Shawn joined CFL in the summer of 2014 as a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He is from Riverside, CT and attended Greenwich High School. Shawn’s academic areas of interest include Astronomy & Astrophysics, Fluid Mechanics, and Organic Chemistry. Outside of school, he enjoys skateboarding and is a fan of college sports, especially football.

Jeffrey Barna joined CFL as a chemical engineering senior student in chemical engineering in 2012.
He was a member of the UConn branch of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and worked as a Resident Assistant at Towers. He was an active member of the Ultimate Frisbee Club team, and enjoys playing the guitar and piano in his free time.

Dr. Baroudi is a visiting Research Scientist and Assistant Professor from Manhattan College. Dr. Baroudi received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the City College of New York in 2017 and postdoctoral training at UCONN in 2018. Her research interests are primarily concerned with the development and application of high performance computational methods to study complex multicomponent and multiphase flows at different scales.

Research topic : Numerical Modeling

Brice received his Ph.D. in 2013 from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes.

Research topics: Process Modeling of 3D printing; Nanoparticles at interface; Particle tracking

NSF Graduate Fellow & GAANN Fellow 2016

Erik Carboni is a PhD candidate at the University of Connecticut, having started in the Fall semester of 2011. He has a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rhode Island. His research involves the delivery of drug molecules to cancerous tumors via the use of nanoparticles. He will be focusing on how blood flow affects the diffusion and delivery of these anti-cancer drugs to the tumor site.

Research topic: Nanoparticle-based drug delivery for improved cancer treatment

Anton Paar Fellow 2017

Shing-Yun is currently a visiting PhD student from National Taiwan University (NTU).

Research topic : Microgel rheology

Anton Paar Fellow 2017

Dr. Shing-Yun Chang received her PhD degree from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at National Taiwan University (NTU) in 2018. She spent two years with CFL from 2016 to 2018 as a visiting PhD student before returning as a postdoctoral fellow. She is the recipient of an Anton Paar Fellowship in 2017 and a Graduate Student Study Abroad Program Fellowship from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan.

Research topic: Rheology

Paul Chen completed his Master degree from UCONN Animal Science. He joined CFL as a technician to work on 3D bioprinting.

Research topic : 3D bioprinting

David joined the CFL as a sophomore in the Fall of 2014, as a Chemical Engineering student working towards a Bachelor of Science degree. Outside of class, he was a member of the Engineering Ambassadors Presentation Team, which is an outreach group that spreads interest in STEM fields to middle and high school students through presentations and hands-on activities. David also enjoys skiing, playing soccer, and running in his free time.

Dan completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from UConn in Spring 2020, and joined CFL in Fall 2020 as a Master student (Chemical Engineering).

Dr. Virgile Daux was a post-doctoral fellow with CFL from Jan 2012 to Jan 2013. Prior to joining UConn, Dr. Daux obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Jean Monnet under the supervision of Prof. Christian Carrot and Dr. Frédéric Prochazka of the Engineering of Polymers
Materials Laboratory. His Ph.D. thesis focused on the development of innovative macroporous separators for double-layer capacitors. The project goal was to develop a protocol for manufacturing thin porous membranes, by extruding complex polymer blends and subsequently extracting one of the polymers. To achieve this goal, Dr. Daux applied various experimental techniques (such as viscoelasticity measurement, scanning electronic
microscopy, selective extraction, and extrusion) and successfully linked the initial composition and processing rheology to the final membrane morphology.

Maxime Dememe joined CFL as a visiting student from the University of Saint-Etienne, France. He obtained his Bachelor in
chemistry from the University of Le Havre, France.

Thomas Desigaud joined CFL as a visiting student from the University of Saint-Etienne, from which he previously obtained his vocational degree in Materials and Plasma. Prior to pursuing his Master degree, he worked for a plasma company in France. He’s interested in aeronautics, politics, cinema, music, and soccer.

Vinh was born in Vietnam and came to the U.S. in 2013. He is currently pursuing his Chemical Engineering degree at UConn. He has participated as a mentor for AMP, a mentoring program dedicated for Asian and Asian American incoming freshmen and as a facilitator for a First Year Experience class through the Honors Program. He hopes to learn as much as he can through this research opportunity as a preparation for his future career.

Xin Dong is an undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut (class of 2022), where she plans to major in pharmacy. Her interest in pharmacy began when she had the opportunity to research in Burgess Lab, studying drug formulations.

Diva Evans joined CLF as a junior at UCONN pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She was the president of the UConn chapter of Society for Biological Engineering (SBE). She was also an active member in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She is also an avid runner and has a passion for traveling.

David Golfin joined CFL as a sophomore pursuing a B.S. in chemical engineering at UCONN. He was an active member of the Honors community, the United Technologies Presentation team, and was also a member of the outing club, The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and speak easy, a public speaking club on campus. David is also an avid photographer.

