Laura Chua

The overall research project aims to understand and leverage nature’s ability to manipulate color to create novel, electrochemically tunable photonic devices. Specifically, the lab studies the reflectin protein found in cephalopods (squid and octopuses), which allows these animals to change color and reflect light for camouflage. By using electrochemistry as a surrogate for the biological signals squid use, researchers are attempting to bridge the biotic-abiotic gap, creating next-generation materials where light-matter interactions can be controlled with the flip of a switch