People
- Principal Investigator
- Laboratory Manager
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Doctoral Students
- Master Students
- Undergraduates
- Alumni
Principal Investigator
Lynden Archer
Lynden Archer joined the Cornell faculty in 2000. He was appointed director of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2010. Since 2008 he has served as co-director of the KAUST-Cornell Center for Energy and Sustainability.
His research focuses on transport properties of polymers and organic-inorganic hybrid materials. Archer is also interested in applications of hybrid materials for energy storage and carbon capture technologies. During the period 1993-94 he was a postdoctoral member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and has been recognized with several awards, including the AICHE MAC Centennial Engineer Award, James & Mary Tien Excellence in Teaching Award, the National Science Foundation Early Career Award, and DuPont and 3M Young Professor Awards. He earned a B.S. in chemical engineering (polymer science) from the University of Southern California in 1989 and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 1993.
Google Scholar</p>Laboratory Manager
Jiefu Yin, PhD
Jiefu Yin is from Beijing, China. He joined Cornell Energy Systems Institute (CESI) as the Laboratory Manager in 2018. Jiefu earned his PhD in Chemistry, with a focus on electrochemistry and rechargeable batteries, in the research group of Dr. Ester Takeuchi at Stony Brook University. In CESI, Jiefu is responsible for instrumental maintenance, user training, and the development of new technology & test ability for the facility. He is also in charge of lab safety, instrumental maintenance for the Archer group.
Google Scholar</p>Postdoctoral Researcher
Gaojin Li, PhD
Gaojin Li received Bachelor and Master's degree from University of Science and Technology of China. He joined Prof Arezoo Ardekani's group at University of Notre Dame and transferred to Purdue University. He received his Ph.D. in December 2016 and now is a postdoc in Donald Koch and Lynden Archer’s group at Cornell University. His current research focuses on fluid mechanics problems involving electrokinetic phenomena and non-Newtonian fluids.
Google Scholar</p>
Qing Zhao, PhD
Qing Zhao is from Tianjin, China. He received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Nankai University (2012). He then continued his Ph.D. study in Nankai University and joined the Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Jun Chen. He received his Ph.D. in 2017 and now is a postdoc in Lynden Archer’s group at Cornell University. His research interest focuses on the preparation of micro/nanostructured inorganic and hybrid materials and their application in various energy storage fields.
Regina Garcia-Mendez, PhD
Regina is from Guatemala, Guatemala and did her undergraduate studies at the Department of Chemical Engineering in UVG, Guatemala. Regina earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan in 2020 under the supervision of Professor Jeff Sakamoto. Her graduate work focused on correlating structural and interfacial effects of ceramic solid electrolytes with cycling stability of Li metal in solid-state batteries. Regina is one of two awardees of the Cornell Energy Systems Institute (CESI) Post-Doctoral fellowships under the supervision of Professors Andrej Singer and Lynden A. Archer. Her research focus at Cornell is divided in two thrusts: Materials and interphase design for rechargeable Al-ion batteries and In-situ generated cathode electrode interfaces for high voltage stabilization of ceramic electrolytes. In her free time, she enjoys running, practicing yoga, dancing and learning about gastronomy.
Jingxu (Kent) Zheng, PhD
Kent is from Shenzhen, China. He earned his bachelor degrees in engineering and in history from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2017. His undergraduate research was mainly about the atomic-scale (S)TEM characterization of crystalline materials, such as alloys and metals oxides. During 2017-2020, he performed his PhD study under prof. Archer's supervision. His PhD thesis research centers on understanding and regulating metal electrodeposition in battery anodes, including Al, Li, Zn. After graduation, he will continue his research at Cornell as a postdoctoral associate for a few months. Currently, his main research focus is using advanced electron microscopy tools (e.g. cryogenic TEM, and aberration-corrected STEM) to characterize the atomic-scale crystallographic transitions in rechargeable battery electrodes. He will move to prof. Checkelsky's group in MIT physics department. He likes running, singing and calligraphy.
Doctoral Students
Sanjuna Stalin
Description : Sanjuna is from Chennai, India and did her undergraduate studies at the Department of Chemical Engineering in NIT, Trichy. She studies crosslinked polymer electrolytes for Lithium metal battery applications. She loves watching movies and spends most of her time on reddit.
Prayag Biswal
Prayag hails from Rourkela, India and received his bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur . His current research focuses on studying electrolytes of Lithium batteries. He likes all kind of outdoor sports.
