Anjani K. Maurya

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory · Stanford University

Anjani K. Maurya

Associate Staff Scientist

Plastic deconstruction & recycling · autonomous, AI-driven X-ray scattering for polymers and soft materials.

Scholar ORCID LinkedIn Email

About

I am an Associate Staff Scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, where I am building a soft matter research group that uses large-scale facilities such as synchrotrons and free-electron lasers. My research focuses on understanding plastic deconstruction and recycling through chemical and biological pathways, and on developing autonomous, data-driven X-ray scattering methods for polymers and soft materials. By combining in situ and operando scattering with real-time analysis, AI/ML and adaptive measurement strategies, my work aims to accelerate the discovery of structure–reactivity and structure–property relationships.

I earned my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) and the University of Bern, where my research applied materials science approaches to biomedical systems. I completed the Erasmus Mundus Master's program in Materials Science Exploring Large Scale Facilities (MaMaSELF), studying at the University of Rennes 1 in France and the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and hold a B.Tech. in Engineering Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India.

Driven by curiosity and impact, my work advances sustainable materials and chemical technologies while developing autonomous X-ray experimentation to accelerate discovery in energy-relevant and environmentally responsible systems.

What I am working on now

Building a soft matter group

Developing a research group at SLAC that uses synchrotrons and free-electron lasers to study soft and disordered materials.

Autonomous beamline experiments

Integrating AI and machine learning with X-ray capabilities at SSRL, so a measurement can decide what to measure next.

Taking plastics apart

Following catalytic deconstruction of polyethylene and polystyrene as it happens, to understand what controls how a plastic comes apart.

Research

My work uses X-ray scattering to understand how the structure of soft materials governs their reactivity and properties, and to build the automated, data-driven experiments that make those questions tractable at scale.

SAXS and WAXS scattering geometry with incident and scattered wavefields A collimated monochromatic X-ray plane wave of wavelength lambda and wavevector k-i strikes a sample. The sample re-radiates spherical scattered wavefronts with wavevector k-f. Wide-angle scattering is collected on a detector close to the sample; small-angle scattering reaches a downstream detector. The scattering vector q is the difference between the scattered and incident wavevectors, and two-theta is measured from the transmitted beam axis. Scattered intensity falls off with distance and angle. Synchrotron X-ray source Collimation λ k i Sample in situ cell 2θ 2θ k f WAXS detector wide 2θ · Å-scale packing transmitted direct beam SAXS detector small 2θ · 1–100 nm beamstop absorbs direct beam
A monochromatic plane wave of wavelength λ and wavevector ki reaches the sample, which re-radiates spherical wavefronts kf. Wide 2θ carries atomic packing to the near detector, small 2θ carries nanoscale morphology downstream, and the transmitted beam is absorbed by the beamstop. Scattering vector q = kf − ki, |q| = 4π sin θ / λ. Angles are exaggerated for clarity.

Plastic deconstruction & recycling

Resolving how polymer morphology controls solvent and catalyst accessibility during catalytic autoxidation of polyethylene and polystyrene, and how mixed polyesters can be returned to monomer in closed-loop chemical recycling. In situ SAXS/WAXS during reaction links nanoscale structure to deconstruction mechanism.

Autonomous X-ray experimentation

Building autonomous platforms at SSRL that integrate X-ray capabilities with AI/ML. Python pipelines perform real-time data reduction, correction, and analysis, enabling closed-loop and active-learning workflows that let a measurement decide what to measure next.

Ultrafast X-ray dynamics

Pump–probe X-ray scattering at LCLS (XPP) probing transient melting and structural dynamics in metal films, and time-resolved studies using split-and-delay optics.

Hierarchical soft matter & fibers

Quantitative structure–property relationships in electrospun and thermally drawn fibers, nanocellulose aerogels, and mineralized tissues, connecting molecular orientation and semicrystalline order to mechanical and functional behavior across length scales.

Length scales we probe

Length scales accessible by X-ray scattering Wide-angle scattering probes ångström-scale atomic packing, small-angle scattering probes one to one hundred nanometre morphology, and ultra-small-angle scattering and imaging reach micrometres. 0.1 nm1 nm 10 nm100 nm 1 µm10 µm WAXS: atomic packing SAXS: nanostructure USAXS & imaging crystal lattice lamellae, fibrils, pores domains, morphology
One beamline, many length scales. Combining methods spans atomic packing to bulk morphology.

