From terabyte‑scale 4D/nD‑STEM datasets to structure, dynamics, and decisions: we treat the full beam‑to‑bit‑to‑answer path as a first‑class scientific instrument.
Roberto dos Reis, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor · Materials Science & Engineering · Northwestern
Roberto and collaborators work at the intersection of advanced electron microscopy and modern computation. Trained in physics at UFRGS‑Brazil, he completed postdoctoral work at the NCEM / Molecular Foundry, and now serves as scientific officer for the Dravid Group and architects 4D/nD‑STEM methods at the NUANCE Center.
What's moving in the lab.
A snapshot of what we and our collaborators have put into the world lately — papers, code, methods, awards.
Every measurement carries its own history.
A microscope can produce terabytes in minutes. We build the workflow that keeps those bits interpretable — calibrations, geometry and analysis decisions travelling with the data, from detector to published figure.
Automated segmentation
End‑to‑end segmentation of four‑dimensional datasets, replacing hand‑drawn masks with a reproducible, parameterised pass over the full scan.
ReconstructionPhysics‑preserving phase retrieval
Symplectic neural networks that keep the Hamiltonian intact, so recovered phase stays physically meaningful rather than merely plausible.
LearningSchema‑bound instrument control
A typed contract between language models and instrumentation: every action validated against a schema and logged, so machine‑driven experiments stay auditable.
ProvenanceHigh‑throughput image pipelines
Batch characterisation of nanoparticle libraries — thousands of fields analysed under one versioned recipe with per‑image lineage.
ThroughputQuantum simulation of contrast
Variational circuits that simulate phase‑contrast image formation, benchmarking quantum routines against classical multislice.
QuantumOpen containers, open code
Self‑describing archives carrying calibration, scan geometry and detector state; notebooks published with the papers that used them.
OpenWho we are.
PIs, postdocs, students and frequent collaborators who keep the experiments and the code moving.
Principal Investigator
Roberto dos Reis
Research Assistant Professor and Lecturer at Northwestern MSE. Scientific officer for the Dravid Group at NUANCE. Builds quantum algorithms for electron microscopy and materials characterization, 4D/nD‑STEM methods. Ships open code as @rmsreis.
- Northwestern · NUANCE Center
- UFRGS · PhD Physics
Postdoctoral Scholar
Gabriel T. dos Santos
In‑situ & low‑dose electron microscopy of metal–organic frameworks and protonic ceramic cells. Focus on state‑of‑the‑art methodology for beam‑damage mitigation and interface evolution at the nanoscale.
- Northwestern · NUANCE Center
- MOFs · in‑situ TEM
Undergraduate Researcher
Sean D. Lam
Undergraduate researcher developing quantum algorithms and quantum machine‑learning techniques for microscopy simulation and analysis.
- Colorado College · Physics & Chemistry
- Quantum algorithms · QML for microscopy
Master's Student · Northwestern MSE
Gino Cangialosi
Developing methods for autonomous microscopy using Physics Informed Neural Networks.
- Northwestern · MSE
- Physics Informed Neural Networks · Autonomous microscopy
Open Positions
Join the lab
We are recruiting PhD students, postdocs, and visiting scholars at the intersection of electron microscopy, machine learning, and quantum algorithms.
- PhD positions · MSE / IEMS / Physics
- Postdoc · 4D‑STEM · ML · Quantum
- Undergraduate research
Code we maintain.
Open‑source first. The lab maintains teaching material, research kernels, and quantum/AI pipelines. We publish notebooks alongside papers wherever possible.
Advanced analysis in transmission electron microscopy — a 12‑week course in image & spectrum analysis: HR‑STEM, EDS, EELS, phase imaging, ML for image analysis.
Multi‑modal Imaging, Nanoscale Data Science & High‑throughput Inference For Transmission — the umbrella for our 4D‑STEM data‑lifecycle tooling.
Quantum‑inspired algorithms for electron microscopy — phase retrieval, denoising and structure search powered by variational quantum routines.
Selected work.
A short list, newest first. Full list on Google Scholar.
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Courses at Northwestern MSE.
Hands‑on, notebook‑driven curricula on electron microscopy and the data lifecycle. Slides, datasets and code released openly with each offering.
Electron Microscopy
A comprehensive introduction to electron microscopy with emphasis on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its applications in materials science. Theory plus hands‑on operation, diffraction, imaging, EDS and EELS.
Advanced Electron Microscopy & Diffraction
An advanced graduate course on (S)TEM through a computational, data‑centric framework. Imaging and dynamical diffraction theory paired with Python‑based simulations, AI‑driven image analysis and reproducible workflows on multi‑dimensional datasets.
Talks & press.
Selected appearances and lectures. Reach out for booking or to share a recording.
Find us across the web.
Code, papers, slides, and conversations — wherever you prefer to read.
Northwestern University, Evanston.
Where Lake Michigan meets Materials Science. The MSE department lives in Cook Hall; the NUANCE Center is in the Technological Institute next door.
MSE Department
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Cook Hall
2220 Campus Dr, Evanston, IL 60208
NUANCE Center
Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center
Technological Institute
2145 Sheridan Rd, Evanston, IL 60208
Vinayak Dravid Group
The VPD Group · Materials Science & Engineering
Cook Hall, Northwestern University