Umair Saeed is a PhD student in the Oxide Nanophysics Group at ICN2 in Barcelona, Catalonia. His research focuses on antiferroelectric (AFE) lead zirconate (PbZrO₃, or PZO) thin films synthesized via pulsed laser deposition. He investigates how external factors—such as epitaxial clamping, homogeneous and inhomogeneous strain, and size effects—impact the crystallographic phases and switching behavior of PZO by comparing epitaxial films with free-standing membranes, to understand the structure–property relationships under varying mechanical and dimensional constraints.

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