Techniques & tools

X-ray methods

SAXS, WAXS, XAS, ultrafast pump–probe diffraction, in situ and operando measurement

Materials synthesis

Electrospinning, melt-spinning, microfluidics, spin coating, 3D printing, CVD and evaporation thin films

Programming & analysis

Python, MATLAB, real-time SAXS/WAXS pipelines, beamline automation, FEM and DFT modeling

Software

TOPAS, ATSAS, NIKA, FIT2D, GIXGUI, DPDAK, SasView, SASfit, BioXTAS RAW, PyMOL, Fusion 360

Facilities

SSRL: 1-5, 17-2, 11-3, 4-2, 9-3, 4-1 LCLS: XPP DESY: P12 PSI: MS Diamond: I15-1

Publications

… Citations
… h-index
… i10-index
… Indexed works

Live metrics via OpenAlex. Full profiles below.

Google Scholar ResearchGate
  1. In preparation
    In preparation

    Anjani K. Maurya, Ravikumar Ramegowda, Arun S. Asundi, Ozge D. Bozkurt, Katrina Knauer, Christopher J. Tassone; “Decoding the structural deformation behavior of redesigned bioplastics”.

  2. Submitted
    Submitted

    Arun S. Asundi, Anjani K. Maurya, Ozge D. Bozkurt, Simon R. Bare, Ritimukta Sarangi, Christopher J. Tassone; “Understanding effect of water in Co/Mn-catalyzed oxidation of polyethylene using X-ray scattering and spectroscopy techniques”.

  3. Submitted 2026
    Submitted 2026

    Taekeun Yoon, Haoyuan Li, Yanwen Sun, Arijit Majumdar, Priyanka Muhunthan, Guillaume Vignat, Sanghoon Song, Jingcun Fan, Selene She, Takahiro Sato, Aliaksei Halavanau, Alberto Lutman, Yuxuan Li, Anjani K. Maurya, Diling Zhu, Matthias Ihme; “Revealing Ultrafast Multiscale Dynamics of Liquid CO2 Radiolysis with Time-Resolved X-ray Pump/X-ray Probe Scattering using Split-and-Delay Optics” (2026).

  4. JACS Au 2026
    JACS Au 2026

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Sarah A. Hesse, Amani M. Ebrahim, Kevin P. Sullivan, Joel Miscall, Jocelyn A. Richardson, Simon R. Bare, Ritimukta Sarangi, Gregg T. Beckham, Christopher J. Tassone; “Effects of Polymer Morphology on Solvent and Catalyst Accessibility during Polyethylene and Polystyrene Autoxidation” JACS Au, 6, 2891–2901 (2026).

    View article
  5. Advanced Materials Technologies 2026
    Advanced Materials Technologies 2026

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Ozge D. Bozkurt, Katrina M. Knauer, Simon R. Bare, Christopher J. Tassone; “Polymer Deconstruction and Redesign Strategies for Plastics Recycling” Advanced Materials Technologies, 11, 2502008 (2026).

    View article
  6. Nature Chemical Engineering 2025
    Nature Chemical Engineering 2025

    Julia B. Curley, Yuanzhe Liang, Jason S. DesVeaux, Taylor Uekert, Hoon Choi, Ryan W. Clarke, William E. Michener, Anjani K. Maurya, Lisa M. Stanley, Yue Wu, Sarah A. Hesse, Andrea L. Baer, Hudson A. Neyer, Christopher J. Tassone, Alan J. Jacobsen, Ofei D. Mante, Gregg T. Beckham, Katrina M. Knauer; “Closed-loop recycling of mixed polyesters via catalytic methanolysis and monomer separations” Nature Chemical Engineering, 2, 568–580 (2025).

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  7. Protein Science 2024
    Protein Science 2024

    Jessica Lusty Beech, Anjani K. Maurya, Ronivaldo da Silva, Emmanuel Akpoto, Arun Asundi, Julia Ann Fecko, Neela Yennawar, Ritimukta Sarangi, Thomas Weiss, Christopher J. Tassone, Jennifer L. DuBois; “Understanding the stability constraints on a plastic-deconstructing Rieske iron oxidoreductase system” Protein Science, 33(6), e4997 (2024).

