2022-2023 Executive Board
President
Christina Wark
Christina Wark is a third-year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She received dual bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in 2019 from Kettering University. Prior to joining ChEMS, she spent her gap year working as a project engineer for a manufacturing engineering consulting firm where she was involved in projects ranging from tooling design to chemical process design. She enjoys creative and active outlets, so she spends her free time painting, doing yoga, dancing, enjoying the outdoors, or hanging out with her two cats. She hopes to bring her creativity to GSA to help brainstorm alternative ways to connect with fellow members and colleagues.
Vice president
Sunanda Dey
Sunanda Dey is a fourth-year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2018 from West Bengal University of Technology, India. Prior to joining ChEMS, she worked as a research assistant in a nanotechnology lab at her undergraduate school. She is currently working on fabricating an electrochemical biosensor under the supervision of Dr. Hickey and Dr. Woldring. She enjoys singing, reading fiction, cooking, and networking with fellow researchers. She hopes to help the GSA not only organize fun social events for the department but also bring active industrial collaborations.
Treasurer
Brandon Howard
Brandon Howard is a second-year chemical engineering PhD student at Michigan State University. He recently finished his master’s in food science at Ohio State University where he studied the effect of shear fields on the structuring of crystalline materials. Through this experience, he developed a passion for the rigors of chemical engineering principles which led him to decide to pursue his PhD in chemical engineering at MSU. At MSU his work focuses on electrochemical energy conversion and synthesis. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, playing sports, and enjoying the outdoors. As part of the GSA, he hopes to organize fun events that bring the department together.
Secretary
Nunzio Carducci
Nunzio Carducci is a second-year PhD student in chemical engineering. He earned his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming in 2020. After graduation, he worked for a year as a post-bacc at the University of Wyoming characterizing algae cells and hydrogels with atomic force microscopy. His technical interests include combining biological and electrochemical systems for chemical synthesis and water treatment applications. In his free time, he manages his own photography and clothing brands. He is looking forward to getting more students involved in GSA events.
Webmaster
Tanzilur Rahman
Tanzilur Rahman is a third-year Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering. He is investigating the relationship between the microstructure-processing parameters of severe plastic deformed (SPD) Ti-12Cr and Zinc-Magnesium alloys by high-pressure torsion. Tanzil is conducting research in the field of metallurgy since his undergraduate. He received his B.Sc. degree in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and an M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tuskegee University, Alabama. Tanzil loves history and geography, and enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling. He hopes to organize interesting events as a member of GSA.
2020-2022 Executive Board
President
Sharmila Samaroo
Sharmila Samaroo is currently a first year chemical engineering PhD student at Michigan State University. She earned her B.S. from the University of Michigan in chemical engineering. After graduation she worked for Phillips 66. For the first two years she worked in Research and Development in Oklahoma developing energy storage technologies. The following year she transitioned to a process engineering role at a Phillips 66 oil and gas refinery in California to develop experience in a traditional chemical engineering role. After recognizing that an operations role in an oil and gas facility was not a good fit, she chose to pursue her PhD and commit to a career in research. Her technical interests are in electrochemistry and its applications in grid scale energy storage – specifically redox flow batteries.
Vice president
Danielle DeJonge
Danielle DeJonge is a second year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering. She researches polymer materials with Dr. Shiwang Cheng and Dr. Robert Ferrier to characterize polymer electrolytes. In 2019, Danielle received her Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry with a minor in German from The University of Michigan-Flint. Her hobbies include listening to music, traveling, cooking one-pot meals, and video games.
Treasurer
Christina Wark
Christina Wark is a first year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She received dual bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in 2019 from Kettering University. Prior to joining ChEMS, she spent her gap year working as a project engineer for a manufacturing engineering consulting firm where she was involved in projects ranging from tooling design to chemical process design. She enjoys creative and active outlets, so she spends her free time painting, doing yoga, dancing, enjoying the outdoors, or hanging out with her two cats. She hopes to bring her creativity to GSA to help brainstorm alternative ways to connect with fellow members and colleagues in these virtual times.
