/articlecollectionlanding?sercode=tc&themeid=c4350089-170c-4572-b1d0-45f5ad171a6a|title=Journal of Materials Chemistry C Emerging Investigators Home|website=pubs.rsc.org|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref> She demonstrated how near-infrared emitting triblock copolymers could be incorporated into an oligo(ethylene glycol) core for targeted drug delivery.<ref name=":4">{{cite journal|last1=Egap|first1=Eilaf|last2=Chen|first2=Zhuo (Georgia)|last3=Pollard|first3=Alyssa C.|last4=Wang|first4=Dongsheng|last5=Huang|first5=Yiming|last6=Zhang|first6=Jiahui|date=2017-06-15|title=Triblock near-infrared fluorescent polymer semiconductor nanoparticles for targeted imaging|journal=Journal of Materials Chemistry C|volume=5|issue=23|pages=5685–5692|doi=10.1039/C7TC00632B|issn=2050-7534}}</ref> The core-shell nanoparticles can be used to target folate receptor cancer cells.<ref name=":4" /> In 2017 she moved to Rice University.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/eilafegap/author/eahmed3/|title=Eilaf Egap – The Egap Lab|date=26 July 2017 |access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref> She explored how to synthesise functional polymers using photosensitive quantum dots as a catalyst.<ref name="eurekalert.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/ru-qdd020818.php|title=Quantum dots display promise for polymers|website=EurekAlert!|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Huang|first1=Yiming|last2=Zhu|first2=Yifan|last3=Egap|first3=Eilaf|date=2018-02-20|title=Semiconductor Quantum Dots as Photocatalysts for Controlled Light-Mediated Radical Polymerization|journal=ACS Macro Letters|volume=7|issue=2|pages=184–189|doi=10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00968|pmid=35610890 }}</ref> The technique is known as photo-controlled atom transfer radical polymerization and could replace the current catalysts used to synthesise block copolymers and methacrylates.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-02-scientists-polymers-light-triggered-nanoparticles.html|title=Scientists simplify process to make polymers with light-triggered nanoparticles|website=phys.org|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref><ref name="eurekalert.org"/> In 2018 she was named as one of the American Chemical Society Polymer Materials Science Engineering (PMSE) Young Investigator award prize.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://msne.rice.edu/egap-pmse-young-investigator|title=Egap named 2018 PMSE Young Investigator {{!}} Materials Science and NanoEngineering {{!}} Rice University|website=msne.rice.edu|access-date=2018-12-05}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Egap, Eilaf}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:21st-century African-American scientists Category:Rice University faculty Category:Emory University faculty Category:University of Washington College of Engineering alumni Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Category:Stony Brook University alumni Category:Polymer scientists and engineers Category:Organic chemists Category:American chemists Category:American women chemists Category:American women academics Category:21st-century African-American academics Category:21st-century American academics Category:21st-century African-American women Category:Chemists from Ohio