top of page
  • X
  • Google Scholar
  • LinkedIn Social Icon

Meet the Team

IMG_4755_edited.jpg

Post-Docs

Visiting Graduate and Post-Doctoal Students

Graduate Students

IMG_4635.HEIC
Vanshika.jpeg

Dr. Vanshika Gupta

Email: gupta916@purdue.edu
Hometown: Fuque Varina, NC

Research Interest: Real-time electrochemiluminescence imaging can allow for the visualization of rapid biochemical dynamics in tumor models with millisecond resolution.

Bio: I’m a scientist by day and an artist–dancer by night. My research fuels my intellectual curiosity, letting me explore how the natural world works at its most fundamental levels. Outside the lab, painting and dance balance that intensity by giving me space to create, express, and move. I love the contrast—precision in science, freedom in art—and how each strengthens the other. When I’m not imaging cells or troubleshooting experiments, you’ll probably find me improvising in a studio, lost in the colorwheel as I paint, or chasing any project that blends creativity with discovery.

1000001554.heic
Brady.jpeg

Brady Layman

Email: layman9@purdue.edu
Hometown: Gresham, OR

Research Interest: Mapping chemical reactivity across heterogeneous interfaces using excited-state electrochemistry

Bio: Brady Layman is a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Analytical Chemistry who studies electrochemiluminescence imaging and, specifically, when confined chemistry decides to ignore bulk rules at electrified interfaces. He spends most of his time in a microscope room, troubleshooting things that “should have worked,” and serving as the undergraduates’ hype man. Brady went to undergrad in rural eastern Oregon and maintains that cowboy boots and jeans are the optimal lab attire because of the “lab drip.” When he’s not in lab, he’s lifting heavy, skiing, and/or with his wife, Chloe.

IMG_4675.HEIC
5d72b576-5618-421b-9d5d-30a92ac8a5ff.jpg

Dane Wagner

Email: wagne369@purdue.edu
Hometown: Springfield, MO, USA

Research Interest: Applying chemistry and science to tangible, real world problems.

Bio: Outside of lab I enjoy travelling, video games, and cooking. I sit in the corner of the 2144 office, feel free to stop by and yap.

IMG_4691.HEIC
7f9ca429-d749-4387-a053-8f352afb4ebc.jpg

John Koons

Email: koons3@purdue.edu
Hometown: Easton, PA

Research Interest: Visualizing pH gradients in electrochemical systems for energy applications

Bio: Electrochemistry is the best chemistry!!!

IMG_4625.HEIC
Sakshi.jpg

Sakshi Ailawar

Email: sailawar@purdue.edu
Hometown: Nagpur/India

Research Interest: Developing optimized electrodeposited ring arrays for fundamental electrocatalysis studies.

Bio: When I’m not in the lab, I spend time dancing, climbing, and trying new restaurants. These hands-on, active pursuits complement my research on electrodeposited ring arrays, where I focus on designing, optimizing, and understanding their behavior through careful experimentation and attention to detail.

IMG_4672.HEIC
IMG_5643.heic

Megan Hill

Email: hill614@purdue.edu

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Research Interest: Development of electroanalytical tools for molten salt electrochemistry to support the US nuclear fuel cycle.

Bio: My hobbies include running, hiking, and climbing. I love watching Purdue and Gonzaga men's basketball and enjoy eating ice cream and sushi (separately). I have a dog named Scout McLovin (aka Bubba)!

IMG_1765_edited.jpg
IMG_2101_edited.jpg

Mobina Masdari

Email: mmasdari@purdue.edu
Research Interest: Designing molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensors to selectively detect PFAS in complex environmental samples.

Bio: Hi! I’m Mobina, a PhD student working on molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensors for PFAS detection, and I get excited collaborating with my labmates on new ideas. Outside the lab, I enjoy cooking, practicing yoga, barre, and pilates, and getting lost in a good book. Trip planning keeps me grounded and reminds me there’s a world beyond the lab. I’m endlessly curious about new experiences, languages, cultures, history, and art, truly everything. Spending time with my support system, including my parents, family, mentors, and friends, even virtually, is essential, and mentoring my undergraduate student, Sydney, motivates me on tough days.

IMG_4669.HEIC
IMG_0804.jpg

Md Arif Faisal

Email: mfaisal@purdue.edu
Hometown: Bangladesh

Research Interest: Use of ultramicroelectrodes to unveil the mystery of metal electrodeposition in aqueous or non-aqueous metal batteries

Bio: Arif is a Ph.D. researcher in Analytical Chemistry at Purdue University, working in the Dick Research Group. Outside the lab, he is a foodie, a proud husband, and a hobby chef who experiments with new recipes the same way he studies battery chemistry, with precision and curiosity. He loves exploring national parks, binge-watching science documentaries, and passionately ranting about why metal anode stability is the unsung hero of next-generation batteries. Whether it’s troubleshooting ultramicroelectrodes or perfecting a biryani, Arif brings energy, humor, and a love for problem-solving to everything he does.

