Former Members
Graduate Students

Swetaparna Mohanty
PhD student, Mech. Eng. (Sep. 2017 – May. 2023)
Research: Dynamic mechanical and thermal characteristics of materials in cold spray.
– M.S. (2016): Mech. Eng., U of Michigan Dearborn
– Email: smohanty@umass.edu
LinkedIn / Google Scholar
Wanting Xie
PhD student, Physics (Jan. 2015 – Aug. 2019)
Thesis: Extreme dynamics of nanomaterials under high-rate mechanical stimuli.
– B.S. (2013): Physics, University of Science and Technology of China
– Email: wantingxie@physics.umass.edu
LinkedIn / Google Scholar
Qian Feng
Masters student, Mech. Eng. (Feb. 2018 – Aug. 2019)
Research: Optical-fiber-based laser ablation
– B.S. (2017): Appl. Chem., Harbin Engineering University (HEU)
– Email: qianfeng@umass.edu
LinkedIn
Amir Kazemi-Moridani
Master student, Mech. Eng. (Sep. 2015 – Jul. 2018)
Research area: High-rate dynamics of soft materials; Plasmonics
– B.Sc. (2014): Mech. Eng., Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran
Carmine Taglienti
Masters student, Mech. Eng. (Sep. 2016 – May 2018)
Research: Extreme dynamics of aluminum alloy particles in cold spray.
-B.S. (2016): Mech. Eng., UMass Amherst
Robert Zando
Masters student, Mech. Eng. (May 2015 – May 2016)
Robert joined the Nano-Engineering Lab in Summer 2015 to begin work on a thesis for his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Robert’s research is focused on the development of new Direct Laser Writing techniques and their applications in the field of metamaterials. Robert obtained his B.S. degree in 2011 in Mechanical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. He pursued PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University.
LinkedIn
Visiting Scholar & Graduate StudentsProf. Ying Chen
Visiting professor (Nov. 2018 – Nov. 2019)
Institute of Electrical Engineering
Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
Tobias Lauster (Visiting graudate student); Sep. 2016 – Jan. 2017)
Tobias from University of Bayreuth (Germany) joins our group as a visiting graduate student. His research interest is mechanical energy dissipation dynamics of ceramic porous materials made of silica nano-spheres.Kendrick Williams
Mech. Eng. (Jan. 2019 – May 2021)
Research: Deformable thermal metamaterials
Undergraduate Students
Philip Nakashita
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (May 2019 – May 2021)
Research: CNT-based protective materials
Maya Jayanth
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (Oct. 2017 – May 2019)
Research: 3D network using bio-polymers
Kathy Zhu
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (Jan. 2017 – May 2019)
Research: Manufacturing of polymer micro-spheres for cold spray
Marcus Mueller
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (Jan. 2017 – May 2019)
Research: Deformable thermal metamaterials
Lauren Chin (Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng.); Jun. 2015 – May 2017
Her research interest is the hydrophobicity at the near supersonic speeds.
Current: Manufacturing Engineer at Safran
LinkedIn
Amir Vahadji (Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng.); Sep. 2014 – Dec. 2014
Ultrafast laser and supercontinuum generation
Blayne Sarazin (Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng.); Dec. 2015 – May 2016
Blayne joins the Nano-Engineering Lab in Dec. 2015 for his undergraduate study in Mechanical Engineering. His research interest is the micro-ballistic characterization.
Jordan Hanahan (Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng.); Dec. 2015 – May 2016
Jordan joins the Nano-Engineering group in Jan. 2016 for his research experience in Nano Science and Energy.
Samuel Chiburis
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (Jan. 2017 – May 2018)
Current: Isenberg MBA Candidate
Christopher Ferrick
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (Jan. 2017 – May 2018)

Ian Roche
Undergraduate student, Mech. Eng. (Jun. 2022 – Dec. 2022)
Research: Modification of nanoporous films to enhance energy absorption