Grant Stec, PhD

Grant J. Stec completed his undergraduate studies at Rice University performing research in the lab of Prof. Naomi Halas where he explored plasmonic resonances is sub-nanometer graphene. He then went on to Harvard and completed his PhD research in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology under Prof. Jarad Mason. In the Mason Group, Grant explored the unique chemical space between the molecular and nanocrystalline size regimes using atomically precise, superatomic metal clusters. This work developed a new strategy of using organic structure-directing agents to control the assembly of these clusters into well-ordered, crystalline superlattices. These new crystalline materials were found to exhibit unique chiroptical phenomena and orders-of-magnitude enhancement in their near-infrared photoluminescence. Having completed his doctoral work, Grant is now a Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell University where he is developing molecular architectures for targeted radionuclide therapy.