Dr. (Mr.) Zhigang Ban
PhD August 2003, “Thermodynamic Modeling of Ferroelectric Epitaxial Films and Polarization-Graded Ferroelectrics.”
Argonne National Laboratories, KennaMetal Inc., currently Development Engineer at First Solar Inc., Perrysburg, OH.
School of Engineering Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, UConn (2004) and Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, UConn (2003).
Mr. Anuj Sharma
MS April 2004, “Effect of Internal Stresses on Pyroelectric Response of Ferroelectric Thin Films.”
Manager for Strategic Accounts in IT Services Business, NIIT Technologies, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Mr. Shan Zhong
MS June 2005, “Phase Transformation Characteristics and Dielectric Response of Multilayer Ferroelectrics.”
Dr. (Mr.) Shan Zhong
PhD September 2007, “Ferroelectric Multilayers and Heterostructures for High Performance Tunable Microwave Devices Applications.”
Senior Fellow – Packaging Engr, Intel Corp., Phoenix, AZ
Outstanding Graduate Student Award, MSE, UConn (2006).
Dr. (Mr.) I. Burc Misirlioglu
PhD December 2005, “Stress Relaxation, Phase Transformations, and Dislocations in Ferroelectric Heterostructures.”
Asst. Prof. and then Assoc. Prof. at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Alexander von Humbolt Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (Max Planck Institut, Halle, Germany), Outstanding Graduate Student Award, MSE, UConn (2005), ASM Hartford Chapter Student Speaking Contest First Prize (2005), School of Engineering Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, UConn (2007).
Mr. Gürsel Akcay
MS January 2006, “Dynamic Pyroelectric Enhancement of Homogeneous Ferroelectrics.”
Dr. (Mr.) Gürsel Akcay
PhD May 2008, “Strain Engineering of Epitaxial Ferroelectric Thin Films on Anisotropic Substrates.”
Sr. Production Engr., Intel Corp., Hillsboro, OR, then at Olympus NDT, Waltham, MA, currently Sr. Product Development Engineer at Smiths Medical, CT.
Outstanding Graduate Student Award, MSE Program, UConn (2008).
Dr. (Mr.) Bamidele S. Allimi
PhD July 2008, “Metal-Insulator Transitions in Epitaxial V2O3 Films.”
Senior Production Engr., Intel Corp., Hillsboro, OR, currently Development Engineer, Global Foundries Corp., East Fishkill, NY.
Dr. (Mr.) M. Baris Okatan
PhD December 2010, “Interlayer Coupling in Ferroelectric Multilayers:
Domain Structures and Effect of Space Charges.”
Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia, currently Research Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, TN.
Mr. T. Kazienko
MS (course based) December 2010.
Supplier Quality Engineer at Emerson Process Management, CO.
Dr. (Mr.) Yong Liu
PhD July 2011, “Ni-Ru Alloys for Electrical Contact Applications.”
R&D Yield Enhancement Engineer, Micron Corp., Boise, ID, currently Failure Analysis Engineer, Samsung Electronics: Austin Semiconductor (Austin, Texas).
China Scholarship Council Chinese Government Award for “Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad.”
Dr. (Ms.) Claire V. Weiss
PhD August 2011, “Optimization of the Solution and Processing Parameters for SrTiO3Thin Films for Electronic Devices.”
Scientist, Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
Materials Engineer, Collins Aerospace since 2015.
Gold Medal at the Army Research Laboratory Summer Student Research Symposium for “Novel Thin Film Materials for Tunable Device Applications,” Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (August 2008); Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Program (SMART) Doctoral Scholarship, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), (August 2009-2011); The Connecticut Technology Council, 2010 Women of Innovation-Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award, Jan. 2010.
Ms. Julie A. Wittenzellner
MS (course based) May 2013.
Engineer, United Technologies Research Center, East Hartford, CT.
Dr. (Mr.) Liang Dong
PhD May 2013, “First Principles Study of Band Offsets and Band Bending of InxGa1-xN/GaN and Zn1-xBexO/ZnO Heterostructures and Quantum Wells.”
