2022-2023 COHORT

CHEDEYA BROWN

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Investigating minority and women-owned solar arrays and their impact on other sustainable behaviors; assessing the effectiveness of agrivoltaics and dual-use initiatives on solar farms.
Advisers: Magali Delmas and Liz Koslov

RAJUAN NELSON

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Hybridizing electrochemical systems and electroactive membranes to enable minimum liquid discharge.
Advisers: David Jassby and Eric Hoek

JARED COFFELT

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Assessing the socioeconomic drivers and outcomes of the implementation and use of sustainable infrastructure.
Advisers: Deepak Rajagopal and Eric Hoek

HANNAH MYINT

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Quantifying the effect of anthropogenic climate change on wildfire severity and assessing the resulting impact of air pollution on urban populations.
Advisers: Karen McKinnon and Pablo Saide

JESSICA CARSTENS-KASS

Dept: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology
Research: Molecular strategies to protect and utilize giant kelp forests in the fight against climate change.
Advisers: Siobhan Braybrook and Timothy Malloy

MEL LIU

Dept: Urban Planning
Research: How policy and legislation around land use and natural resources intersect with different communities and can be improved and engaged toward actionable community-driven sustainability solutions that benefit both urban and rural regions.
Advisers: None

NURIT KATZ

Dept: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research: Understanding the relationship between urban environmental factors, human provision of resources, and nesting success of Cooper’s Hawks and other raptors in Los Angeles.
Advisers: Dan Blumstein and Tom Gillespie

AVISHEK BANERJEE

Dept: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Research: Understanding different electrocatalytic processes and scale-up of such processes for waste reduction and sustainable energy use and transformation.
Advisers: Carlos Morales-Guio and Paula Diaconescu

GLENN NURWONO

Dept: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Research: Development of yeast-based platforms for sustainable production of chemicals for agriculture and medicine.
Advisers: Jun Park and Yi Tang

ZHUOYING LIN

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Develop electrolytes and novel materials to suppress Li dendrite growth on Li metal anode for rechargeable batteries.
Advisers: Xiangfeng Duan and Yu Huang

LINDSEY MORRIS

Dept: Urban Planning
Research: Exploring the conversion of underutilized spaces into fresh produce gardens to strengthen local food systems and examining the ecological impact of environmentally sustainable death care.
Advisers: Dan Blumstein and Tom Gillespie

RAMZI MASSAD

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: The development of hydrogels and biomaterials with tunable physical and chemical properties for biomedical applications.
Advisers: Song Li and Paula Diaconescu

GRACE KIM

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Investigating Nickel-rich cathodes through understanding nickel influence on phase transitions and rate performance of Li-ion batteries.
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Huan Zhong Huang

2021-2022 COHORT

ILEANA CALLEJAS

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Antibiotic resistant genes and bacteria in coastal water and stormwater. Use of satellite imagery to monitor water clarity in Belize and California.
Advisers: Jennifer Jay and Pamela Yeh

RICARDO MARTINEZ

Dept: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research: Radiation energy systems. Working on determining dependent scattering regimes and impact of nanoparticle volume fraction on transmittance.
Advisers: Laurent Pilon and Sarah Tolbert

ABHINAV BHANAWAT

Dept: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research: Studying light transfer in photoelectrochemistry where solar energy is utilised to split water into hydrogen and oxygen
Advisers: Laurent Pilon and Sarah Tolbert

SUSAN JU

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Development of radiative cooling materials using silica-based materials
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Laurent Pilon

SHIYUN LIN

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Redox switchable catalyst design for biodegradable polymers and copolymers
Advisers: Paula Diaconescu

MORGAN ROGERS

Dept: Urban Planning
Research: Exploring urban design solutions that enhance ecosystem health and support biodiversity while providing co-benefits such as cooling neighborhoods and reducing energy costs.
Advisers: V. Kelly Turner and Thomas Gillespie

ONJA DAVIDSON

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Mitigating the impact of wildfires on water quality using green infrastructure.
Advisers: Sanjay K. Mohanty and Jane Valentine

HELEN CUMBERBATCH

Dept: Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research: How size and disorder influence charging kinetics in anodes for lithium-ion batteries
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Bruce Dunn

KEVIN CLACK

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisers: Eric Hoek and Deepak Rajagopal

