Current and Alumni Student Research

Current Student Research

Picture of a student wearing goggles, gloves, and a lab coat, standing in front of a hood and holding tweezers and a small white device with black protrusions

Ojo Friday Abraham, PhD Student

Picture Content: Using photoelectrochemical catalysis, Ojo is leading the way in sustainable ammonia production research.  As part of his goal to create next-generation green energy solutions, he is shown in this picture with a specially constructed cell and a plasmonic photocathode intended for light-driven, lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction. 

 

A student wearing goggles, watching as her sample goes into a Instron mechanical tester

Gladys Duran Duran, PhD Student

Picture Content: Gladys using the instron mechanical tester to measure the mechanical properties of her Cu (copper) Sn (tin) sample. As a PhD student in the Prieto lab, her research focuses on the relationship between mechanical properties and performance of sodium ion batteries.

Picture of a woman wearing a mask, gloves, and a lab coat, standing in a lab where several machines are draped in plastic sheeting

Priya Suryavanshi, PhD Student

Picture Content: Priya works on photovoltaic cadmium telluride solar cell fabrication, characterization, and optimization in the Center for Photovoltaics (CSU Cap), under the supervision of Dr. James Sites.

Picture of several pieces of equipment used in the development of materials that can be used in various spacecraft

Rashedul Islam, PhD Student

Picture Content: Thin ply high strain composite materials (HSC) are of great interest in deployable space structure. Engineers and scientists need more engineering approaches to predict the behavior of the HSC materials in the extreme space-environment although the constituent materials of HSC are aerospace-grade high-performance resin. My research concerns the characterization of the viscoelastic behavior of HSC materials from neat resin to laminae and laminate level to better understand viscoelastic behavior and design the efficient deployable space structure.

Scientist in a lab coat and gloves examining samples on a counter with various chemicals and equipment in the background.

Otoniel Duran, PhD Student

Otoniel’s (Oto) research aims to improve the formulation of calcium phosphate slurry to achieve the desired viscosity for 3D printing. Here, Oto is holding a 3D printed sample of TPMS (triply periodic minimal surface) calcium phosphate scaffold for bone regeneration. 

Smiling scientist working in a lab, wearing gloves and standing at a fume hood filled with scientific equipment.

Emma Rettner, PhD Student

Emma is holding a recent polymer she created- hard block made from cyclopentene, a cheap cycloolefin. You can read more about her work here.  

Alumni Research 

A researcher in a lab coat conducts an experiment using scientific equipment and glassware in a chemistry lab.

Boston Morris, PhD Grad, 2025

Boston works with block copolymer materials to create thermoplastic elastomers. You can read more about his research here.  

Young man smiling at a desk with a laptop displaying a colorful graph.

Carter Stotts, PhD Grad, 2025

Carter’s research focus is on diffusion, phase transformations, and fracture of ultra-high temperature ceramics and composites with the intention of developing novel metal-ceramic multilayer composites for use as structured materials in extreme environments. To accomplish this, Carter uses a theoretical and computational approach including a combination of finite element, Monte Carlo, and ab-initio (VASP) simulations.   

A person in a lab coat and safety goggles holds a tube labeled "Happy Malaria" in a laboratory setting.

Dominic Asebiah, PhD Grad, 2025

Dominic works on new material discovery for semiconductor applications. He specifically works with perovskite materials. 

A researcher in a lab adjusts equipment under a microscope while wearing gloves.

Rafael Almaraz, PhD Grad, 2025

Rafael (Rafa) works with Dr. Justin Sambur’s lab. In his research, Rafa transfers semiconductors from the water scale into electrochemical cells to measure their efficiency at transforming light into energy. Here, Rafa is cleaning and preparing to use instrumentation.

A scientist in a lab coat and gloves holds a crystal specimen, showcasing her work in a modern laboratory setting.

Nipa Khair, PhD Grad, 2024

Picture Content: Holding a polymeric transcatheter aortic valve enhanced with hyaluronan. Nipa works with Dr. Sue James on a device that could replace diseased aortic valves in the human heart.. 

Picture of a red-hot object, presumably made of a type of metal, inside of an oven or similar device

Alex Preston, PhD Grad, 2022

Picture Content: This picture is of stainless steel powder being sintered at heating rates within a graphite die. My research focuses on controlling the microstructure of materials and how these structures, such as porosity and grain size on the nano and micro scale, influence bulk mechanical properties.

Scanning electron microscope image showing a close-up of a wood cross-section with detailed cellular structure.

Nelson Isaacson, MS Grad, 2021

Picture Content:  SEM image of a fractured Hydroxyapatite scaffold. My research revolves around investigating the failure mechanisms of 3D-printed scaffolds for use in bone regeneration. This is an example scaffold that was fractured under compression loading, and the internal rod fracture surface is being investigated to determine how to better strengthen the material and the scaffold

Picture of ball-milled steel scrap in a container being held by a gloved hand

Alex Sutherland, MS Grad, 2021

Picture Content: This photo is of ball-milled stainless steel scrap that will be sintered using spark plasma sintering. I am currently working on recycling stainless steel and titanium scrap using a more energy-efficient process while also maintaining or even improving some of its mechanical properties.

Picture showing, from left to right, a whole blood droplet, a blood plasma droplet, and a water droplet

Roberta Maia Sabino, PhD Grad, 2021

Picture Content: Superhydrophobic titania nanotube with droplets of water, blood plasma, and whole blood. As you can see, the droplets do not spread on the nanotube’s surface, which shows its superhydrophobicity (surface repels water/blood). This material is for blood-contacting medical devices that prevents blood from clotting.

Collage of several items being heated to a red-hot state in the same device

Brody DeBoer, MS Grad, 2021

Picture Content: I am currently working on the diffusion of cations into Mayenite electride. This diffusion study will lead into the doping of Mayenite electride to increase its material properties.