mcgill university phd chemical engineering

Principal Investigator

Prof. Ali Seifitokaldani

Dr. Seifitokaldani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University. His research lab unites experiment and theory to address the issues of energy consumption, CO2 conversion and biowastes upgrading via an efficient and cost-effective conversion of renewable electricity into stored chemical energy. His lab is focused on high throughput materials discovery based on the density functional theory (DFT) computations and machine learning modeling, and develops new electrocatalysts and electrochemical systems for electrochemical reactions.

Visiting Professors

Prof. Muhammad Bilal

Dr. Muhammad Bilal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan. He received his PhD in heterogeneous catalysis from University of Glasgow, UK. During his stay in the Electrocatalysis Lab he is going to employ his expertise in materials chemistry and catalysis to develop novel electrochemical systems with improved electrocatalytic performances.  

Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Foad Arvani

Foad received his PhD from the University of Toronto and works with the Electrocatalysis Lab on a collaborative Mitacs project with Pahk Solutions.

Dr. Ignacio Aguilar

Ignacio Aguilar is a Postdoctoral Researcher working on a research project led by the Electrocatalysis Lab, in the Chemical Engineering Department at McGill University, and the Social Exergy Lab, in the Department of Geography at University of Victoria under supervision of Prof. Christina Hoicka. His current work focuses on identifying the socioecological and economic implications of, and proposing supporting policies and initiatives to, scaling-up a technology to produce hydrogen from biowastes as a renewable energy option. He holds a PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability by the University of Waterloo. He has a master’s degree in business administration and a BSc in tourism management, both by Universidad Autónoma de Occidente in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Li completed his Ph.D. in Energy and Materials Sciences at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in July 2023, under the supervision of Professor Federico Rosei. His doctoral research concentrated on the development of MOF-templated metal and metal oxide electrodes, with a particular emphasis on their applications in energy conversion and storage. In September 2024, he joined the Electrocatalysis Lab as a postdoctoral fellow, where he is now focused on exploring innovative methods for CO2 conversion through electrocatalysis, aiming to develop sustainable technologies for carbon utilization.

Dr. Sai Phani Kumar Vangala

Sai is a postdoc working with us in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University. His postdoctoral research focuses on Computational Design of Catalysts for the Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrogen and CO2 to Valuable Products. He has strong expertise in modeling metal oxide based materials for heterogeneous catalysis, surface chemistry and site specific activities, high-performance LIBs, and bio-nano interactions implementing hybrid DFT methods and semi empirical MD simulations. Soon, he will be starting his independent research career as an Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISERB).

Dr. Xin Liu

Xin Liu is a FRQNT-supported postdoctoral scholar in Professor Seifitokaldani’s research group. Her expertise lies in the synthesis of quantum dots and their utilization in harnessing solar energy for electricity generation and hydrogen production. Her current research direction, which is guided by collaboration with Prof. Guay from INRS, involves the investigation of single-atom materials and porous materials for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction.

Grad Students

Alaleh Esfandiari

Alaleh is a Chemical Engineering PhD student at McGill University. She studied Materials Science and Engineering at University of Tehran. Her project is on developing single atom catalyst for CO2 electroreduction to value-added products such as alcohol.

Amirhossein Farzi

Amirhossein is a Chemical Engineering PhD student at McGill University. He studied Chemical Engineering and Economics in his bachelor’s and Catalysis during his master’s at Sharif University of Technology in Iran. His project is mainly associated with computational methods such as DFT and applying them to the electrocatalytic systems. In his free times, Amirhossein enjoys reading novels, cooking foods and listening to the music.

Andrew Carkner

Andrew is a PhD student co-supervised by Prof. Jan Kopyscinski in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University. His project is about lignin conversion into value-added products such as guaiacol and vanillin using electrocatalysis at elevated temperature and pressure. More information can be found  here . 

Hamed Heidarpour

Hamed is a PhD student at McGill University. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Sharif University of Technology. His current research focuses on the development of electrochemical systems for the conversion of CO2 and nitrogenous compounds into valuable chemicals.

Jiayin (Eve) Zhang

Eve is graduated from Beijing University of Chemical Technology with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and an LL.B. with a minor in Law, joined the group in the summer of 2024 and is currently pursuing her master’s degree.

Mahdi Salehi

Mahdi is a Chemical Engineering PhD candidate at McGill University. He completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology and University of Tehran, respectively. His project is about electrocatalytic systems combining CO2 reduction and biomass upgrading. In his spare time, Mahdi plays futsal (indoor soccer) and enjoys listening to pop music.