IMG_4765.heic
boys 2016.jpg

Taizhe Liu

Email: liu3787@purdue.edu
Research Interest:  Zn deposition and Schematics of HER in Zn aqueous metal batteries system.
Bio: I enjoy cello, soccer, and gaming

IMG_4548.HEIC
Samantha.jpeg

Samantha Schmidt

Email: schmi380@purdue.edu
Hometown: Kansas City, MO

Research Interest: My research interests alternate between electro-shock synthesis to form catalytic materials, probing the curious nature of spontaneous H2O2 formation, learning new characterization methods, and improving battery lifetimes.

Bio: When not in lab, I tend to gravitate towards reading, baking, mixology, and somehow still doing work (hence, the mixology). I love education, mentorship, and outreach to local communities, and I often find myself sucked into those fields daily. I also love spending time with my husband, Jacob, and our two cats, Sir Isaac Newton and Captain Hector Barbosa.

IMG_4617.HEIC
Kenzie.jpeg

Mackenzie Stockwell

Email: mstockw@purdue.edu
Hometown: Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

Research Interest: Developing electrochemiluminescent methods to diagnose cancer and study drug uptake in cells.

Bio: Full-time professional student/scientist (yes, it’s a lifestyle), cat mom, bookworm, and travel addict. I studied cannabis chemistry in undergrad (yes that is an actual degree), and am hoping to enter the pharmaceutical industry once I graduate. When I’m not pretending to have my life together in the lab, I’m probably lost in a novel, planning my next adventure, or cleaning up after my cat’s latest “experiment.”

IMG_4557.HEIC
Akrim.jpg

Akram Bayoumi

Email: bayoumi@purdue.edu
Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

Research Interest: I am passionate about Batteries and Electrochemical Sensors.

Bio: Outside the lab, you'll find me on nature walks, cycling, powerlifting or raging at strangers in League of Legends. I bring that same intensity to my research, except in the lab, I channel it into making better batteries and sensors.

IMG_4589.HEIC
Morgan.jpeg

Morgan Rudesill

Email: emrudesil@purdue.edu
Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN

Research Interest: Blending biochemistry and electrochemistry to pursue sustainability of humanity beyond Earth

Bio: Outside of lab I enjoy writing poetry and short novels, sewing and crafting things for my friends and family, baking and cooking for people, and hanging out with my twin sister.

IMG_4623.HEIC
Shaista.jpg

Shaista Ijaz Khan

Email: khan767@purdue.edu
Hometown: Muzaffargarh, Pakistan

Research Interest: Integrating experimental electrochemistry with computational modeling to advance energy storage and battery interfaces.

Bio: Outside the lab, I enjoy spending time outdoors in nature, photography, and watching science documentaries, especially those that reveal the hidden beauty of how the world works.

DSC_4489_edited_edited_edited.jpg
Cristian.JPG

Cristian Blanco-Combariza

Email: cblancoc@purdue.edu
Favorite Lab Technique: MALDI-TOF-MS
Hobbies: Cooking, Baking, Reading, Doing Nerd Stuff

IMG_4684.HEIC
Rishi.jpeg

Saptarshi (Rishi) Paul

Email: paul148@purdue.edu
Hometown: Calcutta, India

Research Interest: New Innovations in Electrodeposition

Bio: Future founder, Philosophical, Multicultural, Social Butterfly, Runner and a Foodie.

Ashutosh Headshot .jpeg
PHOTO-2025-11-14-13-22-39.jpg

Ashutosh Rana

Email: rana29@purdue.edu
Hometown: India 
Research Interest: Working out, Hiking, Soccer

Bio: Hangover Enthusiast (the movie), Nonsocial Butterfly, Rotisserie Chicken Lover

IMG_4583.HEIC
IMG_0601.HEIC

Patrick Herchenbach

Email: pherchen@purdue.edu
Hometown: Humphrey, Nebraska

Research Interest: I develop new electrochemical tools to research interfacial microdroplet chemistry, one droplet at a time.

Bio: Outside of lab, I like making music, baking, and playing games to relax

IMG_4695.HEIC
Sam.JPEG

Sam Nortz

Email: snortz@purdue.edu
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Research Interest: I make unique electrochemical measurements in biological systems using nanopore electrodes and ECL microscopy.