Zane Grady joined CFL as a freshmen at UConn, studying towards his Bachelors of Science in Materials Science and Engineering. He is part of the Engineering Ambassadors Organization on campus, who work to spread interest in STEM fields to middle and high school students. He is also an active member of The Society of Hispanic Engineers, whose goal is to provide networking opportunities for Hispanic engineers across the country. His interests outside of academics include skiing, playing soccer, and music.

Research topic : Inkjet printing

Yang Guo joined Polymer Program at University of Connecticut in fall 2011 as a Ph.D. student after graduating from Zhejiang University, China with a bachelor in Polymer Material and Engineering.

Research topic : Inkjet printing flexible electronics

Anju received her Ph.D. in 2012 from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, in polymer science and engineering. Her Ph.D. focused on tailoring the filler-matrix interface of carbon nanotube-polymer composites for high-performance applications.

Research topic: Polymer processing

Stephen Hawes joined CFL in March 2015. He received the IDEA Grant in 2015 as a sophomore, pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Computer Science Engineering. He designed, built, and exhibited his wrist-mounted flamethrower at the 2014 New York Maker Faire. He was also the CTO of the UConn 3D Printing Club, where he developed a 3D scanning machine. Outside of school, Stephen enjoys snowboarding, 3D printing, and slacklining.

Research topic: Inkjet and 3D printing

Dr. SeungYeon Kang obtained her PhD degree in Applied Physics/Material Science from Harvard University and worked at Princeton University as a postdoctoral research associate. Prior to her postdoc work, she spent 3 years at Samsung SDI as a senior research engineer working on lithium ion batteries. Her research interests are focused on advanced laser materials processing techniques, fundamental principles & application of light-matter interaction, nanofabrication and energy technology.

Research Topic: 3D Printing

Project Manager, NSF SHAP3D Center, UCONN Site

Dr. Kowsari was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at UCONN and Program Manager for the US NSF Additive Manufacturing Center (SHAP3D). He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2017 and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD-MIT) prior to joining UCONN. His research interests encompass advanced additive manufacturing using digital light processing microstereolithography-based multimaterial 3D/4D printing of shape memory polymers and biomaterials as well as multiphase computational flow dynamics for flows within microfluidic channels.

Research topic : 3D printing (inkjet and digital light processing)

Mikaela is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering at UConn. She joined CFL in the summer of 2021 to support various research projects.

Anton Paar Fellow 2017

Dr. Michelle Li was the lab manager of CFL. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in 2010. She has over 10 years of experience in polymer rheology, material characterization, and molecular modeling. Michelle was named a 2017 Anton Paar Fellow.

Research topic : Thermoset characterization; 3D printing (binder-jetting)

Olivia Loisel joined CFL as a sophomore at UCONN, while pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering. She is member of the Society of Women Engineers, which works to promote women in the engineering industry. After graduation, Olivia plans to work in research and development before obtaining her Master’s degree. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing field hockey, rock climbing, traveling, and reading.

Morgane Mahaud was a visiting research student from the Ecole Centrale Nantes, France in 2012. She was a 2nd year master student in engineering working with Prof. Francisco Chinesta.

Chris defended his Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering at Binghamton University (SUNY) in 2020 and is originally from upstate New York. He is currently working on printing granular materials and flow properties of powders for additive manufacturing. His research interests include material mechanics and deformation of soft matter.

Research topic : 3D Printing/ Material Characterization

Hasan Merza graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Economics. He was a Pharm.D candidate interested in working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Research topic : 3D printing

Ivan Nguyen joined CFL in the Spring of 2014 as a junior. He is also working at the UCONN library. Outside of UCONN, he’s one of leaders of the “Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society in USA” in Hartford. He loves watching movies, fishing, and camping.

Chris Pacileo joined CFL as a junior at the UCONN pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.
He was involved with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) serving as the Vice President. In addition, he was a participant in Chem-E-Car, a project in which a group creates and designs a hydrogen fuel cell car for competition. Outside of schoolwork he was a member of Extreme Measures, a coed acapella group, as well as RunUC, the running club at UCONN.

(Co-Advised with Prof. Qian Yang, Computer Science and Engineering, UCONN)

Dr. Maryam Pardakhti received her PhD degree from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in 2019. She spent 5 years in chemical industry prior to starting her PhD. Her research at UConn focused on the application of data science and machine learning in materials discovery. Dr. Pardakhti was the recipient of General Electric (GE) fellowship in 2017. She was selected by Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) as one of the three finalists of Women of Innovation award in 2019.

