Director
Carson J. Bruns Assistant Professor
I grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Loveland, Colorado before attending Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where I concentrated on chemistry, religion, and mathematics. After receiving a BA in 2008, I attended graduate school at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and got my PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2013 under the supervision of Professors J. Fraser Stoddart and Samuel I. Stupp. I spent three years as a Miller Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, where I was hosted by Matt Francis in the College of Chemistry. Currently, I am an assistant professor of mechanical engineering with the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
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 at CU Boulder. He is also a retired US Army Captain. In his free time, Joshua enjoys sailing, hockey, spending time with his family, and exploring our vast, exciting World.
Undergraduate Students
Emma Thomure Undergraduate Researcher
Emma is a third-year undergraduate student studying Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in Molecular Biology. Emma's research includes in-vivo experimentation to establish novel biological applications for smart tattoos. Her primary research interests lie in nanodevices designed for the purpose of improving human health. In her free time, Emma enjoys spending time with family, running, and rock climbing.
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.
Mollie Stockton Visiting Scholar
Mollie is a visiting scholar from London, where she studies design. She joined the Emergent Nanomaterial Lab to supply her experience in tattoo design, business, and prototyping. Mollie is currently developing a programmable tattoo ink and looks forward to using this space to encourage personal expression and human advancement.
Roan Gerrald Undergraduate Researcher
Roan is a a fourth-year undergraduate studying Chemical Engineering. He is interested in the integration of technology and business, particularly in areas with a large environmental impact. He is from Seattle, and in his free time he enjoys skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and live music.
Meenakshi Skandarajan Discovery Learning Apprentice
Meena is a senior in CU Boulder’s Biomedical Engineering program and joins the Emergent Nanomaterial Lab through the Discovery Learning Apprentice Program at CU. She enjoys dancing in her free time and is currently developing conductive smart inks.
Colin Watkins Undergraduate Researcher
Colin is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in Chemical Engineering. He’s a self-described fan of sci-fi and philosophy, and enjoys researching polymer and battery chemistry.
Previous Team Members
Hyejin Kwon Postdoctoral Researcher 2018–2021
Purnendu, PhD (2018-2024)
Jesse Butterfield, PhD (2017–2022)
Kailey Shara, PhD Candidate (2018-2023)
Karan Dikshit, PhD (2018–2022)
Nicole Leon-Molina Undergraduate Researcher
Aya Ishikawa Discovery Learning Apprentice
Emily Powis Undergraduate Researcher
Rita Kamenetskiy Undergraduate Researcher
Julie Clarke BS. Uplift Program
Ian Stokes Summer undergraduate Researcher
Justin Hall Undergraduate Researcher
Jennifer Quigley Discovery Learning Apprentice
Neely Quirk Discovery Learning Apprentice
Jaime Wickersheim Summer Undergraduate Researcher
Phillip Vo Undergraduate Researcher
Aven Hart Discovery Learning Apprentice
Zoe Zeidler Undergraduate Researcher
Sean Keyser, MS (2019)
Jackson Pope MS (2022)
Kiley Hartigan Lab Technician