At the Hovish Research Laboratory, we design functional materials that underpin a thriving society — enabling sustainable energy, clean chemical production, and resilience in extreme environments. We focus on compositionally complex thin films and nanomaterials, where atomic-scale variation in structure gives rise to emergent properties, and we develop scalable pathways to bring these materials from discovery to deployment.
Our work bridges fundamental science and practical impact. We pursue advanced manufacturing approaches including solution processing, electrochemical synthesis, and atmospheric-pressure plasma processing to achieve precise control over atomic structure while maintaining scalability. High-throughput screening and combinatorial synthesis accelerate exploration of chemical space and shortens learning cycles. We pair advanced manufacturing with advanced characterization — electron microscopy, x-ray scattering, and spectroscopic methods — to connect atomic architectures with macroscopic behavior.
We are a new research group at the University of Kentucky, and we are building boldly. We are committed to training the next generation of scientists and engineers who will advance the frontiers of materials research and help secure our future. We welcome inquiries from prospective undergraduate and graduate researchers and postdoctoral scholars. Join us as we build, explore, and accelerate the future of materials technology.
Contact Dr. Michael Hovish at michael.hovish@uky.edu for more information.