ALEXANDER SIMAFRANCA

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Structure and electronic properties of organic semiconducting polymers, a material class for next-generation green electronics
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Richard Kaner

2020-2021 COHORT

IVY KWOK

Dept: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Research: Molecular biological analyses of vinyl chloride (carcinogenic groundwater pollutant) degradation by Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190 and optimization strategies to sustainably accelerate bacterial degradation of environmental contaminants
Advisers: Shaily Mahendra and Steve Jacobsen

NARAYAN GOPINATHAN

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Electrification of transportation and other end uses of energy
Advisers: Deepak Rajagopal and William Boyd

JULIA CHANG

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Work on novel graphene nanoribbon design and synthesis and study the process of polymer cyclization to form the GNRs
Advisers: Yves Rubin and Jenny Jay

YIN POK (GEORGE) WONG

Dept: Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research: Redox switchable catalysis for the synthesis of biodegradable, block copolymers
Advisers: Paula Diaconescu and Carlos G. Morales Guio

CASEY CORNWELL

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Understanding the relationship between size, surface, and cycling kinetics in Nickel-rich cathode materials for Lithium-ion batteries GNRs
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Bruce Dunn

HOOTAN ROSHANDEL

Dept: Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research: Redox switchable catalysis for synthesis of biocompatible polymers and copolymers
Advisers: Paula Diaconescu and Carlos G. Morales Guio

2019-2020 COHORT

MAGGIE FOX

Dept: Materials Science and Engineering
Research: Optimization of transparent mesoporous materials for window application to improve building energy efficiency; development of composite materials for cathodes, via direct ink writing, and ionogel electrolytes for solid-state 2.5D Batteries
Advisers: Bruce Dunn and Heather Maynard

BINEH NDEFRU

Dept: Materials Science and Engineering
Research: Developing physics of failure and risk science models to plan and improve the reliability and resilience of future energy systems
Advisers: Ali Mosleh and Bruce Dunn

NATALIE KASHANCHI

Dept: Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research: Silica Nanoparticle-Based Materials for Improving Building Energy Efficiencies
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Laurent Pilon

JOHN BREWER

Dept: Materials Science and Engineering
Research: Simulation, fabrication, and testing of photonic crystals and metamaterials for creation of infrared optical systems with reduced cost and increased functionality; lightsail simulation and design for relativistic propulsion
Advisers: Aaswath Raman

DANIELLE HOAGUE

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Framing the political exchange between community activism and the production of scientific knowledge about environmental justice issues in Los Angeles.
Advisers: Liz Koslov and Aradhna Tripati

PIA RAMOS

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Optimization of surface interactions of materials and microbes in the context of water treatment; remediation of groundwater contaminated with recalcitrant pollutants by combining biotic and abiotic techniques; biofouling processes
Advisers: Shaily Mahendra and Richard Kaner

NAOMI ADAMS

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Understanding the cumulative impacts of lead exposure from aggregative pathways, and developing community-based research to investigate strategies for remediation and mitigation
Advisers: Jenny Jay and Liz Koslov

ALEXANDRIA HERR

Dept: Geography
Research: A political ecology of restoration along the Mississippi River corridor, critical restoration ecology and sociology of climate adaptation
Advisers: Allison Carruth and Kelly Kay

2018-2019 COHORT

SHIJIE (JENNY) DENG

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Developing electrochemical systems using redox-switchable catalysts for the synthesis of biodegradable, block co-polymers
Advisers: Paula Diaconescu and Laurent Pilon

EMMA BARNOSKY

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Developing a model for scientists, businesses, governments, and civil society to work together towards solutions to environmental issues
Advisers: Magali Delmas and Ursula Heise

MARVIN BROWNE

Dept: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research: Plant responses to drought, particularly determining the mechanisms that allow for resilience; improving the ways that we sense plant health
Advisers: Lawren Sack and Mona Jarrahi

KATHLEEN CHEN

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Chemical and biological advances for sustainable food systems from pesticide use to adipose tissue production
Advisers: Amy Rowat

ZACHARY HERN

BENJAMIN HOAR

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: The valorization of the amorphous biopolymer: lignin. Our goal is to electrochemically access this renewable, though recalcitrant, plant component in order to replace petroleum as a source for high-value added phenolics such as vanillin.
Advisers: Chong Liu and Yu Huang

STEPHANIE KAWECKI

Dept: Bioengineering
Research: Improve the sustainability of food production by using tissue engineering techniques to lab-culture animal muscle cells for consumption
Advisers: Amy Rowat and Sibhan Braybrook

