GRADUATE STUDENTS
Yi Ren
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, B.S. ChBE, 2018
Bio: Yi was born in Dalian, China. He attended University of Illinois for his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from 2014-2018. Under the instruction of Professor Charles Schroeder, Yi conducted research on using microfluidics to determine steady extensional viscosity for polymer solutions.He joined the Lively Group in Fall 2019.
Office: ES&T 2364
2021 - 2022 Deputy Lab Manager
Yacine Feliachi
Education: West Virginia University, B.S. ChE, 2018
Bio: Yacine was born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. He attended WVU and studied chemical engineering from 2015-2018. At WVU, he conducted research under the direction of Dr. Fernando Lima, working on process simulation and control, and rapid generation of life cycle inventory. Yacine loves futbol and basketball, and, as an Algerian, is a huge supporter of the Algerian National Team ‘Les Fennecs’. He joined Lively’s group in Fall 2019.
Co-advised by Prof. M.G. Finn
Office: ES&T 2362
Akriti Sarswat
Education: B. Tech., Chemical Engineering 2020, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur
Bio: Akriti was born and raised in Jammu and Kashmir, India. She did her bachelor’s degree form Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT K) where she worked on Dry Reforming of Methane, studying thermodynamics and kinetics of the reaction, particularly in case of Ni catalyst under the tutelage of Prof. Goutam Deo. She briefly worked with Prof. James Spivey (Lousiana State University), examining pyrochlore catalysts for the same reaction. She also worked with Prof. Jayant K. Singh at IIT K, computing solubility phase diagrams using the modified BET model. In her free time, she enjoys watching cricket and reading poetry. She joined the Lively group in Spring 2021.
Co-advised by Prof. David Sholl.
Office: ES&T 2358
2022 - 2023 Lab Manager
Mingyu Song
Education: Inha University, B.S. ChE, 2018; Inha University, M.S. ChE, 2020
Bio: Mingyu was born in Seoul and raised in Pyeong-taek, South Korea. He did his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Inha University. During his master’s degree, he mainly studied on graphene-based formaldehyde gas sensor for room temperature operation under the academic guidance of Prof. Sang Eun Shim. In his free time, he enjoys sports, travel, and taking picture. He joined the Lively group in Fall 2020.
Co-advised by Prof. Christopher Jones.
Office: ES&T 2362
2022 - 2023 Lab Manager
Woo Jin Jang
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, B.S. ChBE, 2020
Woo Jin was born in Suncheon and raised in Paju, South Korea. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. At UIUC, he did research on the fabrication of biodegradable or three-dimensional microdevices by using various polymers in Prof. John A. Rogers group. In his free time, Woo Jin loves to read books. He joined Lively’s group in Fall 2021.
Office: ES&T 2368
2023 - 2024 Lab Manager
Lu Lu
Education: Dallian University of Technology, B.S. ChBE, 2021
Lu Lu was born in Lu’an, a small city in middle China. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Innovative Experiment Class of Chemical Engineering & Environment Life at Dalian University of Technology. While at DUT, she did her undergraduate research in State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals about the synthesis of cyclometalating ligands and studies on photophysical properties of corresponding iridium(III) and platinum(II) complexes. She joined the Lively lab in Fall 2021.
Office: ES&T 2364
2023 - 2024 Lab Manager
Hammed Balogun
Education: Lagos State University, Nigeria, B.S. Chemical & Polymer Engineering, 2014; Khalifa University, UAE, M.S. ChE, 2018
Hammed was born and raised in Apomu town of Osun State, Nigeria. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Polymer Engineering from Lagos State University, Nigeria where he worked on modeling and simulation of leak detection in oil and gas pipeline using transient analysis with Niger Delta case study. During his master's program, he worked on process modeling of biological-based CO2 capture system in collaboration with Prof. Paul Barton and was employed afterwards as a Research Associate at the Research and Innovation Center on CO2 and H2, Khalifa University, to work on process simulation and integration of solvent- and solid-based CO2 capture system under the supervision of Prof. Ahmed Alhajaj and Prof. Lourdes Vega. Prior to joining GT in Fall 2021, he was a PhD student at Michigan State University. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with family, cooking (and baking), and helping out.
Office: ES&T 2366
Botagoz Kuspangaliyeva
Education: Nazarbayev University, B.Eng. ChE, 2019; Howard University, M.S. ChE, 2022
Botagoz (Bota) was born in Aktobe and raised in Astana, Kazakhstan. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Nazarbayev University in 2019. Under the supervision of Dr. Inglezakis, she conducted water treatment experiments on landfill leachate; and researched municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration and pyrolysis technologies with Dr. Sarbassov. Then she moved to Washington, DC to get her master’s degree at Howard University. At HU, Bota was involved in developing a novel and sustainable fractionation method to produce plant protein- and carbohydrate-rich concentrates in Dr. Tabtabaei’s lab. She joined the Lively group in Fall 2022. In her free time, Bota enjoys traveling, hiking, doing yoga, and going to concerts/karaoke.