Bio: Outside of lab, you can find me running, playing soccer in a local Lafayette league, or caring for my saltwater aquarium. I am also a huge fan of Cleveland sports teams.

James1_edited.png
James.jpeg

James Nguyen 

Email: nguye952@purdue.edu
Hometown: Ventura, CA, USA

Research Interest: I enjoy learning and doing science, especially exploring the fundamentals and innovations of aqueous zinc metal batteries.

Bio: Did you know capybaras can run up to 22mph? Did you know capybaras have built-in sunscreen? Did you know capybaras make a variety of noises depending on the situation?

IMG_4603.HEIC
Azaria.jpg

Azaria Wagner

Email: wagne286@purdue.edu
Hometown: Farmland, Indiana, USA

Research Interest: Applying stochastic electrochemistry to vaccine and nanoparticle analysis.

Bio: In fourth grade, I designed my first real experiment for a science fair. I loved styling my hair with three different gels—Spike-It, Redken Clay Pomade, and Bedhead Manipulator—and wanted to determine which held a style best. I applied each gel, spiked my hair wildly, then did a three-minute headstand, washing and drying between trials. Although not great for blood flow, I loved inventing and executing my own procedure for the first time ever. (Spike-It won, for those who are curious.) That project sparked my lasting passion for science, chemistry, and biology—guiding me toward my current career path.

Image (14).jpeg
IMG_5890 (8).jpg

Alzahraa Eldeeb

Email: aeldeeb@purdue.edu
Hometown: Egypt

Research Interest: Because even bubbles have a secret chemical life, I make bubbles do chemistry tricks.

Bio: I play with bubbles and make them do chemistry tricks "and somehow I get paid for it :)". My research explores how water's surface becomes a playground for spontaneous reactions. Outside the lab, I'm usually cooking and experimenting new recipes, or convincing people that bubbles are serious science.

IMG_9578.JPG
SavLancePic.JPG

Savannah Hatch

Email: potter86@purdue.edu
Hometown: Newport, Oregon

Research Interest: Electrowetting influence on mass transport, cathode development, and iron aqueous batteries.

Bio: Outside of the lab, I enjoy songwriting (acoustic guitar and piano) and being active. I recently have taken up crocheting and have a love/hate relationship with a baby blanket. If I’m not reading research papers, I typically have my nose buried in a sci-fi or theological book. My biggest vice is houseplants.

IMG_4609.HEIC
Renny.jpg

Renny Pham

Email: pham125@purdue.edu

Hometown: Da Nang, Viet Nam

Research Interest: Designing platinum-nanoparticle electrochemical aptasensors to enhance stability and sensitivity in biomolecular detection. 

Bio: I’m from a beach city, yet I don’t know how to swim — ironic, I know! Outside the lab, I love exploring coffee shops, journaling about random science ideas, and watching ocean sunsets I can’t swim toward. In research, I’m fascinated by how nanoscale materials can make tiny chemical reactions more predictable and powerful.

IMG_4648.HEIC
Jeremy_edited.jpg

Jeremy Lawrence

Email: lawre128@purdue.edu
Hometown: Seminole, Texas (USA)

Research Interest: I investigate the separator-electrolyte interface in aqueous zinc batteries via kinetic studies and imaging.

Bio: An avid reader and gamer, I enjoy fantasy/sci-fi literature and games outside of the lab. When I'm not doing experiments, brewing coffee, or discussing science, I'm usually taking a walk or photographing the sunset. Specifically, I like to walk through Celery bog and spend time there - the views are incredible, and the trail is great.

22D85973-5D72-471C-B5AC-21DBA4C56004.HEIC
Ema.jpeg

Emanuela Grechi Döll

Email: egrechid@purdue.edu
Hometown: Florianópolis, Brazil

Research Interest: I work with electrochemiluminescence and recently combined ECL imaging with shadow tricks to spy on tiny water bears

Bio: Fun facts about me: I’m originally from an island where I spent almost every day at the beach (imagine my shock seeing snow in Indiana!). I have seven siblings and two big American Bullies. I taught myself to play guitar at 12, once almost drowned trying to surf big waves, made the best friends in the world in the U.S., and I make the best carrot cake!

IMG_4556.HEIC
Megan.jpeg

Megan Brown

Email: brow3208@purdue.edu
Hometown: Pensacola, FL

Research Interest: New to electrochemistry, passionate about effective scientific communication

Bio: Mom to Harvey Dent, the tiniest chihuahua with the biggest attitude. Fueled by holiday-flavored sodas and a firm belief that green beans are the supreme vegetable.

Educational Outreach Coordinator

Undergraduate Students

Group Alumni

bottom of page