Obaida Zeno

Summia Saed Aldien

Summia is a first year Chemical Engineering  masters student at McGill University. She graduated from McGill with a Bachelors of Bioresource Engineering in 2017. Prior to joining the Electrocatalysis Lab, Summia worked in diverse industries including sustainability, cybersecurity, software implementation and energy efficiency. As for research project , she is eager to investigate innovative electrocatalytic hydrogen production method coupled with biomass transformation.

Undergrad Students

Brigit Wilson

Josh Goldman

Josh is an undergraduate student studying Honours Math and Computer Science. He joined the lab in the Winter of 2024. His current project mainly focuses on the computational method of DFT. 

Michael Yang

Omar Abou El-oon

Omar is an undergraduate Chemical Engineering student at McGill University. He joined the lab as a summer research student in 2022. He is currently working on a project which uses electrocatalytic systems to extract valuable aromatic compounds from lignin to produce organic chemicals. Apart from academics, Omar enjoys cycling, listening to music and playing chess.

Shuhan is an undergraduate Chemical Engineering student at McGill University. She is currently working on electrochemical conversion of biomass model molecules such as HMF to value-added products such as DFF. 

Yuanming Zhang

Left to right: Hamed, Sebastian, Mahdi, Jessica, Summia, Qinyi, Amirhossein, Jolin, Omar, Hasan, Yolanda, Vraj, Shenyi, Kevin, Andrew’s family, Rongyu, Ali, and Nickan (Summer 2022)

Left to right: Hamed, William, Summia, Ali, Dorothy, Qi, Roger, Kefang, Kevin, Jessica, Sebastian, Xiao, Mahdi, Amirhossein, Noah (Xmas 2021)

Left to right: Roger, Amirhossein, Andrew, Sebastian, Rongyu, Kevin, Kefang, Ali, Mahdi, Hasan, Hamed (Fall 2021)

Left to right: Ali, Nickan, Ashwini, Poojan, Yiwei, Mahdi, Lucy, Portia, Kevin, Xiao, Roger, Daniel (September 2019)

Left to right: Ali, Portia, Minnan, Hasan, Kevin, Roger (May 2019)

Group Alumni

Jiashuai (sebastian) han, dorothy gao, haoyan (william) yang, jolin zhang, yolanda zheng, jiaxun (kevin) guo, hasan al-mahayni, juliano cobuzzi, portia mesibi, xiaojia (lucy) li, yiwei jiang, ashwini sachindran, poojan patel, daniel schwart,  2021-2023: undergrad and msc student (at cert systems), 2020-2023: undergrad and m.eng. student (at cnrl), 2019-2023: undergrad and msc student (at electrocarbon inc), 2019-2023: undergrad and msc student (at mit), 2020: undergrad student, 2019: undergrad (at imperial college london), 2019-2020: undergrad student, 2019-2020: m.eng. non-thesis student, 2019-2021: m.eng. non-thesis student, 2019-2022: undergrad and msc student (at hatch), 2020-2022: undergrad student (at mit), 2021: undergrad student, 2020-2021: undergrad student.

Copyright 2020 electrocatalysislab.com

Principal Investigator

Postdoc, Wyss Institute at Harvard (2015-2017)

Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, MIT (2015)

B.A.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa (2010)

B.Sc. Biochemistry, University of Ottawa (2010)

Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne,  ing., Ph.D. Canada Research Chair in Biologically-Derived Materials Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, McGill University

   After earning a double degree in Biotechnology (Chemical Engineering & Biochemistry) from the University of Ottawa, Prof. Dorval Courchesne spent a few years in Boston to pursue graduate studies.  She completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the groups of Paula Hammond and Angela Belcher.  She then worked as an FRQNT postdoctoral fellow at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.  She joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University in August 2017.

  Prof. Dorval Courchesne authored several publications and hold patents in the fields of nanotechnology, biotechnology and materials science.  She believes that biologically-derived materials have a tremendous potential to improve the functionalities of various devices for environmental and biomedical applications. She aims at developing novel methods for engineering and assembling functional protein-based materials and devices. She is also broadly interested in composite materials, sustainable material alternatives and bio-inspired technologies.​

    Prof. Dorval Courchesne is a member of the Québec Center for Advanced Materials (QCAM/CQMF); the Research Center for High Performance Polymer and Composite Systems (CREPEC); the Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering, and Applications (PROTEO); the McGill Institute for Advanced Materials (MIAM); the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI); and the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED).  She is also part of an NSERC CREATE program in Sustainable Electronics and Eco-Design (SEED).  In 2020, she was recognized as the recipient of the Christophe Pierre Award for Research Excellence (Early Career) in the Faculty of Engineering at McGill, and as an Emerging Leader in Chemical Engineering  by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.  In 2021, she became Canada Research Chair in Biologically-Derived Materials, and in 2022, she was the recipient of a Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Scholars Award in the Engineering category.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Julia Maria  de Medeiros Dantas Postdoc