Yue Deng
I am from Nanjing, China, and received my Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering along with two minors in Materials Science and Economics at University of California, Davis. I love rock music, play the Guzheng, and write and post love stories online.
Arpita Sharma
Arpita Sharma is from Delhi, India. She received her B. Tech-M. Tech dual degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2018. At IIT Kanpur, she worked in Complex Fluids Lab and studied the rheology of Pickering emulsions under large strain amplitudes. Her current research focuses on the effects of membrane architecture on electroconvection in batteries. She loves playing racquet sports and reading books (with heavy inclination towards fantasy fiction).
Tian Tang
Tian Tang is from Nanchang, China and received her bachelor degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University. Her current research focuses on regulating lithium metal deposition by artificial ion-conducting interphase.
Liska Utomo
Liska is from Surabaya, Indonesia. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and M.S. in Materials Science & Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. She is currently a PhD student in Chemical Engineering.
Master Students
Shuo Jin
Shuo is from Wuhan, China, and received my Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at South China University of Technology. Currently he is a master student focusing on rechargeable Zinc batteries. He likes basketball, football and computer games.
Undergraduates
Dylan Vu
Dylan Vu was born and raised in the suburbs of central/northern New Jersey. He is a sophomore at Cornell University pursuing his Chemical Engineering B.S. degree. In Archer's Group, Dylan is currently working with Snehashis Choudhury on work that focuses on suppressing dendritic electrodeposition in lithium metal batteries and electrolyte modification to increase the safety and life-time of lithium-ion batteries. Fun fact: He once ate 6 whole sushi rolls at an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, CA and wasn't even full.
Kasim Khan
Kasim is from Plano, Texas, and is currently pursuing a B.S. in chemical engineering at Cornell. His current research focuses on developing stable, high efficiency organic electrolytes for lithium-metal batteries. He enjoys playing the French horn, watching Black Mirror, dabbling in game design, and reading National Geographic. Fun fact: he has been to five out of seven continents!
Atsu Kludze
Atsu is from Manassas, Virginia and is pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Cornell. Atsu works with Prayag Biswal, on exploring fundamental aspects of high energy density, high performance Li metal batteries with a major focus on studying nanoscale nucleation processes at the Lithium - electrolyte interface.
Rafaella Bruzual
Rafaella is from Brooklyn NY and is pursuing a B.S In chemical engineering at Cornell. She currently works with Alex Warren and Arpita Sharma where her research focuses on understanding the electroconvection near the entanglement transition of PEG additives in ZnSO4 electrolytes.
Qiyuan Zhang
Qiyuan Zhang is from Tianjin, China. He is doing his undergraduate study in Chemistry at Nankai University (2016-2020) and doing research about electrocatalysis in the Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry in Nankai. He went to Lynden Archer’s group at July 2019 as an intern student for 8 months and currently works and studies in synthesizing crosslinking polymers for Lithium and Sodium metal battery with the help of the postdoc Qing Zhao.
Joshua Rodrigues
Joshua is from Ansonia, Connecticut and is pursuing a B.S in Chemical Engineering at Cornell. He works with Prayag Biswal, investigating the fundamental processes of Lithium electrodeposition by studying the underlying principles of Lithium nucleation and growth.
Pruthvi Banginwar
Pruthvi Banginwar is from North Brunswick, New Jersey, and is currently pursuing a B.S. in Engineering Physics with minors in Sustainable Energy Systems and Materials Science & Engineering at Cornell. Pruthvi works with Kent Zheng on developing stable, high-density & efficient cathodes for batteries. He enjoys playing tenor sax and trombone, is an avid cyclist, is on the Nordic Ski Racing team here, and loves to hike. Fun Fact: he taught himself to be ambidextrous and it comes in handy!
Herschel Jain
Herschel is from Johannesburg, South Africa, and is pursuing a bachelor's in Chemical Engineering. In the Archer group, she is currently working with Duhan Zhang on hydrogels for flexible Zn-Mn batteries. On-campus she is involved with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and is part of the E-board of the Engineers for a Sustainable world project team.
Alumni
Duhan Zhang
Duhan Zhang is from Shanghai, China. She has B.Eng in Polymer Materials and Engineering, and currently is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. Her study focuses on electrodeposition of Tin and Zinc, micro/nano-fluid mechanics of dendrite growth, and fluid battery. She plays violin, travels around and reads SIFI. Besides that, she has tried many sports at Cornell.