Secretary
Mayson Whipple
Mayson Whipple is a first year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from North Central College in Naperville, IL in 2018 where she also played basketball and ran track. She started at MSU in 2018 in the ChemE Masters program and participated in an Erasmus Mundus exchange program the following year to earn her Masters degree from Nova Universidade de Lisboa in Membrane Engineering. Her research is focused on using polymers to treat opioid addiction and combat the ongoing opioid crisis. Her goal as a GSA member is to promote friendships and foster a sense of community within the ChEMS department.
Webmaster
Yan Xie
Yan Xie is a third year PhD student in Materials Science. She earned her B.S. in Materials from University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2018. She is now working in Dr. Barton’s lab at MSU. Her research focuses on simulating bienzymatic reactions using molecular dynamics simulation technique. She likes swimming, running, watching movies, travelling in her spare time. As a member of GSA, she hopes to organize more interesting events and bring people more fun.
2019-2020 Executive Board
President
Chase Bruggeman
Chase Bruggeman is a first year chemical engineering student working in energy transformation. Originally from the greater Chicago area, Chase received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he carried out research on dye-sensitized solar cells and later C-H to C-N bond transformation. After graduating Chase spent three years in flavor chemistry, working with the beverage and sweet flavor creation team at Kerry in Beloit, WI. His return to graduate school is motivated by a desire to further the field of renewable energy. Chase's favorite hobbies include reading, cooking, and being outside.
Vice president
Badal Lodaya
Badal Lodaya is a first year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. He received his Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, in the year 2019. As a member of GSA he organizes and decides on events that would include and attract folks in the ChEMS department, ensuring a cordial environment between faculty, students and staff. He loves watching and playing cricket, travelling and trying out new cuisines.
Treasurer
Jiyun Park
Jiyun Park is a 2nd year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering. She is working with Dr. Qi and studies interfaces between metals and ceramics for energy application. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a M.S. in Engineering from Yonsei University, South Korea. As Treasurer, her goal is to manage organizational resources appropriately. She enjoys investing, exercising, and traveling.
Secretary
Sabrina Curley
Sabrina Curley is a first year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering. Her research is involved with polymer materials, particularly regarding mixing and dispersion characteristics in these structures. She received her B.S in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering with a minor in Chemistry from The University of Alabama in 2019. In her free time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and story writing. Readily found in nature, she also tends to a multitude of plants along with several pet snails.
Webmaster
Gouree Kumbhar
Gouree Kumbhar is a second year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She is working with Dr. Robert Ferrier to synthesize polyether based desalination membranes. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Institute of Chemical Technology, India in the year 2018. As a member of ChEMS GSA her goal is to bring together graduate students faculty and staff in a cordial environment. She enjoys Hiking, Travelling and learning new skills.
2018-2019 Executive Board
President
Chauncey Splichal
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Vice president
Zhuowen Zhao
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Treasurer
Matthew Melton
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Secretary
Adam Marsh
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Webmaster
Geeta Kumari
Geeta Kumari is a joint doctoral program (JDP) student at Michigan State University and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. She worked at Boehlert group as a research assistant for two and half years and returned to India to finish her Ph.D. dissertation. She completed her B.Tech from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, where she received a Ministry of Steel Authority scholarship consecutively for three years for her performance in academics. During her stay at MSU, she has served as a student representative for the College of Engineering Graduate Studies Committee. Geeta is also a graduate of the Leadership Academy at MSU. She organized several science outreach activities for K-12 students and women in engineering.
2017-2018 Executive Board
President
Sabyasachi Das
Sabyasachi Das is a third year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. He is working with Dr. Christopher Saffron in the field of electrocatalytic reduction of bio-oil for biofuel production. He received his B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Jadavpur University, India in the year 2015. As a member of the GSA, he aims to organize events that are interesting, engaging and invite participation from all ChEMS graduate students. He is an extreme cricket enthusiast and loves visiting new places and trying out new cuisines.
