Meet the Team

Alexander Kane

President

Alexander (he/him) is a third-year PhD student in the Robotic Matter Lab with Ryan Truby. His research focuses on direct-ink writing of electrically controllable variable stiffness devices. Alexander was born in St. Louis, but raised in Sarasota, FL. He attended the University of Florida for his undergraduate degree in Materials Science & Engineering. As president, Alexander works on supporting the team, departmental communications, and ensuring the success of the program. In his free time, Alexander enjoys cooking, baking, playing indie games, and exploring museums.

 

Abhiram Devata

Admin / Finance / Mentorship Coordinator

Abhi (he/him) is a first-year PhD student in the Barton lab, researching the effects of processing and fabrication on photonic materials for energy-efficient semiconductors. He is originally from California and attended UC Santa Barbara for his ChemE undergrad. Abhi supports the backend logistics of NURPH through the finance and admin teams, and also assists with mentor recruiting. In his free time, he enjoys baking, birdwatching, and drawing penguins around campus 🐧.

 

Elias Kallon

Admin / Mentorship Coordinator

Elias (he/him) is a first-year PhD student in the Dravid lab, pursuing the design and characterization of novel nanocomposites for environmental remediation applications. He is a proud Marylander (boasts Maryland has the best state flag) and attended the University of Maryland, receiving his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. Elias has joined both the Admin and Mentorship teams, where he provides internal program support and recruits mentors, respectively. In his free time, Elias enjoys going to the gym, playing sports, and playing competitive video games like Apex Legends and Rocket League.

 

Mitchell Walker

Admin / Finance Coordinator

Mitchell (he/him) researches materials for quantum computing applications in Mark Hersam’s research group as a fourth-year MSE PhD student. He comes from the great state of Ohio, where he also attended The Ohio State University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in physics and German. Outside of research, Mitchell enjoys reading nonfiction books, playing piano, and spending time with friends. He helps with NURPH by working in the administration and treasury team.

Nicholas Pogharian

Curriculum Lead

Nick (he/him) is a third-year PhD student in the Olvera de la Cruz research group, where he performs computational studies of biological and biomimetic systems with a focus on electrostatic effects. Before beginning his PhD at Northwestern, Nick completed his undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve University, where he studied Polymer Science with a dual degree in Music. As a member of the Curriculum Committee, Nick is responsible for designing and presenting lessons and interactive demonstrations describing fundamental concepts in materials science. Outside of research, Nick enjoys playing trombone, working out (ask him about calisthenics), exploring new areas and restaurants in Chicago, and spending time outdoors.

 

Alex Evenchik

Finance Lead / Long-Term Planning

Alex (he/him) is a third-year PhD student in the Robotic Matter Lab led by Professor Ryan Truby. His work focuses on making materials that mimic skeletal muscle for applications in soft robotics. Alex was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he also attended undergrad at MIT. As a member of both the finance and long term planning teams, Alex helps secure funding for the program while also planning its strategic vision. In his free time, Alex enjoys working out, cooking, exploring Chicago, and blowing glass.

 

Hyeonseon Choi

Graphic Design Lead / Workshop Coordinator

Hyeonseon (she/her) is a third-year PhD student in the Mohseni lab, researching memristor designs compatible with materials and processing in the semiconductor industry. Originally from South Korea, she was raised in Albany, NY, where she also attended undergrad at SUNY Albany. Hyeonseon works on managing the website and building workshops. She enjoys drawing and playing League of Legends until she hits a losing streak.

 

Dylan Bardgett

Mentorship Lead

Dylan (he/him) is a fourth-year PhD student in Sossina Haile’s research group working on electrochemical ammonia synthesis and solid acid devices. Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Dylan spent much of his childhood being inspired by nature. He went to the University of Oregon for undergrad and got a B.S. in Chemistry in hopes of one day developing technologies to protect Earth’s great natural resources from our changing climate. As mentorship coordinator and a previous NURPH mentor, Dylan’s role is to recruit future mentors, help create productive research projects for the NURPH students, and facilitate mentor-menti relations. Outside of research, Dylan is very passionate about running, dancing, and being outdoors.

 

Sankalp Koduvayur Ganeshan

Mentorship Coordinator

Sankalp (he/him) is a second-year PhD student in the Materials Science and Engineering department. Sankalp is originally from India, and graduated with a B.E. Electrical and Electronics engineering and M.Sc. Chemistry Dual degree from BITS Pilani University. He did his Master’s thesis at North Carolina State University in the field of wearable biochemical sensors. Outside research, Sankalp likes playing badminton, exploring the city, enjoys cooking and hiking. He is assisting the mentor coordinator in recruiting mentors, planning suitable research projects and in facilitating the mentor-mentee relations.

 
Portrait of Emmy

Emmy Markgraf

Outreach Lead / Workshop Coordinator

Emmy (she/her) is a second-year PhD student in Prof. Ryan Truby’s lab researching soft matter robotics. She grew up in Minnesota and Oregon and graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.S in Materials Science and Engineering. In her free time she enjoys exploring her new home, going for long walks, and cooking. She works as a liaison between local high schools and the program and develops skill and career development workshops for NURPH students.