Alexander Warren
Alex Warren is from Buffalo, NY and received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. His current research as a PhD student focuses on the use of viscoelastic electrolytes to alter the deposition morphology of metals.
Xiaotun Liu
Xiaotun Liu is from Qingdao, China. He received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering at University of Minnesota Twin Cities. His current study involves studying the disentanglement transition of polymer chains via polymer tethered hairy nanoparticles.
Pooja Nath
Current position: Intel. Pooja Nath is from Himachal Pradesh, India and did her undergraduate in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. She currently studies the role of polymer gel electrolytes in controlling uneven electrodeposition in metal batteries using in situ optical microscopy.
Shuke Chloe Li
Current Position: Maryland University. Shuke Li is from Changsha, China and received her B.Eng. degree in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from Fudan University.
Xiaoxing Han
Current position: Quantum Scape. years in Chongqing Nankai middle school, 6 years in Singapore Nanyang Technological University, Big fan of tattoos and sea sports.
Sonya Sokhey
Sonya is from Dayton, OH and earned her B.S in Physics & Mathematics from Wright State University in 2017. Her undergraduate career focused on wave feedback analysis. Currently, she is a masters student researching the use of superabsorbant polymers in battery electrolytes to ultimately increase their electrochemical stability.
Zhengyuan Tu
Current position: Gotion. Zhengyuan Tu is from Nanchang, China and received his B.S degree in Polymer Science and Engineering (Chu-Kochen Honor College) from Zhejiang University. He currently studies the electrochemical behavior of lithium ion electrodeposition and transport based on nanoporous electrolyte and electrode in the context of lithium metal battery. He is also a piano and guitar player and a fan of classical music.
Snehashis Choudhury
Snehashis is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford Univerisity.
Mukul Tikekar
Current position: UCSB. Mukul Tikekar is from Mumbai, India and received his BTech and MTech degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. As a PhD candidate in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, he is jointly advised by Prof. Donald Koch and Prof. Lynden Archer on stability analysis of electrodeposition, aiming to design strategies to suppress dendrite growth in lithium metal batteries.
Wajdi AlSadat
Current position: Saudi Aramco. Wajdi AlSadat is originally from Saudi Arabia. He obtained his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University and M.S. from King Fahd University. He has worked in the oil and gas industry for about 12 years, and worked in Saudi Aramco's R&D Center, prototyping the first-of-a-kind post-combustion CO2 reduction technology for mobile sources before joining Cornell University's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering PhD program. Under the supervision of Professor L. Archer, Wajdi is working on metal/CO2 batteries as a novel approach to CO2 capture and energy storage. Happily married and has a curious ChemE-to-be boy. Fun fact: He mocks gravity (trad and sport rock climber).
Shuya Wei
Current position: University of New Mexico, Assistant Professor. Shuya Wei received her B.Eng. degree in Bioengineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2013. Her research focuses on nanoparticle-polymer composite materials design and their applications in electrochemical energy storage technologies.
Lin Ma
Current position: Apple Inc. Lin Ma is from Fujian, China and has B.S degree in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing. She is now currently a PhD student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She is interested in research about Lithium-Sulfur batteries, working on cathode materials to improve the performance of Li-S batteries. She is also interested in retarding the growth of dendrite of Lithium metal in Li-S battery.
Rahul Mangal
Current position: Indian Instit. of Tech. Kanpur, Asst. Prof. Rahul graduated from Archer grp in June 2016. He worked on investigating The Structural and Dynamics properties of nanoparticle polymer composites, with a specific focus on nanoparticles dispersed in entangled polymer melts, using techniques such as SAXS, XPCS, Rheology, and DLS. He is currently working as a Postdoc researcher at University of Wisconsin Madison. Rahul originally hails from from Rajasthan, India. He received his Bachelors of Technology (B.Tech) and Masters of Technology (M.Tech) from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
ResearchGate Google Scholar</p>
Akanksha Agrawal
Current position: Apple Inc. Akanksha is from New Delhi, India and received her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee in the year 2012. She is currently investigating the structure, rheology and transport properties of matrix free polymer grafted silica nanoparticles and their subsequent use as electrolytes with high ionic conductivity. She loves to travel and she cannot live without coffee.
Mun Sek Kim
Current position: Stanford. Mun Sek Kim is from Seoul, Korea and received B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from University California, Berkeley. He is a M.S. student in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular and Engineering at Cornell University.
