Realizing Complex Properties of Materials Our research efforts focus on designing/preparing/characterizing new inorganic solid-state functional materials. In this quest, we employ rational design of materials through fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships based on theoretical modeling and empirical feedback. We currently focus on materials phenomena such as structural and magnetic bistabilities in metals, spin frustration, magnetoresistive and magnetocaloric effects for emerging applications in magnetoelectronics and energy conversion. Chemical understanding of spin polarization is one critical step for our advance in magnetic materials design. Crafting Multifunctional Composite Materials Composites or hybrid materials provide an interesting playground in realizing advanced multifunctional properties by exploiting chemical knowledge in chemical reactions, structure-building principles and structure-property correlations in various length scales. Our synthetic strategies for composites extend beyond making bulk materials, to organized nanostructures, porous materials and solvothermal/hydrothermal methods. We currently focus on preparations of quantum-dot composites through robust surface functionalization and also of novel functional porous materials impregnated with metals, semiconductors, insulators and biomaterials for energy conversion and storage. Complex Materials Group