ACRC UCI Researchers and staff, Fall 2022
ACRC The Ohio State University Researchers
Dr. Soderhjelm received his PhD from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and continued his research for the Advanced Casting Research Center. As a Postdoctoral researcher he worked on particulate reinforcement of aluminum alloys, as well as novel metal additive manufacturing process development. His current research for ACRC is focused on processing semi-solid and liquid metals, as well as incorporation of additive manufacturing into the aluminum die casting industry.
Cheolmin currently serves as a Doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCI. As a member of the ACRC team, Cheolmin is working on a research project focused on thermal management for metal. He received his M.S. in February 2021 from the National Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Republic of Korea, and researched the creep characteristic of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy manufactured by a high-pressure die-casting process. In idle moments, Cheolmin enjoys playing soccer, doing workouts, listening to music, and swimming.
Kentaro Lunn is Doctoral candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCI. He has received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2018, recently completed his M.S. in Materials Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2023, and has been working as an engineer within the motorsports industry. Kentaro will be pursuing a research project in the field of Diffusion Solidification. Kentaro enjoys music and cooking in his free time.
Raquel earned her B.S. from UC Riverside in 2022 and is now a doctoral student studying Materials Science & Engineering at UCI. Raquel’s previous research focused on High Entropy Alloys and processing via Electromagnetic Levitation in which she co-authored a publication on the effects of the addition of Fe to CoCrCuTi alloys. Here at the ACRC she works on the use of ultrasonic treatment in molten aluminum to enhance the mechanical behavior and be applied in foundry processes including degassing, grain refinement, and intermetallic phase modification. In her free time, Raquel enjoys building film props, volleyball, photography, ballet, and OHV riding in the desert.
Brandon Fields is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Materials Science & Engineering department at UC Irvine and is co-advised by Dr. Lorenzo Valdevit and Dr. Diran Apelian. His research focuses on advancing metal additive manufacturing technologies and optimizing the processing-structure-properties relationship. Specifically investigating steel and aluminum alloy systems using the laser-powder-bed-fusion process (LPBF). His recent work focuses on the improved printability and performance of modified 7000-series high-strength aluminum. Additionally, he is studying novel aluminum-cerium alloys for their role in high-temperature applications.
Brandon grew up in Los Angeles, California, and received his B.S. summa cum laude in Physics from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Shrivatsav currently serves as a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCI. Within the ACRC Shri is developing Al alloys directly from scrap streams, focusing on recovery and reuse of Al. He received his M.S in June 2021 in Material Science and Engineering at UCI. He focuses his studies on sustainability and failure analysis of materials. To relax Shri enjoys listening to music, watching movies, skating, and photography.
Sakshi is a Doctoral student in the department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCI. She works with the NSF-MRSEC team studying the interfacial science of the Complex Concentrated Alloys (CCAs). Sakshi’s PhD research is focused on the processing kinetics and microstructure evolution in the CrCoNi FCC CCAs which are known for their exceptional mechanical properties at cryogenic temperatures. Sakshi obtained her Bachelor of Technology degree in Metallurgical and Materials engineering from Malaviya National Institute of Technology, India. For her undergrad thesis, she studied the effect of heating rate on the cold rolled low carbon steels. In free time, Sakshi enjoys acrylic painting, cooking and reading.
Mahsa Amiri is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology, University of California Irvine (UCI). She obtained her MSc from Sharif University of Technology, Iran.
During the past few years at UCI, Mahsa has been studying mechanisms that control the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold sprayed deposits, with a focus on the effects of the feedstock powder properties including (1) particle size and distribution; (2) surface oxide layer thickness and crystallinity; (3) presence of interstitials; and (4) microstructure of powder.
Recently, she started a new project on the high strain rate properties of selectively laser melted (SLM) materials. She has experimental expertise in microstructural analysis and materials characterization via SEM, HRTEM, STEM, XPS, EBSD, and micro-mechanical in-situ testing.
Her hobbies are swimming, cycling, dining out, watching movies, and hanging out with friends and family.
K. R. Ramkumar received his PhD degree from the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli in 2019, funded by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in Bengaluru, India. His educational background is in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. After completing his doctoral research, he worked as an Institute Postdoctoral Researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in the field of Cold Spray Deposition for two years. Following that, he was awarded a Brainpool Fellowship in 2021 from the National Research Foundation in South Korea. He worked in the field of High-Entropy Alloys and Additive Manufacturing. His research focuses on the correlation between structure and properties, as well as alloy development for extreme environmental conditions.
