Sierra Russell

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Dr. Sierra Russell is a pioneer in the intersection of nanofabrication and mechanical design, specializing in atomic layer deposition (ALD) and its application to membranes, metamaterials, and micro-scale mechanisms. Her landmark 2019 paper, "Atomic Layer Deposition for Membranes, Metamaterials, and Mechanisms," has garnered 39 citations and stands as a foundational work in the field. In this research, Dr. Russell masterfully applies origami and kirigami principles—traditionally associated with macroscale art and engineering—to the nanoscale, demonstrating how bending and folding techniques can enable the scale-invariant design of three-dimensional structures, metamaterials, and robots from two-dimensional starting materials. Her major contribution lies in bridging the gap between top-down lithographic methods and bottom-up ALD processes, offering a new paradigm for creating complex, functional nanostructures. This work is particularly valuable for small systems, as most micro- and nanofabrication relies on lithography, which struggles with truly three-dimensional architectures. Dr. Russell’s innovative approach has opened new avenues for developing advanced membranes for filtration, tunable metamaterials for optics, and deployable nanoscale mechanisms, establishing her as a leading voice in the next generation of nanomanufacturing.