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  8. Graphical abstract
    Green Chemistry 2024
    Green Chemistry 2024

    Amy A. Cuthbertson, Clarissa L. Lincoln, Joel Miscall, Lisa M. Stanley, David Moore, Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Christopher J. Tassone, Nicholas A. Rorrer, Gregg T. Beckham; “Characterization of polymer properties and identification of additives in commercially available research plastics” Green Chemistry (2024).

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  9. Graphical abstract
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2023
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2023

    Arun S. Asundi, Amani M. Ebrahim, Anjani K. Maurya, Chad T. Palumbo, Kevin P. Sullivan, Gregg T. Beckham, Ritimukta Sarangi; “Effect of Ligand Chemistry on Electronic Properties and Reactivity of Cobalt Acetate Autoxidation Catalysts” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 127(32), 15797–15808 (2023).

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  10. Graphical abstract
    ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2023
    ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2023

    Makenna L. Pennel, Anjani K. Maurya, Amani M. Ebrahim, Christopher J. Tassone, Matteo Cargnello; “Intrinsic activity of silica-alumina for the conversion of polyethylene into tunable aromatics below pyrolytic temperatures” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 11(34), 12623–12630 (2023).

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  11. Graphical abstract
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2022
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2022

    Fernando Vazquez Luna, Anjani K. Maurya, Juliana Martins de Souza e Silva, Guido Dittrich, Theresa Paul, Dirk Enke, Patrick Huber, Ralf Wehrspohn, Martin Steinhart; “Straight versus Spongy: Effect of Tortuosity on Polymer Imbibition into Nanoporous Matrices Assessed by Segmentation-Free Analysis of 3D Sample Reconstructions” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 126(30), 12765–12779 (2022).

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  12. Graphical abstract
    Carbohydrate Polymers 2022
    Carbohydrate Polymers 2022

    Deeptanshu Sivaraman, Gilberto Siqueira, Anjani K. Maurya, Shanyu Zhao, Matthias M. Koebel, Gustav Nyström, Marco Lattuada, Wim J. Malfait; “Superinsulating nanocellulose aerogels: Effect of density and nanofiber alignment” Carbohydrate Polymers, 292, 119675 (2022).

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  13. Chimia 2022
    Chimia 2022

    J. Schoeller, J. T. Avaro, Anjani K. Maurya, R. M. Rossi, A. Neels; “Tailoring Fibre Structure Enabled by X-ray Analytics for Targeted Biomedical Applications” Chimia, 76, 229 (2022).

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  14. Graphical abstract
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 2022
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 2022

    Robin M. Cywar, Nicholas A. Rorrer, Heather B. Mayes, Anjani K. Maurya, Christopher J. Tassone, Gregg T. Beckham, Eugene Y.-X. Chen; “Redesigned Hybrid Nylons with Optical Clarity and Chemical Recyclability” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144(12), 5366–5376 (2022).

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  15. Graphical abstract
    Advanced Functional Materials 2022
    Advanced Functional Materials 2022

    N. Iranpour, M. Liebi, Q. Ong, C. Blanchet, Anjani K. Maurya, F. Stellacci, S. Salentinig, P. Wick, A. Neels; “In-situ Investigations on Gold Nanoparticles Stabilization Mechanisms in Biological Environments Containing HSA” Advanced Functional Materials, 32, 2110253 (2022).

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  16. Graphical abstract
    Nanoscale Advances 2022
    Nanoscale Advances 2022

    Anjani K. Maurya, Eloise Miase, Jean Scholler, Giuseppino Fortunato, René M. Rossi, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels*; “Multiscale structural decoding of electrospun fibers: from fabrication to possibilities for steering properties” Nanoscale Advances, 4, 491–501 (2022).

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  17. Graphical abstract
    Small 2022
    Small 2022

    Inès Richard, Anjani K. Maurya, Shahrzad Shadman, Eloïse Masquelier, Lison Sylou Marthey, Antonia Neels, Fabien Sorin; “Unraveling the influence of polymer chain orientation on the thermo-mechanical properties of thermally drawn fibers” Small, 18, 2101392 (2022).

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  18. Graphical abstract
    Acta Biomaterialia 2021
    Acta Biomaterialia 2021

    Anjani K. Maurya, Annapaola Parrilli, Tatiana Kochetkova, Jakob Schwiedrzik, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels*; “Multiscale and multimodal X-ray analysis: Quantifying phase orientation and morphology of mineralized turkey leg tendons” Acta Biomaterialia, 129, 169–177 (2021).

