University of Washington UW Chemical Engineering

Grad Students

Recent Ph.D. Degrees and Dissertation Titles

Ph.D. candidates work closely with faculty members to earn their degree. Before being awarded their degree, they must submit a dissertation based on the research work they have conducted. The list below names recent Ph.D. awardees along with their faculty advisers and dissertation titles.

2020

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Rick Liao Elizabeth Nance Antioxidant-loaded nanoparticles for the treatment of excitotoxicity in neurological disease
Patrick McMullen Shaoyi Jiang Zwitterionic Peptide Fusion Proteins for Therapeutic and Protective Applications
Sawyer Morgan Daniel T. Schwartz Energetics, synthesis, and structural characteristics of ferromagnetic metals for shape memory alloy and catalysis
Elena Pandres Vincent Holmberg Synthesis, Assembly, and Integration of Semiconductor Nanowires
Emily Ruskowitz Cole DeForest Photochemical and Logic-Based Regulation over the Cellular Microenvironment
Ryan Stoddard Hugh Hillhouse Development of Stable, High Optoelectronic Quality Perovskites Using Photoluminescence, Photoconductivity, and Machine Learning
Gabriella Tosado Qiuming Yu Development of Highly Efficient and Stable Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells Through Composition and Interface Engineering
Caroline Tsao Shaoyi Jiang Zwitterionic Polymer-based Platforms for Biotherapeutics and Implants
Caitlyn Wolf Lilo D. Pozzo Molecular Conformation and Dynamics of Conjugated Polymers using Neutron and X-ray Scattering and Simulations
Kan Wu Shaoyi Jiang Developing Nonfouling Zwitterionic Coatings for Biomedical Applications
Le Zhen Buddy D. Ratner Immunomodulatory porous regenerative scar-free scaffolds for in-situ vascular engineering
Erjin Zheng Qiuming Yu Development and Application of Novel Optoelectronic Materials for Photodetectors and Solar Cells

2019

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Steven Adelmund Cole DeForest Bioorthogonal Photochemistry: Enabling Spatiotemporally Resolved Proteomics & Dynamic Materials
Barry Badeau Cole DeForest Logical Control over Biomaterial Properties through Boolean Responsive Linkers
Wesley Beckner Jim Pfaendtner Ionic Liquid Design Using Molecular Simulation and Statistical Methods
James Clark Hugh Hillhouse Earth-Abundant Thin-Film Devices for Photovoltaic and Electrochemical Applications
Chad Curtis Elizabeth Nance Trajectory features as surrogate measures of the nanoparticle-microenvironment interaction space
Neal Dawson-Elli Venkat Subramanian The Role of Data Science in Numerical Modeling of Lithium Ion Batteries
Yi-Ting Lee Lilo Pozzo Unravelling Synthesis and Transport Phenomena in Emulsion Systems with Small Angle Scattering
Erik Liu Shaoyi Jiang Development of Mixed-Charge EK Polypeptides for Protein Protection
Yanbo Qi Daniel Schwartz & Venkat Subramanian Model-based Graded Electrode Design for Lithium-ion Batteries
Jared Shadish Cole DeForest Exploiting Chemoenzymatic and Photochemical Reactions to Control 4D Protein Presentation in Cell-Laden Hydrogels
Joshua Smith Shaoyi Jiang & Jim Pfaendtner Coupling molecular dynamics and machine learning to accelerate the design of bioinspired materials

2018

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Ian Braly Hugh Hillhouse Optoelectronic Quality and Stability of Hybrid Perovskites Determined by Steady-State Luminescence Techniques
Daniel David Galvan Qiuming Yu Improved Performance in Plasmonic Biosensors for Bacterial Detection Through Dielectric Conditioning and Dielectrophoretic Enhancement
Razieh Khalifehzadeh Buddy D. Ratner Flourination of Poly(lactides) as a Path to Enhanced Hemocompatability
Matthew Murbach Daniel T. Schwartz Linear and Nonlinear Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Karl Oleson Daniel T. Schwartz Extractives of Douglas-fir and Their Implications for Biofuel Saccharification
Arushi Prakash Jim Pfaendtner Understanding Self-Assembly in Solution and at Interfaces Using All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Enhanced Sampling Methods
Jessica Soto-Rodriguez François Baneyx Solid binding peptides: applications in affinity protein purification and bioprotonic devices
Honorio Valdes Eric Stuve An assessment of alkali metal-O2 chemistry; perspectives and prospectives
William E. Voje James Carothers Design of gRNA Expression Systems and Characterization of CRISPR Transcriptional Networks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Yuyin Xi Lilo Pozzo Structure Engineering of Self- and Directed-Assembled Conjugated Polymers
Peng Zhang Shaoyi Jiang Improving Safety and Efficacy of Protein Therapeutics by Chemical Modifications