Research topic: Modeling

GE Graduate Fellow 2014

Huseini Patanwala was a graduate student at UConn pursuing his PhD in the Polymer Program. He holds a bachelorette degree in Fibers and Textile Processing Technology from the Institute of Chemical Technology, India. After getting his bachelor’s degree in 2008 he worked for three years. The invaluable experience that he gained during this period coupled with his desire to excel served to orient him towards a career in research and development.

Huseini is an easy going and fun loving person. In his leisure time, he likes listening to music and watching movies.

Research topic: 3D printing polymer composites

Research topic : 3D printing

Vinit joined CFL when he was a junior majoring in chemical engineering. He is currently the President of the UCONN Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Some of his hobbies are long-boarding, exercising, and music.

Anton Paar Fellow 2019

Dr. Xiaoguang Peng received his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 2016. After graduation and before joining UCONN, he stayed on as a postdoctoral research associate (2016-2017) in Prof. Greg McKenna’s group at Texas Tech. He has over 10 years of experience in the synthesis and characterization of polymers and colloidal dispersions.

Research topic : Rheology

Hailey joined CFL as a freshman at UConn, while pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Spanish. She is a member of the UConn Club Water Polo team and Engineers with Borders. After graduation, Hailey plans to obtain her Master’s degree and then work in either research or industry. She also enjoys competitive swimming, cooking, traveling, and playing piano.

Research topic : Microfluidics

NASA CT Space Grant Fellow & Anton Paar Fellow 2016

Alan Shen received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCONN in 2018. He obtained his double major in Mathematics and Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as a process engineer for Samsung Austin Semiconductor and Formosa Plastics before coming to UCONN.

Research topic : 3D Printing (Direct write and UV-assisted direct write)

NASA CT Space Grant Fellow & Anton Paar Fellow 2016

Alan Shen obtained his double major in Mathematics and Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as a process engineer for Samsung Austin Semiconductor and Formosa Plastics before coming to UCONN.

Research topic : 3D Printing (Direct write and UV-assisted direct write)

(Co-Advised with Prof. Mu-Ping Nieh, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,UCONN)

Dr. Kuo-Chih Shih receive his PhD degree in Agricultural Chemistry from National Taiwan University (NTU). He was a visiting scholar in Prof.Mu-Ping Nieh’s lab from 2016-2018. His research interests are structural characterization by using different scattering techniques as well as rheology.

Research Topic: Small-angle Scattering & Rheology

Meaghan Sullivan joined CFL as a sophomore at the University of Connecticut working toward a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She was an active member of the UConn chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE), and of the University of Connecticut’s Honors Program. Meaghan also exhibits an interest in snowboarding, and was part of the University of Connecticut Ski and Snowboard Club.

Rodney Sutherland joined CFL in the summer of 2013. He was a Biomedical Engineering student. His focus was Biosystems, Imaging & Instrumentation track. Rodney brought to the group a mixture
of mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering experience that he used in the design of a large ink drop generator and polymer foaming apparatus. In his spare time Rodney enjoys playing volleyball, racquetball, basketball, and videogames.

David Troiani is studying towards his Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering at the UCONN.
He has a passion for chemistry and nutrition. Some of his many interests include basketball, biking, reading, and watching movies.

Kate Tschudi was a visiting student from Johns Hopkins during the summer of 2013, working with Erik Carboni on the nanoparticle-based drug delivery project. Prior to that, she worked in Wirtz Lab studying cancer morphology and proliferation in relation to metastasis.

GE Graduate Fellow 2016 & Anton Paar Fellow 2016

Sahil Vora was a PhD candidate at the University of Connecticut majoring in chemical engineering. He obtained his Bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Mumbai Institute of Chemical Technology (UICT). He was the Gen. Secretary of Tarang, a south Asian graduate student community at UConn.

Research topic: Carbon nanotubes at air-water interfaces

Michael Ward joined CFL in his junior year. He switched his path of study from Biological Sciences to Chemical Engineering for a B.S. He has passion for biology, nutrition, and nanotechnology. He is also learning how to computer program with hopes to build a website to start his own online business. Some of his hobbies include exercising, hiking, and cooking.

Adam Wentworth was a Technical Associate at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, UCONN. He was affiliated with CFL to offer his technical expertise in 3D printing.

Research topic : 3D printing

Leonora Yokubinas joined CFL as a freshman at the University of Connecticut, studying towards her B.S. in chemical engineering. She was involved in various clubs at the university, and works as an assistant teacher for the School of Engineering’s Pre-Engineering Program, an enrichment program for middle school children aimed at increasing interest in careers involving science, mathematics, and engineering. Outside of school, her interests include baking, playing the cello, and volleyball.

Charlie joined CFL as a sophomore at UConn majoring in chemical engineering. He was the chair and coordinator of the Chem-E Car Team. He was also an active member of AIChE and the university’s honors program. Outside of school he enjoys running competitively with RunUC, the university’s running club, and to stay in shape.