Alumni

2025 Graduates

2024 Graduates

Dr. Kaitlyn Broz

Graduation: December, 2024
Dissertation: RAGE Directed Control of the Bone Matrix and Mechanical Modifications in Type 2 Diabetes
Advisor: Prof. Simon Tang, Orthopaedic Research
Current Role: Biologics Specialist, Orthofix

Dr. Fangzheng Chen

Graduation: May, 2024
Dissertation: Exploring the Frontier of Amorphous Materials: Structure, Dynamics, Nucleation Behavior, and Glass Forming Ability
Advisor: Prof. Kenneth Kelton, Physics
Current Role: Postdoctoral Scientist, Geely

Dr. Junwei Du

Graduation: December, 2024
Dissertation: Models and Mechanisms of Chemotherapy-Induced Side Effects
Advisor: Prof. Mikhail Berezin, Radiology
Current Role: Fellow, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Dr. Igor Luzhansky

Graduation: August, 2024
Dissertation: Quantitative Intravital Optical Imaging of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration
Advisor: Prof. Mikhail Berezin, Radiology
Current Role: Postdoctoral Scholar, Washington University School of Medicine

Dr. Guodong Ren

Graduation: May, 2024
Dissertation: Investigations of Ferroic Materials using a Synergistic Combination of Electron Microscopy and Theory
Advisor: Prof. Rohan Mishra, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Washington

2023 Graduates

Dr. Ning Gao

Graduation: August, 2023
Dissertation: Stem cell and drug delivery systems to promote angiogenesis and myogenesis in ischemic limbs
Advisor: Prof. Jianjun Guan, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Dr. Prashant Gupta

Graduation: August, 2023
Dissertation: Functional Nanomaterials for Artificial and Bio-hybrid Olfactory Sensors
Advisor: Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Washington University School of Medicine

Dr. Porter Weeks

Graduation: May, 2023
Dissertation: Structural Understanding of Glass-forming Metallic Alloys
Advisor: Prof. Katharine Flores, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Research Scientist, Corning Incorporated

2022 Graduates

Dr. Yu Dang 

Graduation: May, 2022
Dissertation: Nanoparticles based Drug Delivery Systems for Cardiovascular Tissue Repair and Regeneration
Advisor: Prof. Jianjun Guan, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Senior Scientist, Charles River Labs

Dr. Ya Guan

Graduation: May, 2022
Dissertation: Pro-survival, Pro-angiogenic and Anti-inflammatory Biomaterials for Ischemic Tissue Regeneration
Advisor: Prof. Jianjun Guan, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Postdoctoral Associate, Duke University

Dr. Rohit Gupta

Graduation: August, 2022
Dissertation: Plasmonic nanomaterials-based Point-of-Care Biosensors
Advisor: Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Senior Scientist, Pfizer

Dr. Li-Wei Lo

Graduation: August, 2022
Dissertation: Soft Electronics and Sensors for Wearable Healthcare Applications
Advisor: Prof. Chuan Wang, Electrical & Systems Engineering
Current Role: Principal Engineer, Sandisk

Dr. Zhaohan Zhang

Graduation: August, 2022
Dissertation: Design of High Entrophy Alloys and Polar Semiconductors using First-Principles Calculations combined with Materials Informatics
Advisor: Prof. Rohan Mishra, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Senior Member of Technical Staff, Athenahealth

2021 Graduates

Dr. Qinyi Chen

Graduation: August, 2021
Dissertation: Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by Nonthermal Plasma for Electrochemical Applications
Advisor: Prof. Elijah Thimsen, Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering
Current Role: Senior Process Engineer, Applied Materials

Dr. Yifan Diao

Graduation: May, 2021
Dissertation:  Converting Inorganic Rust to Organic Nanostructured Conducting Polymers: Synthesis and Applications
Advisor: Prof. Julio D'Arcy, Chemistry
Current Role: Director of Product, Consumer Business Division, LONGi Solar

Dr. Yang Lu

Graduation: May, 2021
Dissertation: Aerosol Vapor Synthesis of Organic Processable PEDOT Particles and Measuring Electric Conductivity Using a 3D Printed Probe Station
Advisor: Prof. Julio D'Arcy, Chemistry
Current Role: Postdoctoral Researcher, Carbon Hub at Rice University

