We are pleased to announce that Azka Arshad has been awarded second place in NC State’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, earning a $750 prize. The 3MT challenges graduate students to communicate their research clearly and compellingly in just three minutes using a single static slide.

Azka’s presentation highlighted her collaborative work between the Castellano and Abolhasani research groups to develop Roblonski, a microfluidic, material-efficient automated platform that accelerates foundational photochemical measurements. Traditional assays such as Beer–Lambert analyses, Stern–Volmer quenching, and photoluminescence quantum yield determination typically require large sample volumes, significant manual labor, and lengthy acquisition times. Roblonski miniaturizes, automates, and streamlines these processes, dramatically reducing the time, cost, and material consumption required to generate high-quality photophysical data.

Beyond solving longstanding bottlenecks in photochemistry labs, this work forms a cornerstone of the group’s involvement in the NSF-funded Center for Accelerated Photocatalysis (CAPs). By enabling high-throughput measurements that feed directly into AI-driven analysis and self-driving laboratory frameworks, Roblonski helps pave the way toward faster, greener, and more accessible discovery in photocatalysis and photochemical reaction development.

This achievement reflects Azka’s creativity, initiative, and commitment to advancing both scientific innovation and research accessibility. We congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.

Watch the presentation below!