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  19. Graphical abstract
    Polymer 2021
    Polymer 2021

    Anjani K. Maurya, Sumit Mondal, Dean E. Wheeldon, Jean Scholler, Michel Schmid, Simon Annaheim, Martin Camenzind, Giuseppino Fortunato, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels, Amin Sadeghpour, René M. Rossi; “Effect of radiant heat exposure on structure and mechanical properties of thermal protective fabrics” Polymer, 222, 123634 (2021).

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  20. Graphical abstract
    Materials & Design 2021
    Materials & Design 2021

    Dambarudhar Parida, Khalifah Salmeia, Amin Sadeghpour, Shanyu Zhao, Anjani K. Maurya, Eva Moreau, Robin Pauer, Sandro Lehner, Milijana Jovic, Sabyasachi Gaan; “Template free synthesis of hybrid mesoporous silica nanoparticle with phosphonic acid functionality for efficient methylene blue removal” Materials & Design, 201, 109494 (2021).

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  21. Graphical abstract
    Materials Letters 2020
    Materials Letters 2020

    Ivana Malagurski, Ruggero Frison, Anjani K. Maurya, Antonia Neels, Boban Andjelkovic, Ramsankar Senthamaraikannan, Ramesh Babu Padamati, Kevin O’Connor, Tomasz Witko, Daria Solarz, Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic*; “Polyhydroxyoctanoate Films Reinforced with Titanium Dioxide Microfibers for Biomedical Application” Materials Letters, 285, 129100 (2020).

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  22. Graphical abstract
    Acta Biomaterialia 2020
    Acta Biomaterialia 2020

    Tatiana Kochetkova*, Cinzia Peruzzi, Oliver Braun, Jan Overbeck, Anjani K. Maurya, Antonia Neels, Michel Calame, Johann Michler, Philippe Zysset, Jakob Schwiedrzik*; “Combining polarized Raman spectroscopy and micropillar compression to study microscale structure-property relationships in mineralized tissues” Acta Biomaterialia (2020).

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  23. Graphical abstract
    Langmuir 2020
    Langmuir 2020

    N. D. Tien, Anjani K. Maurya, G. Fortunato, M. Rottmar, R. Zboray, R. Erni, A. Dommann, R. M. Rossi, A. Neels, A. Sadeghpour*; “Responsive Nanofibers with Embedded Hierarchical Lipid Self-Assemblies” Langmuir, 36(40), 11787–11797 (2020).

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  24. Graphical abstract
    Optics Express 2020
    Optics Express 2020

    Arushi Jain, Anjani K. Maurya, Leonie Ulrich, Michael Jaeger, René M. Rossi, Antonia Neels, Philippe Schucht, Alex Dommann, Martin Frenz, H. Günhan Akarçay; “Polarimetric imaging in backscattering for the structural characterization of strongly scattering birefringent fibrous media” Optics Express, 28, 16673–16695 (2020).

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  25. Graphical abstract
    Nanoscale 2019
    Nanoscale 2019

    Anjani K. Maurya, Lukas Weidenbacher, Fabrizio Spano, Giuseppino Fortunato, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels*, Amin Sadeghpour*; “Structural insights into semicrystalline states of electrospun nanofibers: a multiscale analytical approach” Nanoscale, 11, 7176–7187 (2019).

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  26. Graphical abstract
    ACS Applied Energy Materials 2018
    ACS Applied Energy Materials 2018

    Nitin Saxena, Josef Keilhofer, Anjani K. Maurya, Giuseppino Fortunato, Jan Overbeck, Peter Müller-Buschbaum*; “Facile Optimization of Thermoelectric Properties in PEDOT:PSS Thin Films through Acid–Base and Redox Dedoping Using Readily Available Salts” ACS Applied Energy Materials, 1(2), 336–342 (2018).

