Sarah Camayd-Muñoz is a computational physicist whose research bridges nanofabrication, metamaterials design, and artificial intelligence. Her work centers on inverse-design and topology-optimization methods for three-dimensional optical metamaterials—approaches that treat material geometry as a high-dimensional design space, allowing structures of remarkable performance to “emerge” algorithmically rather than by intuition alone. She is particularly interested in how these data-driven tools expand what is physically achievable while challenging traditional notions of understanding and control in physics.

Sarah earned her Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University, where she demonstrated silicon-on-insulator zero-index metamaterials for integrated photonics. As a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech she extended inverse design to fully volumetric meta-optics, using micro-scale additive manufacturing to demonstrate compact multi-functional devices from radio frequencies through the infrared. She has since applied similar techniques to reconfigurable metalenses, photonic-integrated circuits, and other cross-disciplinary projects, while also leading graduate instruction in optical metamaterials for Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals.

Across her publications, patents, and collaborative projects, Sarah’s overarching goal is to combine first-principles physics with machine-driven exploration—unlocking photonic devices that not only outperform conventional designs but also invite new philosophical questions about discovery, comprehension, and the limits of human intuition in a million-dimensional design space.

Education History

  • Ph.D, Applied Physics, Harvard University

Work Experience

Senior Professional Staff, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory

Publications

G. Roberts, C. Ballew, T. Zheng, J. Garcia, S. Camayd-Muñoz, P. Hon, and A. Faraon, “3D-patterned inverse-designed mid-infrared metaoptics” Nature Communications 14, 2768 (2023)
O. Mello, Y. Li, S. Camayd-Muñoz, C. DeVault, M. Lobet, H. Tang, M. Lonçar, and E. Mazur, “Extended many-body superradiance in diamond epsilon near-zero metamaterials” Appl. Phys. Lett. 120, 061105 (2022)
C. Ballew, G. Roberts, S. Camayd-Muñoz, M. Debbas, and A. Faraon, “Mechanically reconfigurable multi-functional meta-optics studied at microwave frequencies” Scientific Reports 11, 11145 (2021)
T. Dong, J. Liang, S. Camayd-Muñoz, Y. Liu, H. Tang, S. Kita, P. Chen, X. Wu, W. Chu, E. Mazur, and Y. Li, “Ultra-low-loss on-chip zero-index materials”, Light Sci. Appl. 10, 10 (2021)
H. Tang, C. DeVault, S. Camayd-Muñoz, Y. Liu, D. Jia, F. Du, O. Mello, D. Vulis, Y. Li, E. Mazur “Low-Loss Zero-Index Materials” Nano Letters 21, 914-920 (2021)
P. Camayd-Muñoz, C. Ballew, G. Roberts, and A. Faraon, “Multi-functional volumetric meta-optics for color and polarization image sensors” Optica 4, 280-283 (2020)
O. Reshef, P. Camayd-Muñoz, D. Vulis , Y. Li , M. Lonc̆ar, and E. Mazur, “Direct Observation of Phase-Free Propagation in a Silicon Waveguide” ACS Photonics 4, 2385–2389 (2017)
D. Vulis, Y. Li, O. Reshef, P. Camayd-Muñoz, M. Yin, S. Kita, M. Lončar, and E. Mazur, “Monolithic CMOS-compatible zero-index metamaterials,” Opt. Express 25, 12381-12399 (2017)
S. Kita, Y. Li, P. Camayd-Muñoz, O. Reshef, D. Vulis, R. Day, E. Mazur, and M. Lončar, “On-chip all-dielectric fabrication-tolerant zero-index metamaterials,” Opt. Express 25, 8326-8334 (2017)
Y. Li, S. Kita, P. Muñoz, O. Reshef, D. Vulis, M. Yin, M. Lončar, and E. Mazur, “On-chip zero-index metamaterials” Nature Photonics 9, 738–742 (2015)
G. England, M. Kolle, P. Kim, M. Khan, P. Muñoz, E. Mazur, and J. Aizenberg, “Bioinspired micrograting arrays mimicking the reverse color diffraction elements evolved by the butterfly Pierella luna” PNAS 111, 15630–15634 (2014)
D. Rioux, S. Vallières, S. Besner, P. Muñoz, E. Mazur, and M. Meunier, “An Analytic Model for the Dielectric Function of Au, Ag, and their Alloys” Advanced Optical Materials 2, 176–182 (2014)