Mary Ellen Zvanut is a Professor of Physics and Graduate Program Director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Throughout her career, her research has focused on point defects in semiconductors and insulators, particularly those pertinent to advanced technology. While early work focused on electrical characterization, most has been based on magnetic resonance studies of impurities and intrinsic defects in material systems such as the oxide layer of MOS devices and p-type GaN. For the Ultra EFRC, Dr. Zvanut will be investigating the type and number of defects in nitride films and diamond substrates grown under a variety of conditions. For example, we hope to understand how essential dopant impurities are incorporated into the lattice and which type of intrinsic defects are detrimental to a working device.