College of Engineering | New Faculty

Ehsan Ghane

Assistant Professor (January 2017)

Ehsan Ghane is an expert in water quality and agricultural drainage, especially agricultural water management issues such as excess nitrogen and phosphorous. His research interests include reducing nutrient delivery to surface water and the conservation of water for crop use, including drainage water management, saturated buffer, drainage water recycling, and woodchip bioreactor. His outreach work is to diverse groups representing drainage contractors, agricultural producers, water, and the public.

EDUCATION: BS, agricultural engineering–irrigation, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran; MS, agricultural engineering-irrigation and drainage, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran; PhD, food, agricultural, and biological engineering, Ohio State University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Postdoctoral associate in soil, water and climate, University of Minnesota

Ilce Gabriela Medina-Meza

Assistant Professor (January 2017)

Ilce Gabriela Medina-Meza researches the effects of oxidative stress on the peroxidation of lipids and steroids. The goals of her laboratory are elucidate molecular mechanisms governing oxidative stress and to translate the findings to develop biomarkers for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular and neurological diseases). Current projects are focused on developing drug modulators of cholesterol oxidation to damp inflammation on cardiovascular disease, and metabolomic mapping of oxysterols and other lipid peroxides for risk assessment in highly susceptible populations.

EDUCATION: BS, chemical engineering, Technological Institute of Orizaba, Mexico; MS, Chemical Engineering, Technological Institute of Orizaba, Mexico; PhD, food science, Technological Institute of Veracruz / University of Bologna (Italy); postdoctorate, Washington State University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Adjunct faculty, Center for Nonthermal Processing of Food, Washington State University; research associate, School of Food Science, Washington State University

Christopher Saffron

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Christopher Saffron's areas of expertise are process synthesis and techno-economic analysis of catalytic strategies for biofuels, upgrading lignin by pyrolysis and electrocatalysis.

EDUCATION: BS, chemical engineering, Michigan State University; PhD, chemical engineering and materials science, Michigan State University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Dr. Saffron, who has been a faculty member in MSU's Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering since 2007, joined MSU's Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science this fall

Sudin Bhattacharya

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Center for Research on Ingredient Safety
Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering
Assistant Professor (January 2017)

Sudin Bhattacharya's research interests are in computational toxicology. His focus is on the application of computational methods to study the signaling and transcriptional networks regulating cell fate, especially when exposed to environmental pollutants like dioxin. He integrates diverse genomic data sets to map and model transcriptional regulatory networks and their environmental alteration in the immune system and the liver. He is also interested in predicting liver toxicity from chemical agents and pharmaceuticals using pharmacokinetic and multicellular modeling. He relies primarily on mathematical and statistical modeling as a research tool, and works in close collaboration with experimental scientists.

EDUCATION: BS, mechanical engineering, Jadavpur University, India; MS, mechanical engineering, University of Kentucky; PhD, mechanical engineering, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Assistant professor, Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University

Masako Harada

Assistant Professor (July 2017)

Masako Harada's research focuses on understanding the biology and the function of extracellular vesicles (EVs) both in physiological and pathological conditions, aiming to develop a novel tool for disease diagnosis and treatment. She is working on engineering extracellular vesicles to visualize, monitor and targeted-delivery of oligonucleotide therapeutics, including non-coding RNA (miRNA), DNA and CRISPR-Cas9 as well as low-molecular weight drugs to develop an advanced therapeutic approach.

EDUCATION: BSc, molecular genetics, King's College, London, United Kingdom; research student, Stockholm Research School in Molecular Life Sciences; PhD Medical Science, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; postdoctoral fellow, RIKEN Research Institute, Wako, Japan; postdoctoral fellow, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan, postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine

Zhen Qiu

Assistant Professor (July 2017)

Zhen Qiu heightens MSU's biomedical optics and molecular imaging expertise with research interests in miniaturized (handheld/endoscopic/implantable) microscopic imaging system for early cancer detection and image-guided surgery.

