Principal Investigator
Prof. Marien Simeni
Position:
Richard and Barbara Nelson Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest:
Marien Simeni is interested in harnessing the molecular energy transfers and chemical kinetics occurring in non-equilibrium plasmas for developing plasma-based technologies relevant for energy and advanced manufacturing applications.
PhD Students
Ji Yung Ahn
Research: Ji Yung primarily focuses on understanding radiation transport in laser-produced tin plasmas using advanced laser-diagnostics. Her work finds application in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
Info: Joined Fall 2022
Tasnim Akbar Faruquee
Research: Tasnim's research deals with laser-based diagnostics to understand fundamental mechanisms of methane pyrolysis for carbon nanotubes synthesis as well as hydrogen generation.
Info: Joined Spring 2023
Grayson LaCombe
Research: Grayson's research belongs to the field of advanced laser diagnostics development for nonequilibrium and equilibrium plasmas as well as high-speed reacting flows. He is particularly working on coherent approaches.
Info: Joined Fall 2022
Griffin Trayner
Research: Griffin is interested in deploying sub-nanosecond, single-shot optical diagnostics to probe ultrafast ionization, heating and thermalization mechanisms in atmospheric pressure nanosecond pulsed discharges.
Info: Joined Fall 2023 (Co-Advised with Prof. Peter Bruggeman, ME)
Colin Wadsworth
Research: Colin's area of interest is understanding defects introduced by plasma treatment in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as grain boundaries and atomic defects, using nonlinear optical microscopy. He will further the understanding of how TMDs and low-temperature plasmas interact by developing in-situ nonlinear optical diagnostic techniques to measure different material properties, such as crystal structure, while the material and plasma interact.
Info: Joined Spring 2024 (Co-Advised with Prof. Xiaojia Wang, ME)
George Yang
Research: George is interested in leveraging advanced laser-based diagnostics to study plasma physics, reactive flows, and materials science, with the goal of understanding and predicting the ablation behavior of thermal protection systems during hypersonic atmospheric entry.
Info: Joined Summer 2025 (Co-Advised with Prof. Tom Schwartzentruber, AEM)
Contact:
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Master Students
Grady Schierts
Research: Grady’s research pertains to conducting space-time-resolved electric field measurements in different electrical discharge configurations using non-resonant E-FISH.
Info: Joined Fall 2026
Contact:
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Undergraduate Students
Peyton McKeehen
Info: Joined Spring 2026, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
Contact:
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Shuayb Said
Info: Joined Spring 2026, Senior, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Contact:
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Bergen Marquardt
Info: Joined Summer 2026, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
Contact:
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Abdulrahman (Dahmi) Baobaid
Info: Joined Summer 2026, Senior, Physics and Astronomy
Contact:
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Alumni
Post-Doctoral Associates
| Name | Year | Organization/University | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davide Del Cont-Bernard | 2025 | |||
| Jianan Wang | 2024 | Eindhoven University of Technology | ||
Undergraduate Researchers
| Name | Year | Organization/University | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junha Yoo | 2025 | Princeton University | ||