YI SHEN

PATRICIA MCNEIL

Dept: Materials Science and Engineering
Research: Creation of an insulating silica ambigel with the optical transparency required for application onto a window
Advisers: Bruce Dunn and Heather Maynard

OSCAR NEYRA

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Applying various life cycle approaches to study different solutions adopted in urban systems; in particular, the unintended consequences of the inclusion of renewable energy sources in the electric grid using modeling techniques.
Advisers: Paulo Saide and Kelly Turner

UJASH SHAH

Dept: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research: Flow of fluids (with focus on water) through nano-porous materials like aerogels
Adviser: Tim Fisher and Richard Kaner

ALUMNI

JACK HOENIGES

Dept: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research: Water treatment and production of food and biofuel via microalgae
Advisers: Laurent Pilon and Sabeeha Merchant

ALI DASHTI

Dept: Mechanical Engineering
Research: Creating thermally insulating transparent barrier coatings for single pane windows to reduce the amount of energy required for buildings which greatly impacts the amount of emissions
Advisers: Laurent Pilon and Timothy Fisher

MACKENZIE ANDERSON

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Developing new membranes for water purification; purification of aqueous waste formed in the manufacture of green energy infrastructure
Advisers: Richard Kaner and Shailey Mahendra

RENAN VALENCA

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Boosting the resiliency of stormwater biofilters using fungal-based methods to mitigate the impacts of climate change stressors (e.g., wildfires, droughts, flooding) on the quality of surface and subsurface water.
Advisers: Sanjay K. Mohanty and Richard Ambrose

BENJAMIN CROZE

Dept: M.S in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Biodegradation of water and soil contaminants using immobilized fungi and extracted fungal enzymes. A specific focus on biotransformation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Advisers: Shaily Mahendra

VERA SMIRNOVA

Dept: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research: Understanding transport and accumulation pathways of microplastics in subsurface environments.
Advisers: Sanjay K. Mohanty and Magali Delmas

NEHA BHARTI

Dept: Environmental Health Sciences – Master of Public Health
Research: Studying the effects of climate change on disruptions of food systems to disease patterns as it relates to public health.

KYLE WINTERBOER

Dept: Luskin School of Public Affairs – Master of Public Policy
Research: Sustainable initiatives to creatively bridge the divide between rural and urban policy while advancing equitable solutions to climate change that optimize environmental and social welfare

SARA VALLEJO CASTANO

Dept: Mechanical Engineering
Research: Sustainable materials and processes. Currently developing an alternative method to produce hydrated lime using low-grade heat and alkaline byproducts from the steel industry.
Advisers: Laurent Pilon and Gaurav Sant

SOPHIA KING PhD ‘21

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Using mesoporous, transparent silica/metal oxide thin films as thermally insulating coatings to reduce heat loss through windows
Advisers: Sarah Tolbert and Laurent Pilon

RUSSELL HOROWITZ MS ‘21

Dept: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Research: Relationship between resource use and urban infrastructure
Advisers: Alan Barreca and Magali Delmas

VIVIEN ENRIQUEZ

Dept: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research: Explores how gut bacterial communities assist wild avian populations to survive in the city
Advisers: Pamela Yeh and Jenny Jay

JACQUELINE ADAMS MPP ‘21

Dept: Public Policy, Luskin School of Public Affairs
Research: Water system risk factors and financial solvency across the state of California and addressing and mitigating the effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations

TIPHAINE GALY PhD ‘20

Dept: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research: Structural and radiative characterization of mesoporous materials for insulating coating applications; radiative studies in the visible and infrared to evaluate the transparency and potential radiation heat losses of insulating coatings.
Advisers: Laurent Pilon and Sarah Tolbert

PRIERA PANESCU PhD ‘20

Dept: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research: Use of trehalose hydrogels in green roofs (GRs) to increase water holding capacity (WHC) and plant available water
Advisers: Heather Maynard and Lawren Sack

JASON TIMMONS MS ‘19

Dept: Materials Science and Engineering
Research: Turning a waste byproduct of the energy industry into a useful resource by: (1) process and treat the water to a drinkable state, or (2) utilize produced water as a CO2 sink to mitigate the effects of energy production on the environment
Advisers: Gaurav Sant and Richard Kaner