Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, 2020
  • M.Eng., Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, England, 2015
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, England, 2014
Professional Honors
  • The School of Engineering and Applied Science Award for Excellence, Princeton University, 2019
  • Frank J. Padden Award finalist, Division of Polymer Physics, American Physical Society, 2019
  • SABIC Award for Best General Exam Performance (Department of Chemical Engineering), Princeton University, 2017
  • ExxonMobil Emerging Technology Fellowship, Princeton University, 2016-2019
  • Trinity College Overseas Bursaries, University of Cambridge, U.K., 2011-2015
Professional Affiliations
  • American Physical Society
  • American Chemical Society

Dr. Kaichen Gu's areas of technical expertise center on developing structure-function relationships for emerging materials for optoelectronics using analytical and microscopic techniques. He has worked on a variety of materials including polymers, small molecules, and halide perovskites.

During his doctoral studies at Princeton University, in collaboration with researchers at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and ExxonMobil, Dr. Gu systematically investigated the microstructural features that determine polymers' macroscopic mechanical and electrical properties and gained insights into the critical role of the intercrystallite molecular connections, i.e., the polymer tie chains.

Dr. Gu has extensive experience in various characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet — visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), ellipsometry, contact angle goniometry, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dr. Gu applies these characterization techniques to solve problems involving semiconductors, electronic packaging, displays, user interfaces, and electronic assemblies.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Gu was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he leveraged four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) to investigate the nanostructure of vapor-deposited glassy thin films for electronic applications.