Abigail Carbone | Student Spotlight

Abigail Carbone

PhD Candidate
Materials Science and Engineering

"At Stanford, I have gotten to play with big fun toys (i.e., highly advanced materials characterization equipment) to try and understand why they are so unstable and what we can do to make them better."

I received my undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Nanotechnology from North Carolina State University in 2019 (Go Pack!). In graduate school, my research focuses on using advanced characterization tools to gain fundamental insights about perovskite solar cells. Perovskites are a new and exciting solar material, but they have not been commercialized yet because they are highly unstable and degrade quickly out in the field. At Stanford, I have gotten to play with big fun toys (i.e., highly advanced materials characterization equipment) to try and understand why they are so unstable and what we can do to make them better.

I am very thankful for Stanford MatSci because I’ve been provided with so many opportunities while I’ve been a student here. We have highly advanced electron microscopy facilities a few buildings over, some of the best technical expertise in the world, and access to a synchrotron beam line right down the road. For someone who loves materials characterization, it’s an incredible place to be. 

Outside of research, I try to be involved with the community wherever I can. I served as the Director of Outreach for MRS from 2021-2024, spearheaded the Stanford Splash course “Materials Gone Wrong!” since 2020, mentored four undergraduate students, was a TA for seven courses, and currently hold the honorable title of “MRS Grill Master” for our summer and fall BBQs. When I am not in lab I enjoy swing dancing, competitive powerlifting, and reading.