EDUCATION: BS, precision instruments, Tsinghua University, China; MS, Division of System Large Scale Integrated-circuit (LSI), Waseda University, Japan; PhD in biomedical engineering, University of Michigan; postdoctoral fellow, University of Michigan; postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Radiology and Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine

Assaf Gilad

Professor (August 2017)

Assaf Gilad's research focuses on developing novel biosensors (genetically encoded reporters and nanoparticles) by combining cutting-edge molecular and synthetic biology tools with advanced biomedical imaging technologies. His interests also include developing a technology for wireless control of stem cell activity and fate.

EDUCATION: BA, biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology; MS, biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel; PhD, biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Associate professor, Department of Radiology and The Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Galit Pelled

Professor (August 2017)

Galit Pelled's expertise focuses on system neuroscience and neuroengineering. Her lab develops and readily adopts state-of-the-art multimodal experimental approaches. Her research capitalizes on advances in molecular engineering, neuroimaging, neurostimulation and neuromodulation tools to develop innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for neurological and cognitive disorders.

EDUCATION: BSc, biology, Hebrew University, Israel; PhD, neuroscience, Hebrew University, Israel; postdoctoral fellow, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Associate professor, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science in Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute

Kurt R. Zinn

Professor (August 2017)

Kurt R. Zinn joins MSU to conduct research in the field of molecular imaging, including as part of cancer diagnosis and therapy, as well as neuroimaging of drug delivery to the brain. With experience in more than 10 Phase 1 clinical trials, he expects to conduct clinical trials in both veterinary and human medicine, and use radionuclides that will be available from FRIB.

EDUCATION: BA, chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia; DVM, Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia; MS, Chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia; PhD, Biochemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Professor of Radiology, University of Alabama (UAB), also serving as director of UAB's Laboratory of Multimodality Imaging and Small Animal Imaging Shared Facility; and director of Radiology's Division of Advanced Medical Imaging Research and vice-chair of Translational research.

Xanthippi Chatzistavrou

Assistant Professor (January 2017)

Xanthippi Chatzistavrou is an expert in glass-ceramic composites, with applications in dentistry and orthopedics. Her research is focused on biomaterials with bioactive and bactericidal properties for tissue healing and regeneration for hard and soft tissue regeneration. She also is interested in antibacterial bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics with bactericidal action against antibiotic resistance strains.

EDUCATION: BSc, physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; MS, materials physics and technology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; PhD, solid state physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Research fellow, University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Shiwang Cheng

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Shiwang Cheng brings his understanding of the mechanics and dynamics of polymers and polymer nanocomposites to MSU. One of his goals is to design novel composite materials that can be applied to emerging challenges in the environment and to energy, such as gas separation, desalination, batteries, and supercapacitors.

EDUCATION: BE, macromolecular science and engineering, University of Science and Technology, China; PhD, polymer science, University of Akron

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Postdoctoral fellow, dynamics and mechanics of polymer nanocomposites, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

John Dorgan

David L. and Denise Lamp Endowed Chair Professor (January 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

John Dorgan is an expert in polymer materials science. His interests include polymer science with a particular emphasis on "green" polymers made from renewable resources. He has developed new computer simulation algorithms and theory to explain and understand the phenomena of molecular weight based migration in flowing polymers.

EDUCATION: BS, chemical engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; PhD, chemical engineering, University of California at Berkeley; Dorgan completed postdoctoral studies at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Professor, Colorado School of Mines

Elias Garratt

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Elias Garratt is a physicist by training. His work explores relationships between the structure of matter at the micro- and nano-scales to their properties as applied to transformative technologies like diamond electronics.

EDUCATION: BS, physics, Michigan State University; PhD, condensed matter physics, Western Michigan University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Research physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Yang Yang

Assistant Professor (Aug. 2017)

Yang Yang's research is in inverse problems and applied mathematics, with applications to medical imaging, geophysical imaging, and mathematical physics.