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Conferences

  1. 2026
  2. March 2026

    Decoding Structure–Property Relationships in Redesigned Polymers Using In Situ WAXS and Tensile Measurements

    APS Global Physics Summit

    Denver, USA

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Ozge D. Bozkurt, Julia Curley, Katrina M. Knauer, Gregg T. Beckham, Christopher J. Tassone

  3. 2025
  4. March 2025

    Chemical Deconstruction of Plastics: Insights from in situ simultaneous SAXS and WAXS

    APS Spring Meeting

    Anaheim, USA

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Ozge D. Bozkurt, Julia Curley, Katrina M. Knauer, Gregg T. Beckham, Christopher J. Tassone

  5. March 2025

    Unraveling the impact of solvents and catalysts on plastics in catalytic autoxidation: Insights from X-ray scattering

    ACS Spring Meeting

    San Diego, USA

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Sarah A. Hesse, Amani M. Ebrahim, Kevin P. Sullivan, Joel Miscall, Simon R. Bare, Ritimukta Sarangi, Gregg T. Beckham, Christopher J. Tassone

  6. 2023
  7. September 2023

    In-Situ Synchrotron-Based Characterization of Soft Materials Properties and Behavior

    Bay-area Soft Matter Symposium

    Stanford, USA

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Ozge D. Bozkurt, Sarah A. Hesse, Christopher J. Takacs, Ravikumar Ramegowda, Jeremy Luterbacher, Eugene Chen, Gregg Beckham, Christopher J. Tassone

  8. 2022
  9. Talk September 2022

    Decoding the mechanism of autoxidation deconstruction reaction of plastics by in-situ simultaneous SAXS and WAXS

    SAS2022 International Conference

    Campinas, Brazil

    Anjani K. Maurya, Arun S. Asundi, Sarah A. Hesse, Amani M. Ebrahim, Kevin P. Sullivan, Chad T. Palumbo, Allison Z. Werner, Christopher J. Takacs, Gregg T. Beckham, Ritimukta Sarangi, Christopher J. Tassone

  10. May–June 2022

    Unraveling the multiscale structure of fibrous materials by X-ray scattering techniques

    European Powder Diffraction Conference (EPDIC17)

    Šibenik, Croatia

    Anjani K. Maurya, René M. Rossi, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels*

  11. 2020
  12. November 2020

    Multiscale structural decoding of electrospun fibers: from processing to possibilities for steering properties

    Empa PhD Symposium 2020

    Empa, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, Eloïse Mias, Jean Schoeller, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels

  13. Poster January 2020

    Nucleation and growth study of iron oxide nanoparticles from solution for biomedical application

    GCB Symposium

    University of Bern, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, Amin Sadeghpour, Ruggero Frison, Riccardo Malini Innocenti, Claudio Toncelli, Marc G. Willinger, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels*

  14. 2019
  15. Poster November 2019

    Nucleation and growth study of iron oxide nanoparticles from solution

    Empa PhD Symposium

    Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, Amin Sadeghpour, Ruggero Frison, Riccardo Innocenti Malini, Claudio Toncelli, Marc G. Willinger, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels

  16. Poster October 2019

    Electrospun nanofibers with embedded bioinspired membranes

    Bioinspired Materials

    Monte Verità, Switzerland

    N. D. Tien, Anjani K. Maurya, Z. Robert, Giuseppino Fortunato, M. Rottmar, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Antonia Neels, Amin Sadeghpour

  17. Poster 21–22 August 2019

    Understanding fiber fabrication process by structural feedbacks by SAXS and WAXD

    European Crystallography Meeting

    University of Vienna, Austria

    Anjani K. Maurya, Lukas Weidenbacher, Fabrizio Spano, Giuseppino Fortunato, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Amin Sadeghpour, Antonia Neels

  18. Oral August 2019

    Decoding structural insights of nanofibers by SAXS and WAXD

    Swiss Crystallography Meeting

    EPFL Sion, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, Lukas Weidenbacher, Fabrizio Spano, Giuseppino Fortunato, René M. Rossi, Martin Frenz, Alex Dommann, Amin Sadeghpour, Antonia Neels

  19. 2018
  20. Poster November 2018

    Decoding structural insights into semicrystalline states of polymeric nanofibers at nanoscale

    Empa PhD Symposium

    Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, L. Weidenbacher, F. Spano, G. Fortunato, R. M. Rossi, M. Frenz, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  21. Poster October 2018

    Structural-morphological correlation studies in polymeric nanofibers by SAXS and WAXD

    Polycoll 2018

    EPFL, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, L. Weidenbacher, F. Spano, G. Fortunato, R. M. Rossi, M. Frenz, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  22. Poster September 2018

    Study the effect of nanofiber fabrication processes on modification of internal structure at nanoscale

    Swiss Crystallography Meeting 2018

    PSI, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, L. Weidenbacher, F. Spano, G. Fortunato, R. M. Rossi, M. Frenz, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  23. Best Poster Award 2018