Calvin earned his M.S. degree in 2021 in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCI, working with Enrique J. Lavernia and is now a PhD student in the department, conducting research in the ACRC. Calvin’s research is supported by the UCI Center for Complex and Active Materials (CCAM). The CCAM is a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NSF MRSEC). As a researcher supported by the CCAM, Calvin studies the interfacial science of refractory complex concentrated alloys (RCCAs) and is focused on the role of grain boundary segregation of interstitial impurity elements such as oxygen, carbon, and boron on the embrittlement ductilization of the NbMoTaW RCCA. In his free time, Calvin enjoys cycling, driving, camping, and fly fishing.
Jungyun earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Bucknell University in 2015 and his M.Eng in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 2018. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests lie in the realm of architected metamaterials and innovative additive manufacturing processes. Currently, his research is centered on developing all-metallic mechanical metamaterial solutions designed to protect electronic systems in autonomous vehicles.
Jack Webster is an M.S. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCI. He recently graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in May 2023 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Materials Engineering. During his time as an undergraduate student, Jack performed research on a number of industry sponsored projects, where he assisted with materials characterization via optical microscopy, SEM, EDS, and XRD. In the past, he has served as the CPP Chapter President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and CPP Chapter Vice President of Material Advantage. When he is not busy with school, Jack likes to spend his time playing guitar, reading, and going for walks along the coast.
Ana is an undergraduate Materials Science and Engineering student at UCI. In her previous research experience, Ana has worked with the mechanical testing of density-graded polyurea at San Diego State University. Currently, she is working on the ultrasonic treatment project at the ACRC under Raquel. In her free time, Ana enjoys watching movies, snowboarding, and dancing Ballet Folklórico.
Gabriel earned his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2020. The following year, he joined Professor Luo’s Research group as a PhD student. His research is focusing on the improvement of secondary aluminum alloys and recycling and casting processes.
Jianyue Zhang earned his B.S. and M.S. in Material Science from Chongqing University in 2013 and 2016, respectively, and his PhD degree from Purdue University in 2019. Jianyue joined Professor Luo’s group in 2020. His research focuses on the development of lightweight die casting alloys and wrought magnesium alloys.
Jiashi Miao received his PhD degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Michigan in 2010. After graduation, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, prior to joining Professor Luo’s group in 2016. His research mainly focuses on microstructure characterization of lightweight alloys using electron microscopy.
Deepak graduated with his BS in Mechanical Engineering from CUSAT and MS in Machine Design from Kerala University. He is currently pursuing his PhD research at IIT Bombay in collaboration with The Ohio State University. His research focuses on the application of physics-based simulations and Machine Learning for alloy discovery and manufacturability.
Agnieszka Chmielewska earned her bachelor’s and masters’ and PhD degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) in Poland. Agnieszka joined Professor Luo’s group in 2020. Her research focuses on additive manufacturing of metallic materials with the greatest interest in powder bed fusion processes.
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Daehyun Cho earned his B.S and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science from Pusan National University in South Korea. After graduation, he worked as a senior researcher at Hyundai Steel Company R&D for 4 years. He joined Professor Luo’s group in 2021. His research focuses on the development of bioresorbable Mg alloys. He also has been studying lightweight alloys and metal matrix composites including alloy design, material characterization, mechanical properties, and corrosion properties.
Nagasivamuni Balasubramani received his PhD in 2021 from the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia. After graduation, he worked as senior research engineer for the development of biodegradable Mg and Zn-based alloys at the University of Queensland. Nagasivamuni joined Professor Luo’s group in 2022 focusing on the development of light metals with specific interests in casting and solidification, simulation, and recycling.
Thomas graduated with his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University and joined Professor Luo’s group as a PhD student in 2018. His research focuses on the development and optimization of Mg alloys for medical applications using computational thermodynamics and experimental tools.
Michael graduated with his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2020. He started a combined bachelor and graduate degree program in 2019 as a PhD student in Professor Luo’s research group, and completed candidacy in 2021. His research focuses on the development of recycled structural aluminum alloys, high temperature aluminum alloys, molten metals processing, and microstructure simulation for solidification processing of aluminum alloys.
Nicole Trometer received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida 2019, with a specialization in metals. She joined Professor Luo’s group as a PhD student in 2019, working on microstructure modeling and experimental validation of casting and welding processes.
Matt Hartsfield graduated with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Wright State University in May 2019. They joined Professor Luo’s group as a Ph.D. student in 2019, working on lightweight structures of super-wood and aluminum alloys.
Emmanuel graduated with his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2021. After graduation, he joined Professor Luo’s group as a PhD student. His research focuses on microstructure and diffusion simulation of aluminum alloys during solidification processing.
Albert earned his B.S. in Chemical and Materials Engineering from National Central University in Taiwan in 2022. After graduation, he joined Professor Luo’s group as a PhD student, working on advanced magnesium alloys and processing.