Faculty of Engineering
Research project description
Kevin Musselman, Associate Professor - Mechanical and Mechantronics Engineering leads the Functional Nanomaterials Group and is recruiting graduate students to work on projects developing novel, thin-film coating materials and manufacturing processes.
The Functional Nanomaterials Group has helped pioneer the development of spatial atomic layer deposition, a high-throughput coating technique. The scalable manufacture of coatings with nanometer-scale precision can address global sustainability and health challenges. Imagine a world without single-use plastic waste, with widespread low-cost photovoltaic power, and with rapid point-of-care diagnosis of health conditions.
The Functional Nanomaterials Group has ongoing projects related to barrier coatings for sustainable consumer packaging, low-cost perovskite solar cells, 2D heterostructures, and gas sensors. Driven by real-world problems, they explore fundamental materials-science phenomena to advance the state of the art. Their research is collaborative in nature, with an opportunity for industrial and international academic partnerships. Technology transfer and entrepreneurship are also emphasized. Notably, their research on spatial atomic layer deposition led to the formation of spinoff company Nfinite Nanotechnology.
Fields of research
- Sustainable packaging
- Perovskite solar cells
- 2D materials
- Gas sensors
- Surface science and thin films
Qualifications and ideal student profile
Prospective graduate student researchers must meet or exceed the minimum admission requirements for the programs connected to this opportunity. Visit the program pages using the links on this page to learn more about minimum admission requirements. In addition to minimum requirements, the research supervisor is looking for the following qualifications and student profile.
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Expertise in one or more of the following is an advantage: thin film deposition and characterization, consumer packaging materials, perovskite solar cells, 2D materials, gas sensors.
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Domestic candidates with a strong academic record, research publications, and collaborative research experience are prioritized.
Faculty researcher and supervisor
- Kevin Musselman, PEng
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
View faculty profile →
Functional Nanomaterials Lab for Sustainability and Health website →
Graduate programs connected to this project
Important dates
Spatial atomic layer deposition for sustainability and health applications is accepting applications of interest for intake in the spring 2026, fall 2026 and winter 2027 terms.