Professional Associates

Subhankar Mandal Postdoctoral Researcher

Dr. Mandal obtained his PhD from Polymer Materials Lab, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, India. His research interests embrace organic chemistry, polymer science, electronics, and material science and engineering in the synthesis and characterization of tough polymeric hydrogels, wearable electronics/sensors, flexible batteries and soft actuators. After receiving his PhD, he spent a short time as a Research Associate at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati for the development of surface modified composite and hydrogel materials for smart wearable sensors. Here in Boulder he is leading the project on microgel self-assembly. Outside of the lab he has an avocation for painting, photography, 3D art and creative design

Graduate Students

Diane Jung 6th Year PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering

Diane earned her BA in physics at Willamette University in 2020 before moving to Boulder to pursue a PhD in mechanical engineering. Her past research projects include an experimental analysis and computational modeling of motor protein motility and designing and testing a prototype of a miniature microscope for three-dimensional imaging. Her current research is on designing human-robot collaboration systems in synthetic chemistry labs.

Aseem Visal 4th Year PhD Student, Materials Science & Engineering

Aseem is a graduate student in the Materials Science & Engineering program. He is from India, where he received a Bachelor of Polymer Engineering from the University of Pune in 2014. He is currently researching different applications of polyrotaxane slide-ring materials.

Joshua Coffie 2nd-year PhD Student, ATLAS Institute

Joshua is a second-year PhD student in the Emergent Nanomaterials Lab, where he works on experimental smart tattoos and pigments designed to improve everyday life. He holds a BS in Environmental Geography from West Point and a Master’s in Creative Technology and Design from the ATLAS Institute. He is also a retired US Army Captain. In his free time, Joshua enjoys sailing, hockey, spending time with his family, and exploring.

Undergraduate Students

Emma Thomure Undergraduate Researcher

Emma is a third year undergraduate student studying Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Caitlin Rogers Undergraduate Researcher

Caitlin is a third-year undergraduate student studying Chemical and Biological Engineering and is excited to discover all the opportunities for the lab’s groundbreaking research, particularly regarding cancer. She is also a member of the Engineering Honors Program as well as Engineering Fellows. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, baking and decorating cakes, and hiking with friends and family.

Previous Team Members