Post-doctoral research associate, UConn (2013-2014), with Avinash M. Dongare
Post-doctoral research associate, University of Pennsylvania (2014-2017), with Vivek B. Shenoy
Program Manager, Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists New York Academy of Sciences (2017-)
Dr. (Ms.) Jialan Zhang
PhD July 2013, “Electrothermal Properties of Perovskite Ferroelectric Films.”
Post-doctoral research associate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2013-2014, with Lane W. Martin), Post-doctoral research associate, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, with Karin M. Rabe (2015-2016), Associate Editor – Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) since 2016.
Twice recipient of the Research Fellowship Award for Foreign Citizens of the Scientific and Technological Research Foundation of Turkey (June-September 2011 and June-September 2012); Best Oral Paper Award at the 22nd Connecticut Microelectronics and Optoelectronics Consortium, Mar. 2013
Mr. Si-Won Kim
MS (course based) May 2013.
Mr. Shawn Fonseca
MS July 2013, “Electrocaloric Cooling Efficiency of Perovskite Ferroelectric Thin Films.”
Design Engineer, GE Energy – Industry Solutions, Plainville, CT.
Ms. Caitlyn M. Thorpe
MEng May 2015.
Materials Characterization, United Technologies Research Center, East Hartford, CT
Ms. Erica A. Rozzero (Pehmoeller)
MS (course based) May 2016.
Metallurgist, Electric Boat, Groton, CT.
Dr. (Mr.) Fu-Chang Sun
PhD January 2017, “Modeling of Structural, Elastic, and Polar Properties of Organic and Inorganic Ferroelectrics.”
Currently Senior Consultant – Data Sciences, Travelers, Hartford (CT).
Dr. (Mr.) Hamidreza Khassaf
PhD April 2017, “Combined Caloric Properties of Ferroelectrics”
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Brown University.
Dr. (Mr.) M. Tumerkan Kesim
PhD August 2017, “Dielectric and Electrothermal Properties of Ferroelectric Multilayers and Superlattice Heterostructures”
General Electric Graduate Fellow for Innovation (2013-2017)
R&D Chief - Entekno Materials / Post Doctoral Researcher - Suvaci Research Group, Anadolu University, Turkey.
Ms. Diana Giulietti
MS (course based) August 2017.
Materials Engineer – Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, UTC Aerospace Systems
Dr. (Ms.) Yomery Espinal
PhD August 2018, “Design and Synthesis of Functional Nanocomposites for Electronic Applications”
ORAU Journeyman Fellowship, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD (2016-2018)
Multicultural Scholars Fellowship, UConn, Storrs, CT (2013-2018)
NSF LSAMP-Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow, UConn, Storrs, CT (2013-2015)
Science and Engineering Technical Assistant – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Ms. Tulsi Patel
MS July 2013. “Structural Properties of Titanium Dioxide Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications”
Dr. (Ms.) Tulsi Patel
PhD November 2018 (co-advisor with R. J. Hebert), “Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of Ferroelectric Oxides and Aerospace Alloys”
DoED FIPSE-ATLANTIS fellowship (September 2012 – August 2013); NSF GK-12 fellowship (September 2014 – May 2016); NSF EAPSI fellowship in Korea (May 2016 – August 2016); Invited Participant for AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop (March 2018); Best Oral Paper Award at 27th Annual Symposium of Connecticut Microelectronics and Optoelectronics Consortium
NRC Research Associate at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton, OH
Ms. Alexandra Merkouriou
MS December 2018, “Thermophysical Properties and Characterization of Diamond Silicon Carbide”
Outstanding Women Scholars Award (2013), Material Advantage Chapter of Excellence Award (2014), GE Early Career Award (2015), currently at M Cubed Technologies, Development Engineer
Mr. Thomas Reid
MS December 2018, “A Systematic Theoretical Study of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3”
Current PhD student (expected May 2021)
Dr. (Mr.) Erik Nykwest
PhD May 2019,
Dr. (Mr.) Dennis Trujillo
PhD May 2020
Dr. (Mr.) Kevin Co
PhD December 2021
Dr. (Ms.) Uchenna "Uche" A. Anene
PhD May 2022