Dr. Arashdeep Thind

Graduation: May, 2021
Dissertation: Rational Design and Optimization of Perovskite Semiconductors
Advisor: Prof. Rohan Mishra, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Postdoctoral Researcher, Klie Lab, University of Illinois Chicago 

Dr. Zheyu Wang

Graduation: May, 2021
Dissertation: Plasmonically-enhanced Ultrasensitive Biodetection Technologies
Advisor: Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Scientist, Bristol Meyers Squibb

Dr. Xinsheng Xia

Graduation: August, 2021
Dissertation: Nucleation Studies in Barium Silicate Glasses and Soda-lime Silicate Glass
Advisor: Prof. Kenneth Kelton, Physics
Current Role: Engineer, Micron Technologies

2020 Graduates

Dr. Rongrong Dai

Graduation:May, 2020
Dissertation: Structure, Thermophysical Properties of Liquids, and their Connection with Glass Formability
Advisor: Prof. Kenneth Kelton, Physics
Current Role: Analytical Data Scientist II/Senior Scientist II, AbbVie

Dr. Steven Hartman

Graduation: May, 2020
Dissertation: First-principles Studies of Anion Engineering in Functional Ceramics
Advisor: Prof. Rohan Mishra, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Senior Predictive Analyst, Farmers Insurance

Dr. Linhua Xu

Graduation: December, 2020
Dissertation: High-Q Biopolymer Whispering Gallery Mode Optical Microresonators and Their Applications
Advisor: Prof. Lan Yang, Electrical & Systems Engineering
Current Role: Senior Engineer, DeepSight Technology

2019 Graduates

Dr. Bo Yin

Graduation: May, 2019
Dissertation: Defect Chemistry and Ion Intercalation during the Growth and Solid-state Transformation of Metal Halide Nanocrystals
Advisor: Prof. Bryce Sadtler, Chemistry
Current Role: Process Engineer, Tokyo Electron US

2018 Graduates

Dr. Yvonne Akua Owusua Afriyie

Graduation: December, 2018
Dissertation: Solid-state NMR Study of Amorphous Aluminum Oxy-Hydroxide Thin Films
Advisor: Prof. Sophia Hayes, Chemistry
Current Role: Advanced External Silicon Integration Engineer (Packaging Research and Development), Intel Corporation

Dr. Zhengning Gao

Graduation: May, 2018
Dissertation: Nucleation and Growth of Atomic Layer Deposition films: Effect of Substrate and Precursor Chemistry
Advisor: Prof. Parag Banerjee, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Researcher, Air Liquide Laboratory

Dr. Qisheng Jiang

Graduation: December, 2018
Dissertation: Multifunctional Nanocomposites based on Bacterial Cellulose
Advisor: Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Principal Scientist, Brightest Bio

2017 Graduates

Dr. Kelly Kranjc

Graduation: May, 2017
Dissertation: Characterizing Structure, Properties, and Deformation in Metallic Glasses and Olivine Using Instrumented Nanoindentation
Advisor: Prof. Katharine Flores, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Rolls Royce

Dr. Keng-Ku Liu

Graduation: August, 2017
Dissertation: Hollow and Porous Plasmonic Nanostructures for Highly Efficient Chemical and Biological Sensing 
Advisor: Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role:  Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University

Dr. Sirimuvva Tadepalli

Graduation: December, 2017 
Dissertation: Functional Bio-Nano Hybrids through a Precise Control of Interfacial Interactions at the Nanoscale
Advisor: Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana State University

Dr. Huzeyfe Yilmaz

Graduation: May, 2017
Dissertation: Structural Protein Based Whispering Gallery Mode Resonators
Advisor: Prof. Lan Yang, Electrical & Systems Engineering
Current Role: FDA, Senior Scientist

2016 Graduates

Dr. Peter Tsai

Graduation: December, 2016
Dissertation: High-throughput Exploration of Glass Formation via Laser Deposition and the Study of Heterogeneous Microstructure in a Bulk Metallic Glass Alloy
Advisor: Prof. Katharine Flores, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Current Role: Senior Machine Learning Scientist - Applications, Albert Invent