# Former Members ## Former Members ### Former Graduate Students, 2000-present expand\_more **Ehsan Hajiesmaili** email: PhD 2022 (Harvard) *"*Shape-Morphing Dielectric Elastomer Devices*"* Current Position: Visiting Researcher, [Meta Reality Labs](https://tech.facebook.com/reality-labs/) **Kezi Cheng** email: PhD 2021 (Harvard) “Photo-Dynamic Elastomer Networks for Actuator Applications” Current Position: Activate Fellow, [FLO Materials](https://www.activate.org/flo-materials) **Pavida Charoen-Rajapark** email: PhD 2021 (Harvard) “Studies of Electric-Field Induced Surface Instabilities using Confocal Microscopy” Current Position: PhD Analyst, L.E.K. Consulting, Boston, MA **Yukun Xia** email: Current Position: Masters Student, Carnegie Mellon University, The Robotics Institute **Mihai Duduta** email: PhD 2019 (Harvard) “Dielectric Elastomer Actuators as Artificial Muscles for Soft Robotic Applications” Current Position: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto **Mary Gurak** email: PhD 2017 (Harvard) “Studies of the Yttrium Tantalate - Zirconium Oxide Quasi-Binary” Current Position: Senior Materials Engineer, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engines, East Hartford, CT **William Bonificio** PhD 2015 (Harvard) “Bacterial Approaches to the Recovery of Scarce Metals” **Xin Liang** email: PhD 2013 (Harvard) “Structure and Thermoelectric Properties of ZnO Based Materials” Current Position: Professor and Principal Investigator, Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing [**Taylor Sparks**](http://www.eng.utah.edu/~sparks/) email: PhD 2012 (Harvard) Thesis: “Oxide Thermolectrics: The Role of Structure, Crystal Field and Spin on Thermopower in Strongly Correlated Spinels” Current Position: Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Director, Materials Characterization Laboratory, University of Utah [**Roger Diebold**](https://www.solchroma.com/#top) email: PhD 2012 (UCSB) Thesis: “The effect of chemical functionality on interfacial dielectric breakdown in filled silicone elastomer composites” Current Position: President, [Solchroma Technologies](https://www.solchroma.com/), Somerville, MA **Matthew D. Chambers** PhD 2009 (UCSB) Thesis: “Luminescence of High Temperature Materials for Thermometry and Crystallographic Studies” Current Position: Raytheon Goleta [**Jenny Andrew**](http://andrewresearchgroup.com/members/) email: PhD 2008 (UCSB) Thesis: “Ferroelectric Polymer-Based Nanocomposites: Towards Multiferroic Materials” Current Position: Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida **LiGuo Chen** PhD 2008 (UCSB) Thesis:“Heat Transport Through Thermal Barrier Coatings” [**Jesse Williams**](https://www.liminnovations.com/team-members/jesse-williams-ph-d/) email: [jwilliams@liminnovations.com ](mailto:jwilliams@liminnovations.com) PhD 2008 (UCSB) Thesis: “Nano-Dispersion Strengthened Gold Films for MEMS Electrical Contacts” Current Position: Chief Scientific Officer, LIM Innovations (Medical Devices industry) **Michael Winter** PhD 2006 (UCSB) Thesis: “Next Generation Thermal Barrier Coatings: Identification of Novel Materials with Low Thermal Conductivity” Current Position: Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories **Brian Naughton** PhD 2006(UCSB) Thesis: “Magnetic Nanoparticles for Power Electronics” Current Position: Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories **Molly Gentleman** PhD 2006 (UCSB) Thesis: “High Temperature Sensing of Thermal Barrier Materials by Luminescence” [**Vanni Lughi**](http://www.units.it/persone/index.php/from/abook/persona/12757) email: PhD 2006 (UCSB) Thesis: “Aluminum Nitride Thin Films for MEMS Resonators: Growth and Characterization” Current Position: Assistant Professor in Materials, University of Trieste-Italy **Edward Etzkorn** PhD 2005 (UCSB) Thesis: “Cracking in GaN Films Grown by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy” Current Position: Program Examiner for International Development Assistance and Climate Change at the Office of Management and Budget **Adam Pzyzna** PhD 2004 (UCSB) Thesis: “Thermal Oxidation-Induced Strain in Silicon Nanobeams” Current Position: IBM Research, NY [**John Nychka**](http://www.cme.engineering.ualberta.ca/FacultyStaff/FacultyAcademicStaff/Nychka.aspx) email: PhD 2004 (UCSB) Thesis: “Quantifying Outward Cation Diffusion in Thermally Grown Alumina Scales” Current Position: Associate Professor, University of Alberta **Philip Tavernier** email: PhD 2002 (UCSB) Thesis: “Piezoelectricity and Growth Polarization in III-V Nitrides” Current Position: Intel Components, Portland, Oregon **Chong-yang Luo** PhD 2001 (UCSB) Thesis: “Thermal Conductivity Studies on GaN Films and Thermal Resistive Superlattice Structures by Thermal Wave Techniques” ### Former Postdoctoral Researchers expand\_more **Victor Champagne** PhD