    Structural insights into semicrystalline states of electrospun nanofibers

    EXCITE Biomedical Imaging Summer School 2018

    ETH Zurich, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, L. Weidenbacher, F. Spano, G. Fortunato, R. M. Rossi, M. Frenz, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  24. Poster March 2018

    Structure–morphology correlation studies of electrospun nanofibers by SAXS and WAXS

    Bio-X

    Empa St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, L. Weidenbacher, F. Spano, G. Fortunato, R. M. Rossi, M. Frenz, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  25. Oral January 2018

    Structural in-situ studies for particle system synthesis and early event dynamics in bio-environments

    Empa PhD Seminar

    Empa St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, R. Rossi, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  26. 2017
  27. Oral November 2017

    Structure–morphology correlation studies in electrospun nanofibers by SAXS and WAXS

    Empa PhD Symposium 2017

    Dübendorf, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, R. Rossi, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  28. Oral September 2017

    Structural analysis of electrospun fiber membrane by SAXS and WAXS

    Swiss Crystallography Meeting 2017

    Geneva, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, A. Sadeghpour, R. Rossi, A. Dommann, A. Neels

  29. 2016
  30. July 2016

    In-plane and cross-plane Seebeck coefficients in organic thermoelectric thin films

    6th Energy Colloquium, Munich School of Engineering

    TUM, Germany

    Anjani K. Maurya, N. Saxena, P. Müller-Buschbaum

  31. June 2016

    Enhancement of Seebeck coefficient by dedoping of conducting polymer

    Summer School

    Austria

    Anjani K. Maurya, N. Saxena, P. Müller-Buschbaum

  32. Oral May 2016

    Hybrid Based Thermoelectrica

    MaMaSELF Status Meeting

    Rigi Kulm, Switzerland

    Anjani K. Maurya, N. Saxena, P. Müller-Buschbaum

  33. Poster March 2016

    Hybrid Based Thermoelectrica

    DPG Meeting 2016

    Regensburg, Germany

    Anjani K. Maurya, N. Saxena, P. Müller-Buschbaum

  34. 2013
  35. Poster December 2013

    Band gap variation in bilayer graphene and silicene under transverse electric field

    ICANN-2013

    IIT Guwahati, India

    Anjani K. Maurya

  36. 2011
  37. Poster August 2011

    Structural and transport studies of ZnS thin film prepared by Doctor Blade’s technique

    Condensed Matter Days Conference 2011

    Guwahati University, India

    Lalhriatzuala, Anjani K. Maurya, Pratima Agarwal

X-ray Scattering Resources

Practical resources gathered from working with SAXS and WAXS: the tools I reach for, the references worth reading, and the communities that maintain the standards. If you would like to talk through data, methods or analysis, please do get in touch.

Recommended reading

Elementary Scattering Theory

D. S. Sivia. The clearest starting point for X-ray and neutron users: builds the theory from first principles without hiding behind formalism.

Learning and reference

SAS Tutorials

Structured lessons in SAXS and SANS, from first concepts through to advanced modelling.

Diamond SAXS software list

A curated survey of the software people actually use for reduction and analysis.

X-ray absorption database

Edge energies, cross-sections and attenuation lengths for planning an experiment.

periodictable (Python)

Scattering lengths, densities and element data, scriptable for contrast calculations.

Software and analysis

pyFAI

Azimuthal integration in Python: the workhorse for turning 2D detector images into I(q).

FabIO

Reads and writes the many detector image formats you meet at beamlines.

SasView

Model fitting with a large library of form and structure factors.

ATSAS

The established suite for biological small-angle scattering.

BioXTAS RAW

Reduction and analysis built around bioSAXS workflows.

DENSS

Reconstructs 3D electron density directly from a 1D SAXS curve.

Shape2SAS

Simulates scattering profiles from particle shapes you define.
From detector image to structure Three stages of scattering analysis. First, a two-dimensional detector image of concentric rings around a central beamstop. Second, azimuthal integration converts it to a one-dimensional curve of intensity against q. Third, fitting a model to that curve yields real-space structure such as a lamellar repeat distance d. 2D detector image azimuthal integration I(q) profile model fitting d real-space structure d = 2π/q* reciprocal to real space
The reduction path most SAXS software follows: a detector image becomes a curve, and a fitted model turns that curve into structure.