EDUCATION: BS, Chu Kochen Honors College, Zhejiang University, China; PhD, mathematics, University of Washington

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Golomb Visiting Assistant Professor, Purdue University

Min Chen

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Min Chen is a computational seismologist. Her research interests lie in developing and applying numerical tools harnessing the power of high performance computing for seismic full waveform inversion, imaging, and interpretation. Her research aims to better understand plate tectonic processes and earthquake rupture processes using high-resolution seismic images.

EDUCATION: BS, geophysics, University of Science and Technology, China; PhD, geophysics, California Institute of Technology

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Research scientist, Rice University

Rongrong Wang

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Rongrong Wang's research interests are in compressed sensing, Sigma Delta quantization, frame theory, convex optimization, sparse signal recovery, and inverse problems in geophysics. During her postdoctoral fellowship, she was a researcher of Seismic image inversion.

EDUCATION: BA, economics, Peking University, China; BS, mathematics, Peking University China; PhD, applied mathematics, University of Maryland

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Postdoctoral fellow, University of British Columbia's Department of Mathematics and Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

Elizabeth Munch

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Elizabeth Munch comes to MSU to focus on applied and computational topology, which includes a mix of algebraic topology, category theory, and algorithms. Her current work includes approximation theorems; machine learning and statistical methods for topological signatures; and applications to machining dynamics and atmospheric hurricane data.

EDUCATION: BM, harp performance, University of Rochester; BS, mathematics, University of Rochester; MA, mathematics, Duke University; PhD, mathematics, Duke University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Assistant professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University at Albany, State University of New York

John Luginsland

Professor (July 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

John Luginsland's research interests are in laser and optical science, plasma and electro-energetic physics, high power microwave sources and accelerators for industrial and medical applications.

EDUCATION: BS, MS and PhD nuclear engineering, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Program officer, division technical advisor, and acting division chief, U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Hui-Chia Yu

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Hui-Chia Yu research focuses on meso- and micro-scale modeling and simulations of electrochemical dynamics of lithium-ion battery and solid oxide fuel cell electrodes. He uses simulations to study thermodynamics and kinetics of the electrochemistry, as well as materials phenomena such as reaction, mass transport, and phase transformation. He is developing and utilizing smoothed boundary method and phase field method for the computational implementations.

EDUCATION: BS, mechanical engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan (ROC); MS, mechanical engineering, University of Michigan; PhD, materials science and engineering, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Assistant research scientist, University of Michigan

Oleg Komogortsev

Associate Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Oleg Komogortsev is fascinated by the Human Computer Interaction domain and conducts research in eye tracking with a focus on cyber security (biometrics), human computer interaction, usability, bioengineering, and health assessment. He is interested in how eye movements allow novel applications and solutions to the existing challenges in the interaction domain.

EDUCATION: BS, Applied Mathematics, Volgograd State University, Russia; MS, Computer Science, Kent State University; PhD, Computer Science, Kent State University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Associate professor, Texas State University

Sergey Baryshev

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

The research of Sergey Baryshev spans and combines materials science, accelerator technology, and microscopy. Specifically, his focused areas of research are novel field- and photo-emitter materials and designs for accelerator and detector R&D; specialty and commodity materials for energy and electronics; transmission and scanning electron microscopy, including time-resolved methods, for materials science and electronics; analytical chemistry and applied surface science.

EDUCATION: MS, applied physics, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Russia; PhD, condensed matter physics, Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russia

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Research scientist, Euclid TechLabs, Illinois; visiting scientist, Argonne Wakefield Accelerator Group, Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois; postdoc, Surface Chemistry Group, Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois

Ming Han

Associate Professor (January 2018)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Ming Han is an expert in fiber-optic sensors and sensor instrumentation. His research on fiber-optic sensor devices and systems advances their use in a wide range of applications from non-destructive evaluation, structural health monitoring, industrial process control, to environmental monitoring and energy research.