Co-advised by Prof. Christopher Jones.
Office: ES&T 2364
Website Manager, 2024 - 2025 Lab Manager
Rebecca Bivins
Education: B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of South Alabama, 2022
Rebecca was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. She received her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of South Alabama, where she conducted undergraduate research with Dr. Christy Wheeler West. Under her supervision, Rebecca investigated the parameters affecting the activity of titania-based photocatalysts. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys watching shows, playing video games, reading, and singing karaoke. She joined the Lively group in Fall 2022.
Office: ES&T 2358
2024 - 2025 Lab Manager
Haoyu Chen
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, B.S. ChBE, 2022
Haoyu was born and raised in Nanjing, China. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2022. At UIUC, he conducted research under Dr. David Flaherty on the mechanisms of H2 and O2 activation over supported noble metal nanoparticles. After that, Haoyu developed pathways for photoenzymatic asymmetric hydroamination of vinyl arene olefins to aliphatic amines in Dr. Huimin Zhao’s group. In his free time, he enjoys reading books and doing sports. He joined Lively group in Fall 2023.
Office: ES&T 2368
Cyril Pepple
Education: University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, B.S. Pet. & Gas Eng., 2019; Imperial College London, M.S. Pet. Eng., 2021
Cyril was born and raised in Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria. He completed his undergraduate studies in Petroleum and Gas Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt. While there, he was supervised by Prof. Mike Onyekonwu on a project focusing on the composite IPR modeling of multi-layered oil and gas reservoirs. During his master’s degree, he was co-advised by Dr. Sam Krevor and Dr. Fazrie Wahid on the deconstruction of a North Sea gas field development towards net-zero emissions. In his free time, Cyril enjoys singing, engaging in sports, reading, and taking leisurely strolls. He joined the Lively group in Fall 2023.
Co-advised by Prof. Joseph Scott.
Office: ES&T 2358
Ji Eun Lim
Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. ChBE 2023
Ji Eun was born in Daegu, South Korea and raised in Yangon, Myanmar. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2023. She previously worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Lively Lab and has returned as a graduate student for the Fall 2023 semester. Her previous research focused on membrane separation of organic solvents. Her favorite activities is playing sports such as softball, soccer, and volleyball, as well as several outdoor activities.
Office: ES&T 2364
Quinn Yu
Education: University of Rochester, B.S. Chemical Engineering and B.A. Dance Studies, 2023
Quinn (Wanqing) was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. She received her dual-major B.S. and B.A. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Dance in 2023. At the University of Rochester, she conducted undergraduate research under the supervision of Prof. Astrid M. Müller, working on aqueous electrocatalytic defluorination of the PFAS chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, catalyzed by nanomaterials made by pulsed laser in liquids synthesis. In her free time, Quinn enjoys hanging out with her dogs and dancing. She joined the Lively group in Fall 2023.
Co-advised by Prof. Christopher Jones.
Office: ES&T 1358
Ayush Deore
Education: Integrated M.Tech ChE, Polymer and Material Science Minor 2023, Institute of Chemical Technology, Marathwada Jalna
Ayush was born and raised in Maharashtra, India. He received his bachelor's and master’s degrees from the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), where he worked on monoselective cation transport membranes, studying its mechanisms of ion transport. He also worked on reviewing the biomass-based synthesis of carbon dots and their use as photosensitizers, all under the guidance of Dr. Somen Mondal. As a part of his master’s studies, he worked briefly with Dr. Parag Nemade and investigated functionally doped MXene materials for energy storage. In his free time he enjoys swimming, reading and playing basketball. He joined the Lively group in Fall 2023.
Co-advised by Prof. Sankar Nair.
Office: ES&T 2366
POSTDOCS & rESEARCH eNGINEERS
Yuxiang Wang
Education: Zhejiang University, B.Eng., 2015; National University of Singapore, PhD, ChE, 2019
Yuxiang was born and raised in Guangzhou in southern China. He obtained his PhD at the National University of Singapore under the supervision of A/Prof. Dan Zhao with a topic focusing on ethylene/ethane separation by metal-organic frameworks. He joined Lively group in July 2021, and his research focuses on CO2 capture by 3D-printed monolith adsorbents. In his free time, he loves photography and watching soccer games of Liverpool FC.
Office: ES&T 2358
Seo-Yul Kim
Education: Yonsei University, B.S. 2015; Yonsei University, Ph.D. 2021
Seo-Yul was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He obtained his bachelor’s and Ph.D. degree at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. During his Ph.D., he focused on the development of metal-organic frameworks for natural gas storage and olefin/paraffin gas separation under the direction of Dr. Youn-Sang Bae. He joined the Lively group in Fall 2021. In his free time, he loves watching movies and playing video games.