Vice president
Aritra Chakraborty
Aritra Chakraborty is a fourth year PhD student in Chemical Engineering under Dr. Philip Eisenlohr. He uses crystal plasticity and advanced muliti-physics constitutive models to predict deformation behavior under complex mechanical, chemical boundary conditions especially in ß-Sn thin films. He did his Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India. As a member of GSA, he organizes and decides on events that would include and attract folks in the ChEMS department, ensuring a cordial environment between faculty, students and staff. He is a avid soccer enthusiast and tries to kick the ball once a while.
Treasurer
David Hernández
​David Hernández is a second year PhD student in Material Science working in Dr. Carl Boehlert’s research group. He is studying the potential of high-pressure torsion for manufacturing biodegradable metal implants, as well as conducting corrosion-fatigue experiments to predict their behavior in the human body. He received his B. S. in Materials Engineering with a concentration in biomaterials from Polytechnical University of Madrid, Spain in 2016. As a member of the ChEMS GSA, his goal is to help integrating new graduate students and organize exciting events to give your brain a break from studying. He is black belt in judo, enjoys travelling, running and playing guitar.
Secretary
Kanchan Chavan
Kanchan Chavan is a third year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She is working with Dr. Scott Barton to study Molecular Tunneling for Enzyme Cascade Reactions. She received her Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, in the year 2014. Her goal, as Secretary of the GSA is to establish a close graduate community that encourages greater involvement of students in Departmental activities and improves upon the level of camaraderie between students and faculty. A thorough optimist, she likes adventurous trips and is immensely enthusiastic about diverse festivals around the world. She also has a passion for photography.
Webmaster
Natalia Pajares
Natalia Pajares is a second year PhD student in Material Science and Engineering. She is working in Dr.Xanthippi Chatzistavrou group focusing her work on bioactive glass-ceramic nanoparticles. She received her B.E in Materials Engineering from Technical University of Madrid, Spain in 2016. This is her first year as a GSA officer and her goal is to bring together graduate students and professors in new and fun events. She loves photography and trying new activities.
2016-2017 Executive Board
President
Bill Killian
Bill Killian is a first year PhD student studying chemical engineering. Bill received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry as well as an associate’s degree in Industrial Chemistry Technology from Ferris State University. As president, he aims to strengthen the GSA by providing social and professional opportunities for its members. With the support of the other officers, Bill hopes to cultivate a culture of leadership, service, and comradery among CHEMS graduate students. Academically, his interests include reactive distillation, chemical kinetics, and reactor design. In his free time, he enjoys reading, being physically active, and riding his motorcycle.
Vice president
Trey Wright
Trey Wright is a first year PhD student in Chemical Engineering from Raleigh, North Carolina. Trey is a member of Dr. Timothy Whitehead's research group in which he studies protein interactions and engineering. Trey graduated from North Carolina State University in 2016 where he conducted research in metabolic engineering of biomass degradation pathways within anaerobic bacteria. Trey is excited to use his role as a way to organize events and activities in order to facilitate a sense of family and comradery within the students of the CHEMS department.
Treasurer
Kevin Chen
​Kevin Chen is a first year PhD student working with Dr. Christina Chan and Dr. S. Patrick Walton on utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 system to increase the homogeneity of stem cell differentiation. He received his B.S. in Biophysics and M.S. in Bioengineering from UCLA, where he conducted research in drug delivery using polypeptide and protein conjugates for cancer therapy. His goal is to organize and fun activities and help integrating new graduate students to the ChEMS GSA community.
Secretary
Sabyasachi Das
Sabyasachi Das is a second year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. He is working with Dr. Christopher Saffron in the field of electrocatalytic reduction of bio-oil for biofuel production. He received his B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Jadavpur University, India in the year 2015. As a member of the GSA, he aims to organize events that are interesting, engaging and invite participation from all ChEMS graduate students. He is an extreme cricket enthusiast and loves visiting new places and trying out new cuisines.
Webmaster
Christine James
Christine James is a fourth year PhD student in chemical engineering. She works in Dr. Qi's lab working on computational simulations of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. She grew up in the greater Detroit area and graduated from the University of Michigan. Christine hopes that the ChEMS GSA will bring the new graduate students, current graduate students and faculty together to form a close community. She enjoys going for bike rides and watching movies.
