Dr. Egap’s research focuses on developing fundamentally new materials with novel photonic, electronic and optoelectronic properties, utilizing tools from polymer chemistry and materials science and nanoengineering to address challenges in energy conversion, sustanbility and early diagnostics. Her interests lie in molecular–engineering, elucidation of structure–property relationships, self–assembly, and creating new device architectures in applications ranging from biological imaging, sensing, early diagnostics and delivery of therapeutics, to photovoltaics and magneto–electronic and optoelectronic devices. The Egap group has established the following three thrust areas of research: (i) the molecular-engineering of well-defined block copolymers with precisely controlled nanostructured architectures for photonic, electronic and optoelectronic applications; (ii) engineering excited states and spin-polarization of soft materials and hybrid organic/inorganic nanostructures to understand and control the role of electron spin dynamics in magneto-optic and optoelectronic devices; and (iii) the development of a modular platform to engineer responsive and well–defined multifunctional polymeric nanostructures for diagnostics. Our approach combines careful measurements, synthesis of new materials and structures, elucidation of structure-property, study of photophysics and dynamics, controlling and understanding the self-assembly and morphology, device fabrication, and when possible theory and simulation.