Several student researchers at TxState-UT PREM Center for Intelligent Materials Assembly (CIMA) recently received recognition for their research achievements and presentations.

Ashok Paudel earned an Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award to support his research project, Bottom-Up Assembly of DNA-Nanoparticle-Dumbbells for Quantum Bit. Paudel’s research focuses on the bottom-up assembly of DNA-linked semiconductor nanoparticles to build nanoscale systems that could function as charge-based qubits. “I am excited to see how our project, if successful, will shape the potential use of biological materials for computational work using nanotechnology,” Paudel noted. In remarks shared with the announcement, Paudel thanked mentors Yoichi Miyahara, Tania Betancourt, and Rigoberto M. for their support and guidance, as well as the Honors College and the Office of the Provost for the fellowship.

Keya Das received 1st Place for Outstanding Research Poster at the 60th Anniversary Meeting of the Texas Society for Microscopy. Das also presented research at the UT MRSEC Annual Meeting at The University of Texas at Austin, where she said she received valuable feedback and connected with an inspiring research community. She credited the mentorship of Tania Betancourt and the research environment at Texas State University.

Shuvo Brahma was recognized with a Research Poster Award at the SPE International Polyolefins Conference. In a shared statement, Brahma said he won the poster competition at the SPE Conference in Galveston and thanked Tania Betancourt and Jennifer Irvin for their support and motivation, adding that he was “excited to keep pushing the boundaries of materials innovation and commercialization!”

Brahma also received both Best Presenter and Best Overall awards at the Poster Symposium during the 2026 CDCM MRSEC Annual Meeting & Industry Day, held earlier this year. At the event, TXST PREM CIMA joined partners at UT Austin, and eight PREM CIMA students presented their research through one-minute pitches and poster presentations. The meeting also gave researchers opportunities to share their work, engage in professional development, and connect with students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and industry professionals.