2017

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Tao Bai Shaoyi Jiang Developing Zwitterionic Hydrogel for Biomedical Applications
Matt Crane Peter Pauzaskie Laser Induced Heat and Momentum Transfer in Nanomaterial Processing
Kyle Caldwell John C. Berg Adhesion and Interphase Properties of Reinforced Polymeric Composites
Alexey Gilman Mary Lidstrom & David Beck Development of a Promising Methanotrophic Bacterium as an Industrial Biocatalyst
Elisa T. Harrison David Castner Combining Surface Analytical and Computational Techniques to Investigate Orientation Effects of Immobilized Proteins
John Katahara Hugh Hillhouse Illuminating the Potential of Thin-Film Photovoltaics
Karl J. Kerr Jonathan Posner Isotachophoresis Enhanced Point-of-Care Assays for Clinical Diagnostics
Janet Bickford Matsen Mary Lidstrom Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Statistical/Machine Learning to Enhance Understanding of Methantrophic Microbial Metabolism in Isolates and Communities
Manan Pathak Venkat Subramanian Model-based Battery Management Systems: From Theory to Practice
Kayla Gaye Sprenger Jim Pfaendtner Development and Use of Molecular Simulation Tools to Study the Structure and Function of Biomolecules at Interfaces

2016

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Mark D. Borysiak Jonathan Posner Nucleic Acid Diagnostics Using Isotachophoresis and Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification
Trevor Braun Daniel T. Schwartz Remote Control Electrodeposition: Patterning on Substrates without Electrical Connections
Blake R. Hough Daniel T. Schwartz & Jim Pfaendtner Computational Approaches and Tools for Modeling Biomass Pyrolysis
James M. Lownsbury Charles Campbell Adsorption Calorimetry for Energy Conversion Technologies
Edward Michor John Berg The Effects of Reverse Micelles on Charging Behavior in Apolar Media
Brian Swift François Baneyx Engineering Solid Binding Proteins for the Biofabrication of Environmentally-Friendly Multi-functional Quantum Dots
Fang Sun Shaoyi Jiang Developing Multifunctional Surface Chemistry for Plasmonic Biosensing in Complex Media

2015

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Andrew Collord Hugh Hillhouse High-Throughput Exploration of Defect Passivation Strategies for Kesterite Photovoltaics
Charlie Corredor Jonathan Posner Methods to Assess Presence and Biological Impact of Engineered Nanoparticles
Kelly Fleming Jim Pfaendtner New Solution to an Old Problem: Exploring Properties of Chemical Reactions in Condensed Phases Using Molecular Simulation
Pablo De La Iglesia Lilo Pozzo Structure-Property Relationships of Self-Assembled Conjugated Polymers
Julee A. Floyd Buddy Ratner Drug Encapsulated Aerosolized Microspheres as a Biodegradable, Intelligent Glioma Therapy
Rami Foster David G. Castner Using Surface Analysis to Investigate how Adsorbed Protein Structure Changes with Controlled Changes in Surface Chemistry: A Case Study Involving Bare & Sodium Styrene Sulfonate-Grafted Gold Surface
Matthew M. Gacek John Berg Surfactant mediated acid-base particle charging inapolar media
Ye-Jin Hwang Samson Jenekhe Studies of conjugated semiconductors for electronics and optoelectronics
Vance Jaeger Jim Pfaendtner Developing a Simulation Framework for Modeling Biomolecules in Ionic Liquids
James F. Matthaei François Baneyx Two-Dimensional Protein Arrays: De Novo Design and Applications
Ann K. Nowinski Shaoyi Jiang Developing Low Fouling Peptides and Zwitterionic Materials
Beau Richardson Qiuming Yu Studies of Pyrite FeS2 Nanocyrstals and Plasmonic Nanostructures for Low Cost and High Efficiency Inverted Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cells
Amanda L. Smith Mary Lidstrom Development of a novel carbon fixation pathway enabled by protein engineering
Weiran Zhang François Baneyx Signal peptide and chaperone engineering for secretion and excretion in Escherichia coli
Leize Zhu Qiuming Yu Efficient, Low-Cost Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Solar cells via Maternials, Interface, and Device Structure Design

