Associate Professor Shreyas Balachandran of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. (Courtesy Balachandran)
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Associate Professor Shreyas Balachandran recently received the prestigious Early Career Award from the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, under the DOE’s Accelerator Research and Development (ARDAP) Program. It will provide $875,000 over five years.
The award provides Balachandran with support to develop superconducting radio frequency materials to enable linear accelerators—a critical technology for the United States. The DOE mission is to advance superconducting accelerator technology by understanding the fundamentals of A15 compounds for next-generation radio-frequency accelerator applications.
Balachandran is a faculty member in the Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and Materials Science (MSE) at the joint college. He was selected to receive the award as part of DOE’s Early Career Research Program.
His work focuses on improving particle accelerators, machines that accelerate charged particles, such as electrons and ions, to very high speeds for scientific experiments and industrial applications. These accelerators are vital in fields such as nuclear and high-energy physics, as well as in industries such as food safety, medical device sterilization and water treatment.
Creating a Better Particle Accelerator
“Our project involves a special technology called superconducting radio-frequency (SRF),” Balachandran said. “SRF technology efficiently turns radio waves into powerful beams of electrons.” Presently, this technology is the backbone of studying matter and materials and forms an integral part of light sources (such as SLAC).
Currently, most accelerators use niobium metal, which works as a superconductor only at extremely cold temperatures—around minus 442F. Keeping things this cold requires complicated and expensive cooling systems with liquid helium, which makes the machines bulky and harder to use in everyday industries.
Balachandran’s goal is to use new materials, called A15 compounds, that are superconductors at higher temperatures. “By using these materials and combining them with copper structures, we hope to build accelerator parts that don’t need extensive cryogenic infrastructure, and can use compact cryocoolers to operate,” Balachandran said. “This could make accelerators smaller, cheaper, and easier to use in hospitals, factories, and other places outside of big research labs.”
To achieve this, his team will use a process called chemical vapor deposition. This technique creates very thin layers of superconducting material on copper surfaces, helping the machines operate more reliably while addressing some of the problems with current materials. The project aims to involve industry partners so discoveries can be quickly applied to real-world applications.
“Dr. Balachandran’s work is innovative and reflects his leading expertise in superconductors and cryo-techniques. His success in earning this highly competitive award is a testament to his dedication, expertise and the impact of his research on both science and society. We are very happy to see his first major success in such a short timeframe," said Richard Liang, associate dean for research for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
Balachandran graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015 and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Applied Superconductivity Center and then a staff scientist at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) before joining the joint college in March 2025.
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