School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Current Position: **Miao Huo** PhD School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Current Position: **Gino Domel** PhD School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Current Position: **Pernille Fathi** PhD School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Current Position: **Georgios Koutsakis** Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: **David Altman** Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: **Zoey Davidson** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Soft Matter Scientist, Seurat Technologies **Alex Chortos** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University **Volodymyr Korolovych** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University **Mihai Duduta** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto **Min-Woo Han** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea **Quentin Flamant** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Research Scientist, Saint-Gobain **Xiaofei Guan** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Assistant Professor, Shanghai Tech University **Aftab Hussain** email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: Assistant Professor, International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad, India **Samuel Shian** Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University Current Position: [Solchroma Technologies](https://www.solchroma.com/), Somerville, MA [**Mor Baram**](http://baram.mcmaster.ca/MorBaram/People.html) email: Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University (2010-2013) Current Position: Application Engineering at Applied Materials, Israel [**Sebastien Dreypondt** ](https://www.ornl.gov/staff-profile/sebastien-n-dryepondt)email: Post-doctoral Fellow, University of CA Santa Barbara Current Position: Research Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory [**Giuliano Gregori**](https://www.fkf.mpg.de/person/31542/5302167) email: Post-doctoral Fellow, University of CA Santa Barbara (2003-2006) Current Position: Staff, Max Planck Institute, FKF, Stuttgart **Andi Limarga** Post-doctoral Fellow, UCSB and Harvard University (2009-2011) Current Position: Apple **Qing Ma** (deceased) Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSB (1991-1994) was Sr. Technologist at Intel **Samuel Margueron** Post-doctoral Fellow, University of CA Santa Barbara (2004-2006) Current Position: Professor, Diluted and Condensed Matter, Université de Lorraine [**Yang Shen**](http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/mseen/4025/2011/20110426091428875508619/20110426091428875508619_.html) Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSB and Harvard University (2007-2010) Current Position: Professor, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China **Vladimir Tolpygo** Postdoc, University of CA Santa Barbara (1995-2006) Current Position: Principal Engineer, Honeywell Aerospace ### Former Visiting Researchers expand\_more **Minchae Kang email:** Fellow in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering **Sumin Jung email:** Fellow in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering **Shreya Malkurthi email:** Fellow (9/2022 - 12/2022), Harvard University Current Position: Graduate Student, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, India **Matthias Kollosche email:** Fellow (7/2019 - 7/2022), Harvard University Current Position: Professional and Scientific Staff, Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University **Giovanni Pisaturo email:** Fellow (3/2021- 10/2021), Harvard University Current Position: Graduate Student, ETH Zurich, Switzerland **Rico Felber email:** Fellow (3/2020-12/2020), Harvard University Current Position: Graduate Student, ETH Zurich, Switzerland **Jie Mao email:** Fellow (1/2019-1/2020) and Associate (1/2020-1/2021), Harvard University Current Position: Assistant Professor, Ningxia University, China **Florence Bergeron** Fellow, Harvard University (2019) Current Position: Masters Student, Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, Canada **Jing Feng** Visiting Scientist, Harvard University (2012-2014) Current Position: Professor of Physics, Kunming University, China **Eder Guidelli** Visiting Fellow, Harvard University (2013-2014) Current: Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Sao Paulo [**Laetitia Laversenne**](/clarke/) email: [Laetitia.laversenne@neel.cnrs.fr ](mailto:Laetitia.laversenne@neel.cnrs.fr) Visiting Scholar, Harvard University (2012-2015) Research Officer, Institut NEEL CNRS [**Alexsander Gurlo**](https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.keramik.tu-berlin.de/menue/ueber_uns_team/leitung/&prev=search) email: Visiting Scientist, Harvard University (2010-2011) Current: Professor, Fachgebiet Keramische Werkstoffe, Technische Universität Berlin