Alumni – MIT Mechanosynthesis Group

PhD Alumni

Dr. Bethany Lettiere

Thesis Title: Thesis
Awarded: February, 2023. MIT.
Current Position: Technical Staff, MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Dr. Cécile Chazot

Thesis Title: Spatially-Directed Interfacial Polymerization
Awarded: May, 2022. MIT.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Northwestern University.

Thesis Title: Testbeds for Advancement of Powder Bed Additive Manufacturing with Application to Reactive Binder Jetting of Ceramics
Awarded: August, 2021. MIT.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara .

Dr. Adam Stevens

Thesis Title: High throughput extrusion additive manufacturing rate limits and system design
Awarded: August, 2021. MIT.
Current Position: R&D Staff Member, ORNL.

Dr. Nigamaa Nayakanti

Thesis Title: Nanostructured electroadhesive and electrofrictive surfaces for dexterous grasping and manipulation
Awarded: January, 2021. MIT.
Current Position: Research, Google DeepMind.

Dr. Justin Beroz

Thesis Title: Precision pipetting and crack-free colloidal assembly
Awarded: June, 2019. MIT.
Current Position: PhD Candidate, MIT Physics.

Dr. Abhinav Rao

Thesis Title: Mechanics and manufacturing of crosslinked cellulose nanocomposites
Awarded: December, 2018. MIT.
Current Position: Product Engineer, Lam Research.

Dr. Jonathan Gibbs

Thesis Title: Porosity and Microstructure Control in Metal Additive Manufacturing by Selective Laser Melting
Awarded: July, 2018. MIT.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Departmemt of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, U.S. Naval Academy.

Dr. Hangbo Zhao

Thesis Title: Liquid Manipulation Using Engineered Carbon Nanotube Surfaces
Awarded: June, 2017. MIT.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Northwestern University.

Dr. Jinjing Li

Thesis Title: Repeatable High-Yield Carbon Nanotube Growth by Moisture-Controlled Decoupled Chemical Vapor Deposition
Awarded: December, 2015. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Research Affiliate, MIT.

Dr. Brittan Farmer

Thesis Title: Modeling and Simulation of Carbon Nanotube Growth
Awarded: April, 2015. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota.

Dr. Ryan Oliver

Thesis Title: High Throughput Photopatterning and Interactive Manipulation of Microparticles and Microorganisms
Awarded: November, 2014. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Michigan.

Dr. Sei Jin Park

Thesis Title: Carbon Nanotube Microarchitectures for Mechanical Metamaterials
Awarded: July, 2014. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Seoul National University.

Dr. Mostafa Bedewy

Thesis Title: Collective Mechanochemical Growth of Carbon Nanotubes
Awarded: November, 2013. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Davor Copic

Thesis Title: Fabrication of Polymer and Nanocomposite Microstructures and Microactuators by Capillary Infiltration and Replica Molding
Awarded: September, 2013. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Research Associate, University of Cambridge.

Dr. Erik Polsen

Thesis Title: Robust Synthesis and Continuous Manufacturing of Carbon Nanotube Forests and Graphene Films
Awarded: March, 2013. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Program Manager, Automated Armor Manufacturing ManTech Program.

Dr. Eric Meshot

Thesis Title: Dynamics and Limiting Mechanisms of Self-Aligned Carbon Nanotube Growth
Awarded: December, 2011. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Staff Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Dr. Sameh Tawfick

Thesis Title: Mechanocapillary Forming of Filamentary Materials
Defended: November, 2011. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign.

Master’s Alumni

Ioannis Dagres

Thesis Title: Simulation-Based Lattice Geometry Optimization of a Lightweight Metal Marine Propeller for Additive Manufacturing
Awarded: May 2019. MIT.
Current Position: Lieutenant of the Hellenic Navy, Naval Engineer

Ben Awuondo

Thesis Title: Long Range Planning of Manufacturing Footprint
Awarded: June 2018. MIT.
Current Position: CEO – Additive Africa

Emily Hanhauser

Thesis Title: Dry Preservation of Heavy Metal Contaminants Using Cation Exchange Resins for Improved Water Quality Monitoring.
Awarded: June, 2017. MIT.
Current Position: Graduate Student, MIT.

Stuart Baker

Thesis Title: Design and Fabrication of an Open-architecture Selective Laser Melting System.
Awarded: February, 2017. MIT.
Current Position: Research Engineer, United States Air Force.

Johannes Weinberg

Thesis Title: A precision blade mechanism for powder recoating in selective laser melting.
Awarded: 2018. MIT.
Current Position: Pilot Trainee. United States Air Force

Ryan Penny

Thesis Title: Precision Location of Additively Manufactured Components Using Integral Kinematic Couplings.
Awarded: June 2018. MIT.
Current Position: Graduate Student. MIT.

Crystal Owens

Thesis Title: Modular LEGO Bricks Microfluidics.
Awarded: February, 2017. MIT.
Current Position: Graduate Student, MIT.

Bethany Lettiere

Thesis Title: Synthesis and Electrochemical Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Forests on Metal Foils for Battery Electrodes.
Awarded: February, 2017. MIT.
Current Position: Graduate Student, MIT.

Ron Rosenberg

Thesis Title: Screen-printed Ion Selective Electrodes for Soil Ion Detection.
Awarded: August, 2016. MIT.
Current Position: Mechanical Design Engineer, Tesla.

Jamison Go

Thesis Title: High-Throughput Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing.
Awarded: August, 2015. MIT.
Current Position: Engineer, Desktop Metal.

Abhinav Rao

Thesis Title: Multi-scale Mechanics and Deterministic Design of Carbon Nanotube Yarns.
Awarded: 2013. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Graduate Student, MIT.

Justin Beroz

Thesis Title: Precision Manipulation of Micro-Scale Liquid Volumes.
Awarded: 2013. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Graduate Student, MIT.

Anna Brieland-Shoultz

Thesis Title: Mechanics of Carbon Nanotube Composite Micropillars and Metal Thin Films for Graphene Growth.
Awarded: 2013. University of Michigan.
Current Position: ME Intern, OG Technologies.

Anand Nageswaran Bharath

Thesis Title: Experimental Investigation of Gas Flow through Carbon Nanotube Forests.
Awarded: 2011. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Senior Engineer – Combustion Research, Cummins Inc.

Sei-Jin Park

Thesis Title: Control and Measurement of Capillary Forming of 3-Dimensional Carbon Nanotube Microstructures.
Awarded: 2011. University of Michigan.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, MIT.