He is mainly interested in application of nanomaterials for secondary batteries. He is currently working on a separator modification for lithium batteries, specifically coating various forms and types of carbon-based and metal oxide-based nanomaterials (with/without surface functionalization) on a conventional separator.
Sampson Lau
Current position: Zee Aero. Sampson is from the Bronx, NY. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 2007 and received his Bachelor's of Engineering in chemical engineering from The Cooper Union in 2011. He currently studies the limiting factors of the lithium-air battery using a combination of mathematical modeling and characterization experiments. He is also a b-boy (breakdancer) and performs and battles for Absolute Zero Crew.
Shaomao Xu
Current position: Maryland University. Shaomao received his B.S. degree in Chemical Process and Engineering from China University of Petroleum (East China). He is currently working on carbon dioxide capture.
Sung A Kim
PhD, 2014
Current position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Yingying Lu
PhD, 2014
Current position: Tenure-track Professor at Zhejiang University
Rajesh Kumar Mallavajula
PhD, 2014
Current position: Associate Scientist at Lubrizol Specialty Products, Inc.</p>
Samanvaya Srivistava
PhD, 2013
Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Chicago</p>
Jennifer Schaefer
PhD, 2013
Current position: Assistant Professor at University of Notre Dame</p>
Zichao Yang
PhD, 2012
Current position: Senior Scientist at ElectroScience Laboratories, Inc</p>
Praveen Agarwal
PhD, 2012
Current position: Sr. R&D Engineer at Dow Chemical Company</p>
Lucas Landherr
PhD, 2011
Current position: Assistant Teaching Professor of Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University</p>
Keesha Hayes
PhD, 2010
Current position: Senior (Chemical) Engineer at Procter & Gamble - R&D</p>Zhenyu Qian
PhD, 2008
Current position: Manager of Technology R&D Center, BASF</p>
Xiongwen (David) Lou
PhD, 2008
Current position: Professor at School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Nanyang Technological University</p> Google Scholar
Chongli Yuan
PhD, 2007
Current position: Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University</p>
Venkatachala Minnikanti
PhD, 2006
Current position: Director of Research and Development at Neptune Research Inc</p>Jung Hun Lee
PhD, 2005
Current position: Research Scientist at LG Corp</p>
Qiang Zhang
PhD, 2005
Current position: Chief Marketing Officer | Product & Biz Dev Leader | Analytics | Entrepreneur | Inventor | Sloan Fellow | Ph.D. Engineer</p>
Javier Sanchez-Reyes
PhD, 2003
Current position: Research Engineer at Schlumberger</p>Tien Dao
Texas A&M PhD, 2002
Current position: Research & Development Engineer at Celgard</p>Muhammad Islam
Texas A&M PhD, 2000
Current position: Senior Research Scientist at Rhome & Haas</p>HoJun Lee
Texas A&M PhD, 2000
Current position: Senior R&D Engineer at Samsung</p>
Micahel Smith
Texas A&M PhD, 1999
Current position: Deputy Executive Director at National GEM Consortium</p>✉ Contact
Vijay Mhetar
Texas A&M PhD, 1998
Current position: Senior Vice President - Global Technology at General Cable</p>
Alexandra Corona
MS, 2010
Current position: Materials, Process, and Physics engineer at Boeing</p>
Laura Olenick
MS, 2009
Current position: Researcher at The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology at Northwestern University</p>
Lauren Mangiola
MS, 2007
Current position: Product Manager at Nestle</p>Juliani Julani
MS, 2004
Current position: Family Business</p>
Jason Maxey
Texas A&M, MS, 2000
Current position: Team Lead, Engineering & Modeling Group at Halliburton</p>Shih Ping Chen
Texas A&M, MS, 1999
Current position: Technical Manager for Asia Pacific at Lyondell Basell Advance Polyolefins.</p>
Gil Cohn
Postdoc 2013-2014
Current position: Postdoctoral researcher at University of Maryland</p>
Yoho Wen
Postdoc 2012-2015
Current position: Assistant Research Scientist at National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC)</p>
Jayaprakash Navaneedhakrishnan
Postdoc 2010-2012
Current position: Chief Scientist at NOHMs Technologies </p>
Juchen Guo
Postdoc 2011-2012
Current position: Assistant Professor of Chemical & Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside </p>
Shyamal Das
Postdoc 2010-2012
Current position: Assistant Professor at Tezpur University </p>Jingguo Shen
Postdoc 2010-2012
Current position:Senior Research Chemist at Axalta Coating Systems </p>
Wanda Jones
Postdoc 2009-2011
Current position: </p>