Meet IMOD’s new communicators

Feb 4, 2025

Professor Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena, IMOD’s first faculty lead for communications, will work with new staff member Owen Freed, who also supports clean energy research at the University of Washington

The Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand (IMOD), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science & Technology Center (STC), has appointed IMOD faculty member Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena as its first Associate Director of Communications. Correa-Baena is an Associate Professor and the Goizueta Junior Faculty Chair in the School of Materials Science & Engineering and the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where he co-directs the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE). Joining Correa-Baena on the IMOD communications team is Owen Freed, who has been working as a public information specialist at the University of Washington (UW) for seven years, primarily supporting the UW Clean Energy Institute (CEI) and its open-access Washington Clean Energy Testbeds lab facility. The two are joining forces with Dr. Daniel Morton (University of Colorado, Boulder), who will continue to provide support for public information after serving as IMOD’s Director of Communications during the center’s first three years of activities. Morton’s leadership has included building and managing the IMOD website, social media accounts, and internal data-sharing platforms, and he will continue to provide administrative support.

“I’m pleased that Juan-Pablo has assumed a leadership role in sharing IMOD’s work with the public, and I’m excited for him to team up with Owen, who brings a wealth of experience working with IMOD researchers at the UW,” said IMOD Director David Ginger, the B. Seymour Rabinovitch Endowed Chair in Chemistry at the UW and CEI’s Chief Scientist. “Juan-Pablo is well-equipped with collegial relationships, a high-level perspective on center goals, and a deep understanding of IMOD research. And I always enjoy working with Owen because of his ability to make connections, and because he has that rare combination of a keen eye for detail and seeing the bigger picture. His curiosity, relevant knowledge base, and communications skills combined with his chemistry degree make him a great fit for our team. And we are all grateful for Dan’s tireless efforts to create and operate IMOD’s public and internal communications toolbox — not only providing a strong foundation for Juan-Pablo and Owen, but making everyone’s lives easier across the center.”

“IMOD now has more capacity to support our members in communicating their science,” said Correa-Baena. “As IMOD researchers continue to publish impactful work, our goal is to provide our colleagues with more ways to show off their progress and tell people how their discoveries will impact everyday technologies. Optoelectronics are everywhere in the modern world, and it’s an inherently visual field, so we’re particularly eager to highlight images from IMOD labs and hear about possible applications.”

“One of my favorite things about my work is learning about advanced technologies straight from the experts,” Freed said. “Even before joining IMOD, I was fascinated by research like attoliter-scale inkjet printing for quantum hardware at the Testbeds, and I’m looking forward to connecting with more members of this community!”

IMOD launched accounts on Instagram and Bluesky in January 2025, and can also be found on LinkedIn and X. IMOD researchers are encouraged to submit content for web and social media highlights via the new #social-media Slack channel. For questions about IMOD communications, contact Freed at ofreed1@uw.edu.