Portrait of Emmy

Liz Griffin

Outreach Coordinator

Liz (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in the Dravid Group, aiding in the HEISs project which seeks to study the transport of hydrogen through inorganic materials. She is Chicago-born and raised, but completed her undergrad at Iowa State University, studying Materials Engineering. Liz is a member of the outreach team, working to spread the word about NURPH. In her free time, she likes to listen to music, hike, travel, and hang out with friends.

Portrait of Emmy

Michele Campbell

Outreach Coordinator

Michele (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in the Rondinelli Group, researching ferroelectric materials with a focus on predicting new materials for interconnects per industry specifications. She is from California (Norcal) and earned her BS in Materials and Computer Science and Engineering from UC Merced. Michele is a member of the outreach team, where she talks with prospective students to encourage them to apply to NURPH for a fun summer experience. In her free time, she likes to cook, travel, and do her nails, along with various adrenaline rush-inducing activities.

Luis Granadillo

Program Evaluation Co-Lead / Graphic Design Coordinator

Luis (he/him) is a third-year PhD student working with Prof. McCue on developing a nanostructured metallic coating for corrosion and fatigue resistance. Raised in Iowa, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering at Iowa State University before coming to Northwestern. Luis works on tracking the successes, failures, and outcomes of the program, as well as helping maintain the website. Outside of research, Luis enjoys playing soccer, running, and traveling.

 

Albert Tsui

Program Evaluation Co-Lead

Albert (he/him) is a second-year PhD student in the Hersam Lab. He works with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study novel 2D materials at the atomic level. Albert was born and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, home to the UNC Tar Heels, and received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. In his free time, Albert enjoys picking up new repertoire for the piano and playing various video games.

 

Simona Fine

Workshop Lead / Curriculum Coordinator

Simona (she/her) is a second-year PhD student in Cecile Chazot’s lab researching structurally-colored cellulose fibers for sustainable and functional textiles. Originally from New York, she completed her undergraduate degree at Northwestern and studied Materials Science and Engineering and English Literature. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the city, reading novels, and drinking coffee. She is part of the workshop and curriculum teams on NURPH.

Pattiya Pibulchinda

Workshop Coordinator

Pattiya (she/her/hers) is a second-year PhD student in the Barnett research group. Her research focuses on manufacturing and characterizing solid oxide fuel cells, aiming to improve the cell performance. Pattiya was born and raised in Thailand. She did her undergraduate in materials science and engineering at Purdue University. Pattiya has joined the workshop team to support NURPH on designing workshop activities. In her free time, she enjoys playing table tennis, running, cooking Thai food, and binge watching Youtube. 

 

Past Members

 

Leonardo Batista Capaverde Silva – Curriculum / Admin / Finance Coordinator
Dalton Cox – School Coordinator
Santiago Diaz-Arauzo – Outreach Lead / Workshop Coordinator
Emma Dickinson – Mentorship Coordinator
Sean Koyama – Workshop Coordinator / Program Evaluation Coordinator
Dilara Meli – Mentorship Coordinator
EunBi Oh – Mentorship Coordinator
Mythreyi Ramesh – Curriculum Coordinator
Lauren Walters – Workshop Coordinator
Louis Wang – Executive Admin
Shadden Zaki – Admin / Finance Coordinator

Faculty Advisors

Sossina M. Haile

Sossina M. Haile is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. Haile’s research broadly encompasses materials for sustainable electrochemical energy technologies. She has established a new class of fuel cells with record performance for clean and efficient electricity generation, demonstrated electrochemical cells for hydrogen production from electricity, and created new thermochemical approaches for harnessing sunlight to meet rising energy demands. Amongst her many awards, Haile is the recipient of an American Competitiveness and Innovation Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (2008), the Chemical Pioneer Award (2010), the International Ceramics Prize (2012), and the Turnbull Lecture Award (2020). She is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Ceramics Society, the African Academy of Sciences, and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.

 

Ian McCue

Ian McCue is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Northwestern University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has made contributions in the areas of phase transformations, corrosion, pattern formation during diffusional processes, and the mechanical behavior of metal nanocomposites. He received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2015, and received a Materials Research Society Silver Graduate Student Award in 2014 for his dissertation work. He then held a postdoctoral appointment at Texas A&M University studying the fabrication and mechanical testing of metal nanocomposites. Prior to joining Northwestern University, he was a Senior Scientist at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he developed and studied new high temperature alloys for space and extreme aerothermal environments. For the accomplishments during his postdoc work, McCue was an invited speaker at the 2019 Physical Metallurgy Gordon Research Conference.

 
Portrait of Prof. Truby

Ryan Truby

Dr. Truby joined the Faculty of Northwestern University in September 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. His research broadly aims to advance machine intelligence by material design. He and his team in the Robotic Matter Lab are currently developing novel soft actuators and sensors, rapid multimaterial 3D printing methods, and machine learning-based control strategies for soft and bioinspired robots. Dr. Truby’s research also includes work in 3D printing vascularized tissue constructs, soft electronics, artificial muscles, and architected materials. Prior to Northwestern, Dr. Truby was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute. Dr. Truby is the recipient of several awards, including Young Investigator Program Awards from the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Outstanding Paper Award at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics, and the Gold Award for Graduate Students from the Materials Research Society. His work at the materials-robotics interface has been supported by a Schmidt Science Fellowship and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.