2015-2016 Executive Board
President
Amrita Oak
Amrita Oak is a 3rd year PhD student working with Dr. Christina Chan on the biochemical pathways underlying cell adhesion deficiencies in different types of cancer. She received her M.S. in Biotechnology and hopes to improve the lag in the translation of basic research into actual treatment options or products. As president of the GSA, she aims to organize a smorgasbord of events to bring graduate students and faculty together to form a strong community here at MSU. She enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking (especially along Lake Superior) and sports (both summer and winter).
Vice president
Chris Traverse
Chris Traverse is a fifth year PhD student in materials science from Scottsdale, AZ working on transparent organic photovoltaics under Dr. Richard Lunt. He received his B.S.E. in 2011 from Arizona State University where he conducted undergraduate research on superconducting diodes. It is his goal to organize fun and exciting events so that grad students, faculty members, and families may enjoy life outside of work.
Treasurer
Carolyn Haarmeyer
Carolyn Haarmeyer is a 4th year PhD student in Dr. Whitehead's lab. She uses protein design strategies to improve the costs of the production of biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass. Carolyn graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. When she's not in the lab, she enjoys hiking, playing softball, and watching football.
Secretary
Aseel Bala
Aseel Bala is a third year PhD student in chemical engineering. She is working with Dr. Carl Lira to better understand and model phase equilibria in systems with hydrogen bonding components. Originally from Sudan, Aseel received her undergraduate degree from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman and looks forward to meeting new graduate students and helping them integrate into the ChEMS GSA community.
Webmaster
Iman Nezam
Iman Nezam is a third year chemical engineering PhD student working on reaction engineering and catalyst modification under Dr. Dennis Miller. He is graduated with a chemical engineering BS degree from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. He enjoys playing sports and is a passionate soccer fan, more specifically Juventus Football Club. If you feel that you need a hot soccer discussion, do not hesitate to go to him!
2014-2015 Executive Board
President
Markus Downey
Markus Downey is a 3rd year PhD student working on polymer nano-composites under Dr. Lawrence Drzal. He received his B.S. in 2002 and M.S. in 2004 in chemical engineering both from the University of Rhode Island. Before starting his PhD studies at MSU, Markus spent 7 years working in the exhaust gas after treatment industry as a research and technical applications engineer. Outside school Markus tries to stay active through IM and club sports and is a passionate photographer and SCUBA diver. As president of the GSA he hopes to build on the solid foundation that has been laid in past years and making the ChEMS department a good home for all students both personally and academically.
Vice president
Chris Traverse
Chris Traverse is a fourth year PhD student in materials science from Scottsdale, AZ working on transparent organic photovoltaics under Dr. Richard Lunt. He received his B.S.E. in 2011 from Arizona State University where he conducted undergraduate research on superconducting diodes. It is his goal to organize fun and exciting events so that grad students, faculty members, and families may enjoy life outside of work.
Treasurer
Christine James
Christine James is a 2nd year PhD student in chemical engineering. She works in Dr. Qi's lab working on molecular dynamics simulations of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. She grew up in the greater Detroit area and graduated from the University of Michigan. Christine hopes that the ChEMS GSA will bring the new graduate students, current graduate students and faculty together to form a close community.
Secretary
Didier Figaro
Didier Figaro is a first year masters student working with Dr. Carl Boehlert.
Webmaster
Matt Klenk
Matt Klenk is a second year Materials Science PhD student working for Dr. Wei Lai. He completed his B.S. in Chemistry at Saginaw Valley State University in 2011. After graduating, Matt worked as a product engineer at Nexteer Automotive designing steering columns for various automotive manufacturers until January 2013. Under Dr. Lai, Matt performs molecular dynamic simulations on solid-state Li ion batteries, pursuing safer and more stable batteries for critical applications such as automotive and mass storage. Outside of the lab Matt enjoys cycling, skiing, baseball, and hiking. He looks forward to working with his fellow GSA members to instill a healthy atmosphere for all graduate students.