Her current research is focused around transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy of two-dimensional materials and soft-hard interfaces. Her work has produced iconic images showing how defects occur in atomically thin materials such as graphene, 2D semiconductors, and silica glass. Her awards include a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a Packard Fellowship, a Sloan Fellowship, and young investigator awards from the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. Her research has been featured in National Geographic, BusinessWeek, CBS News, Discover Magazine, and the Guinness Book of World Records. The Grainger College of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award (2021) Illinois Student Government Teaching Excellence Award (2019) List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students for MSE 182: Introduction to Materials Science (2016-2020) List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students for MSE 481: Electron Microscopy (2017, 2018) Research Honors Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (2021) Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2019) Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (2018, 2019) NSF CAREER Award (2019) Highly Cited Researchers List 2018, Clarivate Analytics (2018) Sloan Research Fellowship in Physics (2018) Center for Advanced Study Fellowship, UIUC (2018) Packard Fellowship, David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2017) Albert Crewe Award, Microscopy Society of America (2017) 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2017) Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award (2016) William Nichols Findley Award for Exceptional Research, Cornell University (2013) Presidential Scholarship Award, Microscopy Society of America (2012) Castaing Award, Microanalysis Society (2012)