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FUTURE Students

FUTURE Students

FUTURE is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists.

CONTACT US

Director
Blas Uberuaga
LANL
(505) 667-9105
Email

Deputy Director
Peter Hosemann
UC Berkeley
(510) 717-5752
Email

Technical Project Manager
Sabrina Hadinoto
LANL
(505) 396-1091
Email

Under the guidance of their advisors, students bring innovative ideas and valuable research contributions to the program.

The Students of FUTURE
Sahil Agarwal (BGSU)
	Sahil is a PhD student at the Bowling Green State University. He is currently working on positron annihilation spectroscopy to understand the effect of irradiation and corrosion damage on the defect characteristics of materials under thrust-1 of FUTURE. He likes cooking and working out at gym in his free time. Always looking for a partner to play chess.
Rasheed Auguste (UCB)
	Rasheed is a graduate student from the University of California, Berkeley. Rasheed works on the point defects thrust of FUTURE to study irradiation’s effect on motion of point defects in materials. He enjoys soccer, bookstores, and traveling in his spare time.
Nathan Bieberdorf (UCB)
	Nathan Bieberdorf is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, working on the modeling cross-thrust of FUTURE. Nathan is developing a mesoscale model for microstructure evolution in structural materials subjected to extreme environments. In his free time, Nathan enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and going to concerts.
Ho Lun Chan (UVA)
	Ho Lun Chan (Lun) is a PhD student in materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia, working on Thrust 3 of the FUTURE project. Mentored by Dr. John Scully, Lun is utilizing advanced electrochemical methods to investigate the corrosion mechanism and survivability of passiviated & irradiated nuclear reactor alloys in extreme environments. Lun has a strong passion for corrosion research, entrepreneurship, and enjoys cooking in his spare time.
Riley Ferguson (BGSU)
	Riley Ferguson is a graduate student at Bowling Green University currently advised by Dr. Farida Selim. He is helping with the design of a positron beam system for studying radiation damage on materials under Thrust 1. He has played trumpet for the past 15 years, enjoys hiking, camping, snowboarding, and jazz improvisation.
Ryan Hayes (UCB)
	Ryan Hayes is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. His studies focus on the surface interactions between molten salts and various materials, measuring the contact angle between the two in order to assess the effects of corrosion on a material’s wettability. In his free time, Ryan loves playing tennis, card/board games, and learning to cook.
Andrea Hwang (UCB)
	Andrea is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Professor Mark Asta. She works on the modeling thrust of FUTURE. Currently, Andrea is using molecular dynamics and ab-initio methods to investigate molten salt/metal interfaces.
Md Minhazul Islam (BGSU)
	Md Minhazul Islam is a PhD student in Photochemical Science program at Bowling Green State University. He studies oxide based semiconductor materials and characterization of point defects by different optical and electrical techniques. He is currently working on investigating 'open volume type' point defects in materials under Thrust-1 of FUTURE project. He likes drawing, biking, traveling, watching movies and reading books.
Ian Jeanis (BGSU)
	Ian Jeanis is a graduate student at Bowling Green University currently advised by Dr. Selim. He is helping with the design of a positron beam system for studying radiation damage on materials under Thrust 1. In his free time, he likes to watch anime, play games, and enjoy a nice session of Dungeon and Dragons.
Angelica Lopez Morales (NCSU)
	Angelica is currently a PhD student at the Nuclear Engineering department of North Carolina State University under the supervision of Dr. Djamel Kaoumi. Angelica holds a Bachelor of Science in Energy and Nuclear Technologies (with honors) from the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technologies (InSTEC) in La Havana (Cuba), where she also obtained a University Teacher’s Certificate. Angelica joined Dr. Kaoumi’s group in 2019 and will contribute to the EFRC by studying radiation damage in non-passivating systems.
Malachi Nelson (UCB)
	Malachi is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, currently studying the thermophysical properties of molten salts and corrosion of structural materials. He earned a M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In his free time, Malachi enjoys hiking, cooking, rock climbing, and snowboarding.
Samikshya Prasai (BGSU)
	Samikshya Prasai is a graduate student in Physics at Bowling Green State University. She is currently doing research in Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS) for the study of defects in thin film semiconductors. Her major interest resides in the manipulation of defects to enhance the properties of materials.
Franziska Schmidt (UCB)
	Franziska Schmidt is a PhD student at the University of California Berkeley and studies corrosion phenomena and radiation damage in a molten salt environment. In her free time, she gathers fossils and goes climbing.
Shivani Srivastava (UCB)
	Shivani Srivastava is a graduate student from the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Prof. Mark Asta. Her research focuses on understanding materials behavior emerging from presence of point defects, using ab-initio calculations. In FUTURE, she is also involved in modelling the characteristics of positron annihilation used for characterizing defects in materials under irradiation.
Evan Still (UCB)
	Evan Still is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Prof. Peter Hosemann, where he investigates the applications of data mining techniques for atom probe tomography. Evan has spent time at both PNNL and Sandia, where he has focused on precipitate identification and hydrogen diffusion. In his free time he enjoys swing dancing, baking, and drawing
Sarah Wang (UCB)
	Sarah Wang is a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Professor Andrew Minor. She specializes in using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study how irradiation and corrosion affect the strain state of nuclear engineering materials.
Haley Williams (UCB)
	Haley Williams is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. She uses electrochemistry to probe salt properties and composition and to investigate corrosion for molten fluoride salts. In addition to her research, Haley enjoys swimming, baking, being outside, and reading.
Nicholas Winner (UCB)
	Nicholas Winner is a graduate student from the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Mark Asta. Nick works on the modeling thrust of FUTURE to study interfacial behavior between non-aqueous liquids and structural materials. Before starting graduate studies, Nick worked at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnology at Los Alamos National Laboratory for his summer internship. He enjoys golf in his spare time and is an avid cook of Northern Indian cuisine.
Nadia Zaragoza (LANL)
	Nadia Zaragoza is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. Advised by Blas Uberuaga at Los Alamos National Laboratory, she is working on molecular dynamics simulations of surface diffusion in FeCr thin films used to study radiation damage in structural materials for nuclear reactors. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, roller skating, and playing music.