Kate Nichols

Inspired by the long tradition of painters well versed in the cutting-edge chemistry and optics of their day, Kate wished to integrate the latest advances in materials science into her own work. In 2008, she joined the Alivisatos Lab at the University of California at Berkeley as the lab's first artist in residence. There, she synthesizes nanoparticles that exhibit structural color and creates macroscale art with them.

Now, commuting between the Berkeley lab and her San Francisco studio, Kate combines techniques developed by medieval craftsmen, Northern Renaissance painters, Victorian mirror-makers, nineteenth-century photographers, and contemporary chemists.

Recently appointed a TED Fellow, Kate is a graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio and a Master's Candidate in Visual Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. She lives in San Francisco.