SML · Crystal Adaptronics Laboratory

Materials that reshape, remember, and heal.

We study adaptive molecular crystals at NYU Abu Dhabi — where a nudge at the molecular scale becomes motion, memory, or repair you can see.

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Publications: 353
Talks & lectures: 560
Researchers: 20
Years of records: 28+

Welcome

Working at the interface of chemistry and engineering

Our team designs smart materials for the energy, water, and health sectors — materials capable of reshaping, memorizing, moving, programming, self-repairing, and healing. Since pioneering the field of crystal adaptronics, we've focused on molecular-scale perturbations that amplify to a macroscopic response.

Focus areas

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Latest news

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Sep 14, 2026
TII–NYU Abu Dhabi Joint Workshop
Professor Naumov and other CSEM members took part in a joint workshop between the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and NYU Abu Dhabi to identify collaborative research projects.
Sep 11, 2026
First Joint Research Symposium on Advanced Materials
The SML and CSEM co-organized the symposium with IIT Delhi–Abu Dhabi, featuring talks by leading UAE materials scientists.
Sep 2026
Five New Research Assistants Join the Lab
CSEM hired Annafew Biswas and Tanyaradzwa Sithole. The SML hired Sasindu Kaluarachchi, Anja Alex Milenkova, and Paulo Luziga.

Upcoming events

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Featured researcher

Panče Naumov

Principal Investigator, Professor of Chemistry

Panče Naumov leads the Smart Materials Lab and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials at NYUAD. His group is internationally recognized for pioneering crystal adaptronics and advancing adaptive molecular solids, with applications in sensing, robotics, optics, and energy systems.

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