Xinyue Liu joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University as an assistant professor in 2023. Her vision is leveraging material innovations to address key challenges in sustainability and health. Her research group focuses on developing multiscale structures and designing multiphysics behaviors of living materials, and building high-performance living devices for medical, water, agriculture, and construction.
The Hickner Research Group is focused on the synthesis and properties of ion-containing polymers, measurement of water-polymer interactions using spectroscopic techniques, additive manufacturing of polymer and composite materials, and the application of polymeric materials in energy and water treatment technologies. Our group has current projects with the Department of Energy on fuel cells and flow batteries and regularly works on federally-funded research at the intersection of materials and energy.
Biomaterials with bioactive and bactericidal properties for tissue healing and regeneration. Antibacterial bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics with bactericidal action against antibiotic resistance strains. Micro and nanosize particles, nano-patterned coatings, 3D scaffolds, composites with natural and synthetic hydrogels. Glasses, glass-ceramics and composites for hard and soft tissue regeneration with applications in dentistry and orthopedics.
Valeriy Ginzburg joined MSU as Visiting Professor in January 2021. His research interests include theory and simulation of polymers and other soft materials (colloids, liquid crystals, emulsions, foams).
Chengcheng Fang joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University as an assistant professor in 2020. Her research group focuses on developing multiscale quantitative characterization tools, and designing advanced materials and manufacturing methods for energy storage and conversion devices.
Because of graduate and post-graduate studies advisers, Dr. Mendoza-Cortes' academic great grandparents are Marie Curie and Paul Dirac.
Responsible for operation, upkeep, and training of various analytical techniques including surface spectroscopy (XPS, AES), molecular spectroscopy (FTIR, UV-Vis), and microscopy (ESEM, optical). Also responsible for materials processing techniques including plasma and UV-ozone surface treatments. Research areas include: electrospinning ceramic and organic fibers for chemical and biological sensing; development of luminescent based oxygen sensors; surface treatment of polymers for adhesive bonding; and assisting the development of graphite based polymer composites.
Alexandra Zevalkink joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University as in 2016. She received her B.S. from Michigan Technological University in 2008 and her Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology in 2014. After completing her Ph.D., she pursued postdoctoral research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden, Germany.
Dr. Jason D. Nicholas is an Assistant Professor in the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department at Michigan State University (MSU). His group is focused on understanding and exploiting ionic conduction, ionic surface exchange, mechano-electro-chemical coupling, cost-effective processing methodologies, and hierarchy tailored microstructures to improve the performance of fuel cells, batteries, sensors, and other electro-chemically active devices. He earned a B.S. in Geoscience, with Honors, from Franklin & Marshall College in 2000, a M.S.
