Susan joined Notre Dame in 2009 after completing her PhD at Penn State in Chemical Engineering.  In graduate school, she worked on molecular dynamics simulations of the network glass former, boron oxide, and experimental studies of nanoparticle-filled solid polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.  A portion of her experimental work used neutron scattering to investigate the structure and mobility of the electrolytes over small length and timescales.  She continues to investigate polymer materials for batteries at Notre Dame, in addition to polymers for 2D nanoelectronics and polymer brushes for drug delivery.  In her spare time, she enjoys playing the drums and piano, and hanging out with her husband, Patrick Shirey, their daughter, and their dog.      

Suong continues her work on battery research as a recipient of the 2012 Vincent P. Slatt Fellowship for Undergraduate Research in Energy Systems and Processes from the Notre Dame Energy Center. Suong recently graduated from Saint Mary's College with a degree in mathematics, and will complete her undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at Notre Dame in spring 2013. Her research interests include finding new ways to create better secondary solid Li batteries and improving energy efficiency of electrical devices. Suong is a native of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and has been in the United States since 2006. In her free time, Suong enjoys fishing, football, camping, traveling, reading, and spending time with her family, friends, and her chocolate Lab dog, Bamboo. 

As a recipient of the NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellowship for a second year, Dean is conducting battery research this summer.  Dean earned an associate's degree in laser technology from Northcentral Technical College (Wausau, Wisc.) in 2008. He is currently enrolled at Purdue College of Technology in South Bend, where he is studying electrical and computer engineering technology and has earned a spot on the Dean's List. His long-term goal is to finish his master's degree and secure a career in electrical vehicle development. Dean's outside interests include audiophile home electronics, physics, astronomy, and gardening.

Sarah is majoring in Chemistry at Notre Dame and will graduate in Spring of 2012. As a 2010 recipient of a Nanoelectronics Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NURF), Sarah worked on synthesizing water-soluble quantum dots for solar cell applications.  Sarah completed internships at the D.C. Cook Nuclear plant in Michigan and at GE Energy in Ohio during summer 2011.  In her spare time, Sarah enjoys playing tennis and riding and showing her horse Toby. She is also an officer of the Notre Dame Glass Club and is having a great time learning how to make glass beads and plates.

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Lindsay was a Postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Paul Bohn’s group in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Notre Dame.  She earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2011, and her dissertation was titled “Single Molecule Tracking Studies of Lower Critical Solution Temperature in Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)".  Lindsay and Susan established a collaboration studying the influence of small drug molecules on the thermo-responsive polymer, PNIPAM. In January 2012, Lindsay started an NRC postdoctoral position at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  Lindsay enjoys eating tasty food of all kinds and participating in various fun activities.

Barnali Dey completed her master's degree in electrical engineering in August 2011.  In 2007, she received her bachelor's degree in EE in her home country, at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Dhaka), then worked for LM Ericsson Bangladesh Ltd. as a solution integrator.  Barnali's research interests are nanoscale device design, fabrication and processing, as well as imaging technology.  She currently works at Intel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.   Outside of the lab, she enjoys writing short programs for data processing, reading literature and traveling.

Melissa is a junior at Marian High School in Mishawaka.  She worked in the group during fall 2010 - spring 2011, winning 3rd place in the Electrical Engineering category at the 2011 Northern Indiana Regional Science & Engineering Fair (right). In addition to her interest in research, Melissa says she most enjoys her math and english classes. When she's not studying, you might find her playing hockey, soccer, or tennis, or busy in her role as a member of the Ronald McDonald House teen board.

Samuel Leung is the recipient of the 2012 NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellowship. He is investigating the electronic characteristics of devices constructed from the single-layer graphene and solid polymer electrolytes. A local student from South Bend, Indiana, Sam is a rising sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, majoring in chemical engineering. His research interests include materials science as well as energy. Outside of the lab, Sam’s interests include photography, music, and traveling.

Joshua Vahala, a rising junior at Notre Dame, is a recipient of the 2012 NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellowship and is currently researching the electronic properties of graphene with relation to lithium ion transport in solid polymers. Joshua plans to major in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in semiconductors and nanotechnology, all with the purpose of one day making something useful. His other interests include tennis, food,

and Rube Goldberg Machines.

Erich is a PhD student in the Electrical Engineering department, working on nanoionic memory research. Erich graduated in 2012 from Bowling Green State University with a MS in Physics where his research led to the development of several novel semiconductor matrix encapsulated nanocrystal array devices. His research currently consists of developing a suitable 2D electrolyte for use in low-power 2D nanoscale ionic memory devices. In his personal life, Erich enjoys cooking, attending sporting events, reading and spending time with friends and family.

Buchanan is a rising sophomore at the University of Notre Dame and is a recipient of the NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellowship. He is researching the development of low voltage nanoionic memory devices using two-dimensional materials such as graphene and molybdenum disulphide. Buchanan plans to major in computer engineering and hopes to one day achieve his Ph.D. in computer engineering as well. His other interests include golf, physics, and competitive bass fishing.

Notre Dame’s LEAST (Low Energy Systems Technology) group members, May 2013