Dr. Ethan J. Poncelet is a Moore foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Georgia, working with Drs. Ramviyas Parasuraman (School of Computing, heterogeneous robotics research lab) and Yohannes Abate (Department of Physics, quantum materials nano-optics). His current research focuses on developing automated and AI-driven workflows for nanoscale materials spectroscopy and the integration of robotic systems with nanoscale instrumentation. This includes developing software for real-time communication and control between robotic systems and nanoscale instrumentation and adaptive experimental workflows in which measurements can inform subsequent actions. More broadly, his work explores how autonomous experimentation and robotics can increase the speed, reliability, and information content of nanoscale materials characterization. 

Ethan received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. Henry F. Schaefer III (Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry), where his research focused on high-level electronic structure theory, computational spectroscopy, and characterization of molecular structures and reaction mechanisms. His work employed advanced quantum chemical methods to predict molecular properties and spectroscopic observables, investigate potential energy surfaces, and provide theoretical guidance for experimental studies. He previously earned a B.S. in Molecular Biology, B.A. in Chemistry, and a minor in Physics from Bethel University. As an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Rollin A. King, he used quantum computational methods to investigate the vibrational Raman optical activity of β-lactone derivatives, establishing an early foundation in computational chemistry and molecular spectroscopy.