OSU physics researchers receive $652K NSF award to study energy-efficient computing

Thursday, November 5, 2026

Media Contact: Jet Turner | Associate Director of Marketing and Communications | 405-744-9559 | jet.b.turner@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University Department of Physics researchers Dr. Julius de Rojas and Dr. Derek Meyers received a $652,429 award from the National Science Foundation to study new ways to transmit, process and store data using magnetic materials.

The three-year award is part of NSF’s Materials Research Programs, which supports fundamental research into materials, their properties and potential applications.

De Rojas and Meyers’ research focuses on spin waves, collective oscillations of electron spins that can propagate through magnetic materials, much like waves move through water or sound travels through air.

Spin waves could provide a more energy-efficient alternative to conventional electronics, which rely on moving electrical charges through circuits. As electronic components get smaller, electrical resistance and the heat it generates create challenges for energy efficiency.

“Spin waves don’t actually ‘move’ anywhere, much like the air doesn’t ‘move over’ when sound moves through it,” de Rojas said. “All the information is carried in the shape of the wave.”

The challenge is controlling those waves.

The behavior of spin waves depends heavily on the physical properties of the material they travel through. Once most magnetic materials are fabricated, however, those properties are largely fixed.

De Rojas and Meyers will investigate two approaches to changing those properties as needed. One uses ions to alter a material’s long-term behavior, while the other stretches the material to produce a shorter-term response.

Together, the approaches could give researchers more control over how spin waves behave and help lay the foundation for future technologies that use them to process and store information more efficiently. This kind of adaptable control could also make the materials useful for neuromorphic computing, which aims to process information using systems that more closely resemble the brain's neural networks.

“Fundamental research is often a non-linear path to discovery,” de Rojas said.

The researchers will fabricate and characterize the materials at OSU, where both operate laboratories that can grow ultrathin magnetic films and complex oxides. They will also use nano- and microscale lithography tools available through OSU’s Venture One Microscopy and Cowboy Microfabrication Corral facilities.

Both de Rojas and Meyers specialize in spectroscopy and will use advanced X-ray and optical laser techniques to study the materials, as well as conduct measurements at national laboratory beamlines.

De Rojas joined OSU in 2023, while Meyers joined the university in 2019. De Rojas said the NSF funding will allow them to continue building their research programs while contributing to the Department of Physics’ growing research mission.

“Our department’s research is vibrant and exciting, so we’re happy to keep the momentum going,” de Rojas said.

The momentum is also creating opportunities for OSU students. De Rojas said the researchers are looking for undergraduate students interested in participating in cutting-edge physics research.

“Don’t worry – we'll teach you everything you need to get up to speed,” de Rojas said.