Community and standards

canSAS

The community effort behind small-angle scattering data standards and interoperability.

lightsources.org

A directory and history of synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities worldwide.

smallangle.org

The central hub for the global small-angle scattering community.

This list is far from complete, which is part of what keeps the field lively, and occasionally bewildering for newcomers. Suggestions are welcome.

Curriculum Vitae

Research & work experience

Dec 2025 – Present

Associate Staff Scientist

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, USA

Developing a soft matter research group using synchrotrons and free-electron lasers, and building autonomous experimental platforms integrating X-ray capabilities at SSRL with AI/ML.

May 2021 – Nov 2025

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, USA

Multiscale structural characterization of bioplastics and recyclable polymers; built SSRL platforms combining SAXS/WAXS with in situ tensile, heating, microfluidic and reaction environments; developed real-time Python analysis pipelines; conducted ultrafast pump–probe scattering at LCLS.

Mar 2017 – Mar 2021

PhD Thesis Research

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (ETH Domain), Switzerland

Designed in situ SAXS/WAXS experiments with microfluidic, tensile, thermal, electrical and humidity stimuli; studied nanoparticle nucleation and growth; built structure–property relationships in nanofibrous polymers.

Nov 2015 – Feb 2017

Materials Simulation Engineer (part-time)

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany

Developed MATLAB/Python tools to analyze experimental data and benchmark simulations; built material models in COMSOL and Ansys.

May 2015 – Aug 2015

Summer Intern

Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, UPMC/ENS, Paris, France

Fabricated optical microfiber knot/loop resonators for quantum-dot coupling to study light–matter interactions.

2011 – 2014

Research Projects: Semiconductor & Magnetism Groups

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India

Ultra-thin silicon by HWCVD/PECVD; DFT study of band-gap tunability in bilayer graphene and silicene; KNN ferroelectric thin-film capacitors by RF sputtering; ZnS thin films for photovoltaics.

Education

Jun – Jul 2023

Stanford Ignite

Stanford University Graduate School of Business, USA

Marketing, operations, strategy, accounting, finance and economics; design thinking, leadership and pitching; developed a commercialization plan for a new venture.

Mar 2017 – Mar 2021

PhD, Biomedical Engineering, summa cum laude

Empa (ETH Domain) & University of Bern, Switzerland

Thesis: Multiscale structural decoding of fibers and designing responsive nanofibrous materials.

Oct 2015 – Nov 2016

MSc (M2), Applied and Engineering Physics

Technical University of Munich, Germany (Erasmus Mundus, MaMaSELF)

Thesis: Optimization of thermoelectric properties of conducting polymer thin films by dedoping and hybrid approaches.

Sep 2014 – Aug 2015

MSc (M1), Physics

University of Rennes 1, France (Erasmus Mundus, MaMaSELF)

Jul 2010 – Jun 2014

B.Tech, Engineering Physics

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India

Thesis: Fabrication and characterization of silicon ultra-thin films prepared by HWCVD.

Awards & honors

2022

Young Scientist Award to attend the SAS2022 International Conference

2020

IUCr Young Scientist Award

2018

Best Poster, EXCITE Biomedical Imaging Summer School, ETH Zurich

2015–16

Erasmus+ Scholarship, European Union

2014–15

World Quantitative and Science Scholarship, WorldQuant Foundation

2012–14

Institute Merit-cum-Means Scholarship, IIT Guwahati

2010

Top 0.1% in IIT-JEE, among roughly one million candidates

Professional service

Teaching & supervision

Memberships

American Physical Society American Chemical Society Swiss Crystallography Society Swiss Chemical Society German Physical Society

Languages

Hindi (native) · English (native) · German (A2) · French (A2)

Get in touch

I am always glad to hear from people working on related problems. Whether you have a question about scattering data, an idea for a collaboration, or you are a student looking for a way into this field, please do reach out.

Good reasons to write

  • Collaborations

    Plastics deconstruction and recycling, polymers and soft materials, or anything suited to in situ X-ray scattering.

  • SAXS / WAXS questions

    Experiment design, data reduction, or analysis. Happy to talk through a problem or point you to the right tool.

  • Beamtime & facilities

    Planning a measurement at SSRL or another synchrotron, or curious about autonomous experimental platforms.

  • Students & early researchers

    Advice on getting started in scattering, or interest in joining the group I am building at SLAC.

Working on something related?

I would be glad to hear about it: questions, collaborations, and student enquiries are all welcome.

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