2014

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
Norman D. Brault Shaoyi Jiang Multifunctional Zwitterionic Surface Chemistry for Applications in Complex
Patrick Burney Jim Pfaendtner Molecular Modeling of Protein Stability and Conformation Preference in Ionic Liquids
Helen C. Chen Hong Shen Control of endosomal Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling by nanoparticles and applications in cancer therapy
Brandon L. Coyle François Baneyx Solid-binding Proteins for Modification of Inorganic Substrates
Michael Deighan Jim Pfaendtner Simulating Protein Adsorption Phenomena for Experimental Comparison
Taeshik Earmme Samson Jenekhe Studies of Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes and All-Polymer Solar Cells
Tim C. Geary Stuart Adler Lanthanum Ferrite-Based Mixed-Conducting Electrodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers
Bo Hu Mary Lidstrom Metabolic Engineering of the ethylmalonyl-CoA pathway in M. extorquens AM1 for 1-butanol Production
Timothy J. McDonald Stuart Adler Characterization and Modeling of La{1-x}Sr{x}CoO {3-delta} Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes Using Nonlinear Electrochemical Impedance Techniques
Luo Mi Shaoyi Jiang Molecular Engineering Approaches against Germs, Spores and Biofilm Formation
Gregory M. Newbloom Lilo Pozzo Engineering the Multi-Length Scale Structure of Self-Assembled Conjugated Polymer Networks
Jeffrey J. Richards Lilo Pozzo Structural Characterization of Composite Thin-film and Dispersed Phase Conjugated Polymer/Fullerene Composites
Benjamin H. Rutz John Berg Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Polymeric Composites
Qing Shao Shaoyi Jiang Understanding Properties of Zwitterionic Materials from Their Molecular Structures
Trent Silbaugh Charles Campbell Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Elementary Surface Reaction Steps in Catalysis by Single Crystal Adsorption Calorimetry
Christopher A. Wolcott Charles Campbell Energetics of Elementary Steps in Catalysis and Their Use to Search for New Catalysts
Wei Yang Shaoyi Jiang Zwitterionic Poly(carboxybetaine) Materials for Blood-Contacting Medical Devices and Nanoparticles
Xi Zhan Hong Shen Engineering blend particle delivery platform for subunit vaccines against mucosally transmitted viral infections

2013

Student Faculty Adviser Dissertation Title
David Y. Chiu James Bryers Evaluation of Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles Mineralized with Proteins and Peptides for Use as Adjuvants in Protein and Nucleic Acid Vaccines
Tyler A. House Daniel Schwartz Simulations of Steady Streaming Flows and the Time-Averaged Motion of Inertial Particles
Andrew J. Keefe Shaoyi Jiang Discovery and Development of Synthetic and Natural Biomaterials for Protein Therapeutics and Medical Device Applications
Lakshmi S. Kocherlakota Rene Overney Interfacial and Transport Properties of Nanoconstrained Inorganic and Organic Materials
Ikechuwu Nwaneshiudu Daniel Schwartz Tailoring Polymer Micro-extraction Phases to Enhance the Sensitivity and Selectivity of Raman Spectroscopy
Monica Ospinal-Jiminez Lilo Pozzo Engineering protein electrophoresis through surfactant design: The role of nanostructure
Guoqiang Ren Samson Jenekhe Studies of Organic Semiconductor Nanostructures and Their Photovoltaic Applications
Michael A. Robinson David Castner Chemical Analysis of Cells and Tissues with Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Andrew D. White Shaoyi Jiang Modeling Nonspecific Interactions at Biological Interfaces
Christina S. Yacoob Hong Shen Particle Fabrication and delivery systems for controlled release of bumped kinase inhibitors (BKIs) for malaria transmission blocking