Principal Investigator
Dr. Cheng-Yu Lai
Group Leader, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering - Joint Faculty, Department of Chemistry
Website: lai-afm.fiu.edu
Postdoctoral Researchers
Sahil Gasso
Postdoctoral Researcher
Research Focus: Stacked 2D TMDC/ MXene Hybrid Nanomaterials for Energy and Electronic Applications.
Graduate Students
Changliang An
Graduate Student
Research Focus: Nanomedicine: Hybrid materials for Tissue Engineering, 3D Printing Biomimetic Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration.
Na Ha
Graduate Student
Research Focus: Nanoparticle Delivery of Edited Genes and Nucleic Acids; Bio-inspired Nanomaterials for Theranostic Nanomedicine.
James Henry
Research Interest: solid-state crystal growth, crystal & molecular structure simulation and all-inorganic perovskite synthesis.
Moustafa Mohamed
Ph.D. Student in Materials Science and Engineering (Co-Advised by Dr. Daniela Radu)
Research Focus: Layered Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Energy Conversion, Storage, and Quantum Emitters.
Samuel Oyon
Graduate Student
Research Focus: Flexible conductive substrate and metal additive manufacturing
Jesna Sara Shaji
Graduate Student
Research Focus: Nanostructured materials for solution-processed solar photovoltaics, Synthesis Sulvanite Nanoparticle via Cation exchange
Fei Zhang
Graduate Student
Research Focus: Functionalization and Nanobiotechnology Applications of Bio-inspired Nanomaterials; 2D TMDC Nanomaterials for Theranostic Nanomedicine.
Jake Carrier (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry – FIU)
Graduate Student
Research Focus: Nanostructured Materials for CO2 storage and conversion
Undergraduate Students
Catherine Buzzi
Research Interest: Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery
Nicolas Cortes
Research Focus: Biological application of Mixed Phase Nanomaterials
Kevin Cue
Research Interest: Dye degradation and Antimicrobial Nanoparticle Study
Galileah Harmon
Chingun Munkhtur
Research Interest: Green Synthesis of Sulvanite Nanocrystals
Annie Pereira
Research Interest: Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework Adsorbents for CO2 capture
Mia Vuong
Research Interest: Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework Adsorbents for CO2 capture
Former Group Members
Postdoctoral Researchers
Prakash Manandhar, PhD, Former Postdoc, 2020 (NSF Support)
Johan Gonzalez, PhD, Former Postdoc, 2021 (NSF Support)
Graduate Students
Aleida Vieyra, MS,2020 (NSF Bridge to the Doctorate Program)
Helga Zepf, MS, 2020 (NSF Support)
Brian Rivera, MS, 2021
Mohammed Inzamam Ali Haqqani, MS, 2021 (NASA CRE2DO)
Faizan Syed, MME Graduate Student, 2022 (NASA CRE2DO)
Ashley Triana, MME Graduate Student, 2022 Spring NASA Pathway Program (2021 Fall, DOD Support)
Kiyana Saeedian, MME Graduate Student, 2023 (FIU Presidential Fellowship)
Melissa Venedicto, BME Graduate Student, 2024 (FIU Presidential Fellowship)
Undergraduate Students
Alexander De Socio, MME BS, 2020 (NASA)
Carlos Caiaffa, BME BS, 2020 (NASA)
Oscar Flores, MME Undergraduate Student 2021 (DOD Support)
Daniel Figueroa, BME BS, 2022 (NASA)
Elizabeth Chery, MME, 2023 (NASA)
Benjamin Vargas, MME, 2023 (NASA)
Sebastian Vargas, MME, 2023 (NASA)
Josiah Beaufort, MME, 2024 (NASA)
Anthony Humaran, MME, 2024 (NASA)