I am interested in applying optical spectroscopy methods to study the physics of low-dimensional systems. My particular interests include confined excitons in semiconductor nanostructures, plasmonic excitations in metallic nanoparticles, and up-conversion phenomena in lanthanide-doped nanoparticles. As part of my PhD studies, I am working on the application of anti-Stokes luminescence of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles to achieve laser cooling in aqueous environments.