Office: ES&T 2362
João Marreiros
Education: University of Lisbon, M.S. 2014; KU Leuven, Ph.D. 2021
João was born in Lisbon and raised in Lagos, Portugal. He obtained his M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Lisbon in 2014 and worked in organometallic and material chemistry under Prof. Maria José Calhorda. After his M.S. João attended KU Leuven (Belgium), where he pursued his Ph.D. under prof. Rob Ameloot, focusing on post-synthetic modification of Metal-organic Frameworks and the development of advanced NMR characterization methods in close collaboration with the group of prof. Dimitrios Sakellariou. In his spare time, João enjoys reading, hiking, running, doing martial arts, recounting past adventures, and having a good laugh with friends.
Office: ES&T 2360
Zachary Campbell
Education: Georgia Tech, B.S. Chemical Engineering, 2017; North Carolina State University, M.S., Ph.D. Chemical Engineering 2019, 2022
Zach was born in Atlanta and grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia. He attended Georgia Tech for his B.S. in chemical engineering, where he conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Charles Liotta and Dr. Pamela Pollet on topics including prebiotic glyoxylose chemistry, tandem flow reactions, switchable solvents, green Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions, and Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reductions. He then attended NC State, where he completed his M.S. and Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Milad Abolhasani. As part of the Abolhasani group, Zach’s primary research focus was using microfluidic flow focusing for the synthesis of metal oxide microparticles with tunable physicohemical and optoelectronic properties for various applications. During his time at NC State, Zach also conducted research in France while on a Fulbright Scholarship at the Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux (ICMCB) with Dr. Samuel Marre (Fluides Supercritiques group). When he isn’t in the lab, Zach loves to travel, hike, ski, lift weights, read, grab a beer (or wine, or whiskey) with friends, and watch football (especially his beloved Yellow Jackets).
Co-advised by Dr. Koros
Inyoung Jang
Education: Hanyang University, B.S. Material Science and Engineering, 2015; Ph.D., Energy Engineering, 2020
Inyoung was born in Daegu, South Korea. She got her B.S. and Ph.D. at Hanyang University (Prof.Ungyu Paik). During her Ph.D., her main research work focused on interfacial engineering and double layered perovskite materials synthesis for Intermediate temperature Solid oxide fuel cells. In her previous role as a research associate at Imperial College London, she studied 3D printing of micro-pillared structure ceramic layers for reversible solid oxide cells, and its electrochemical performance prediction through a numerical simulation with Prof. Geoff Kelsall and Dr. Anna Hankin. She joined Lively group in July 2023, and her current projects focuses on direct air capture of CO2 and membrane.
Office: ES&T 2368
Sean Wood
Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. 2011; University of Texas at Austin, Ph.D. 2016
Sean was born in Virginia just outside of DC and raised in Charlotte, NC. He attended Georgia Tech for his B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. During his Chemical Engineering Ph.D. at UT Austin, he was co-advised by Dr. Buddie Mullins and Dr. Adam Heller. His Ph.D. work focused on synthesizing lead-based materials for use in lithium-ion batteries and studying the reactions that took place at the surface of lithium metal when certain additives were included in the electrolyte. He completed a postdoctoral appointment at Idaho National Lab under Dr. Eric Dufek and Dr. Boryann Liaw, where he researched how the reactions at the surface of lithium metal affected the overall storage and calendar life of a lithium battery. Following his postdoc, he worked at Tesla's new research facility in San Diego helping to develop and scale the novel dry battery electrode (DBE) process. He is currently the Managing Director for the UNCAGE-ME EFRC led by Georgia Tech. Outside of work, he loves cooking, playing with his dogs, and video games.
Office: ES&T 2366
Gaurav Iyer
Education: B. Chem Eng. (2018), Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, India; Ph.D. ChBE (2023), University of Maryland (UMD), College Park, MD, USA
Gaurav was born and raised in Mumbai, India. He completed his Undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering from Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai in 2018. He got his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park, under the supervision of Dr. Chen Zhang. His Ph.D. research focused on developing carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes for efficient H2/CO2 separation. He joined Lively group in Spring 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow; his research focuses on direct air CO2 capture using hollow fiber adsorbents. In his free time, Gaurav loves to play video games, watch F1 races and soccer games. He also enjoys outdoor activities like swimming, kayaking, hiking, etc.
Co-advised by Prof. Christopher Jones
Office: ES&T 2360
STAFF
Sara Kunicki
Program and Operations Manager
Sara graduated from UMASS Dartmouth in Southeastern Massachusetts. She earned a degree in Business Management and spent over four years in 401(k) management immediately after college. She has over 18 years of academic experience in the USG. In her free time, Sara loves to travel and spend time with her son. She transitioned to the role of Program and Operations Manager for the Lively Lab in July 2023.
uNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Shreya Ghosh
Jimmy Li
Suhyun Kim
Ashley Cavanagh
Jayden Thomas
Jia Qing Leow
JaeDeok Kim
Dema Alhazmi
Tobey Le
Kshitij Dhavala