EDUCATION: BS, electronics engineering, Tsinghua University, China; MS, electronics engineering, Tsinghua University, China; PhD, electrical engineering, Virginia Tech

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Associate professor, electrical and computer engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Tom Zimmermann

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Tom Zimmermann is interested in the interdisciplinary and strongly collaborative research fields of nanotechnology and diamond NEMS-biosensor solutions in biomedical diagnostics, automation of biotechnological processes, and food analysis as well as in the development of diamond high-power terahertz systems. His teaching interests are in the area of biosensor-based biomedical systems and technology of diamond nanoelectromechanical structures, international regulatory affairs of medical devices, and entrepreneurial development of biomedical products.

EDUCATION: MS, solid-state electronics, University Ulm, Germany; PhD, electrical engineering, University Ulm, Germany; postdoctoral fellow / research assistant professor, high-power high-frequency devices, University of Notre Dame

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Head of business unit Biohybrid Systems at Fraunhofer, Germany

Aljoscha Roch

Assistant Professor (April 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Aljoscha Roch is an international expert on 3D printing technology and material development for printing processes. He is working with Fraunhofer USA CCD in East Lansing to build up printing competences in 3D printing technology and flexible printing processes with an aerosol printer are my topics.

EDUCATION: BS, solid state physics, Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany; PhD, engineering sciences, nanotechnology, Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany; MBA, Donau-Universitat Krems, Austria

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Group manager - printing, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Dresden, Germany

Sunil Chakrapani

Assistant Professor (January 2018)

Sunil Kishore Chakrapani brings his extensive experience in advanced ultrasonic approaches for nondestructive evaluation of composite structures to MSU. He has been researching nonlinear and linear ultrasonics, nondestructive material characterization, wave propagation in anisotropic media, and nondestructive evaluation of structures.

EDUCATION: BS, mechanical engineering, Anna University, Chennai, India; MS, engineering mechanics, Iowa State University; PhD, engineering mechanics, Iowa State University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Postdoctoral research associate, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Iowa State University

Patton M. Allison

Assistant Professor (July 2017)

Patton Allison's research interests are experimental studies of thermo-fluids and reacting flows, turbulent combustion physics, and the advancement/development of non-intrusive laser diagnostics. He is developing a lab focusing on the applications of alternative fuels in IC and gas turbine engines and is interested in developing collaborative efforts between experimental and computational work for the improvement of modeling/simulation of combustion dynamics in practical devices.

EDUCATION: BS, aerospace engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; MS, aerospace engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; PhD, aerospace engineering - combustion, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Research associate in experimental gas turbine combustion and thermoacoustics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Firas Khasawneh

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Firas Khasawneh has more than 10 years of research experience in nonlinear dynamics and vibrations. His research interests include delayed, piece-wise continuous, and periodic systems, along with modeling of machining dynamics.

EDUCATION: BS, mechanical engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; MS, mechanical and aerospace engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia; PhD, mechanical engineering and materials science, Duke University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Assistant professor, SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Haseung Chung

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Haseung Chung's research focuses on advanced manufacturing including additive manufacturing and dissimilar material joining, laser material processing, heat and mass transfer phenomena, thermal deformation modeling.

EDUCATION: BS, mechanical engineering, Seoul National University, Korea; MS, mechanical engineering, Seoul National University, Korea; PhD, mechanical engineering, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Research associate professor of mechanical engineering, University of Michigan, and associate professor of mechanical and system design engineering, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea

Himanshu Sahasrabudheh

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Himanshu Sahasrabudhe joins MSU's advanced manufacturing group with experiences in laser additive manufacturing/3D printing of metallic and composite materials. His research includes the development of novel materials, structures and processes through additive manufacturing.

EDUCATION: BTech, metallurgical engineering, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, India; MS, materials science, Washington State University; PhD, mechanical engineering, Washington State University

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: Lens applications engineer/scientist, Optomec

Zhaojian Li

Assistant Professor (August 2017)

Global Impact Initiative Faculty

Zhaojian Li's research interests are in Intelligent Systems, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Learning-based control and estimation.

EDUCATION: BS, civil aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China; MS, aerospace engineering, University of Michigan; PhD, aerospace engineering, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT: multivariable controls algorithm design engineer, General Motors Engineering Propulsions Systems