 Julia completed her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke with focus in the development of large-scale storage techniques for bioethanol feedstock. During her PhD, she also worked with the production of lignocellulosic ethanol and biogas production. She did her Bachelor and Master’s degree in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. During her bachelor, she worked with the production of bioactive oligomers of chitosan by chitosanases and her Master’s thesis was on the immobilization of those enzymes. Now, during her postdoc she will be working with the bioeletronic team to improve the production of conductive proteins. Her areas of expertise are fermentation optimization, purification of biomolecules and scaling-up fermentative processes. When not in the lab, she loves to cook for her loved ones, practicing/watching sports and all kinds of art.

E-mail: julia.demedeirosdantas (at)mcgill.ca

Office: Wong 6130

PhD Students

Mario Alfonso Arenas Garcia

  Mario is the recipient of a CONACYT-SENER Energy Sustainability Scholarship, awarded to pursue his PhD in Chemical Engineering at McGill University. His project consists of generating a bio-hybrid solar cell device based on engineered photoactive proteins. He did his Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology in Mexico and his Master's degree in Biochemical Engineering in England. As of recent, he was in a research stay at Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Estado de México, which involved the evaluation of three-phase systems in different bioreactors for the production of bioplastics. When not involved in research, he enjoys spending his time trying out new foods, reading about history and attending concerts!

E-mail:  mario.arenasgarcia(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Office: Wong 6080

Daniel Modafferi

   Daniel joined the group as a PhD student in Chemical Engineering.  He is the recipient of an FRQNT Doctoral Research Scholarship and a Vadasz Scholar MEDA Award.  He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry as a member of the Co-op program, and an M.Sc. in Physics at Concordia University, in Montreal.  He continues to dismiss barriers between classical scientific disciplines and fields, as he applies his interdisciplinary knowledge to develop new bioelectronic materials from proteins, for the application of wearable or implantable electronic devices.  His interests include, but are not restricted to, piano playing, the outdoors, and baking (eating).

E-mail: daniel.modafferi(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Xin is the recipient of a MEDA award and a CREATE SEED scholarship. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Polymer Material Science and Engineering in Shanghai, China and her Master's degree in Medical Materials in London, UK. After university, Xin has worked in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry for 7 years, and she is determined to pursue further her PhD in Chemical Engineering at McGill University. She is co-supervised by Prof. Dorval Courchesne and Prof. Moraes.  Her project involves the design and biosynthesis of tissue-adhesive protein fibers, for the application of ultra-soft self-healing bioactive microelectrode arrays for brain organoids. Outside the lab, she enjoys acrylic painting, swimming, and traveling. She has a 3-year old cat (British short hair) and a 1-year old dog in China, hopefully she can bring them here someday!

E-mail: xin.xiao2(at)mail.mcgill.ca Office: Wong 6080  

Dalia Saldanha

   Dalia Saldanha recently completed a research internship in the Dorval Lab, as part of the Biotechnology Graduate Program at McGill University.  She has now joined the group as a PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She is the recipient of a MEDA award and an FRQNT Doctoral Research Scholarship.  With a triple major Undergraduate degree in Biotechnology, Chemistry and Zoology from Christ University (India) she is now channeling her diverse research interests into developing genetically engineered and chemically conjugated biosensors with bacterial proteins. She is interested in modifying the properties of these sensors to meet a wide range of potential biomedical, environmental and food safety needs. Having lived in Kuwait, Dubai, India and now Montreal, she considers herself to be almost as cosmopolitan as the E. coli she works with and hopes that one day her future career as a research scientist (and part-time science journalist ) will help her see more of the world than she already has. When she is not holding a pipette or typing furiously into a laptop, she enjoys writing poetry, creating scientific comics and reading contemporary YA novels.

E-mail:  dalia.saldanha(at)mail.mcgill.ca

David Uriel Zamora Cisneros

   Born and raised in Mexico City, where he completed his bachelor’s degree and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) and UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), respectively, David was awarded a CONACYT scholarship to pursue his doctoral studies abroad. Now he is a Ph.D. candidate in the Materials Modeling Research Group and in the Dorval Lab in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and in the Harrington Lab in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University. His project involves the in-silico study of liquid crystals, their presence in biological systems just as the one seen in the mussel byssus, and the founding principles that lead them to their transformation into materials with remarkable properties. When not involved in research or at McGill, you can find him at some cafe/food places trying out new food or enjoying a cup of coffee while he lurks through the immeasurable music realm looking for new songs/bands or the next concert in town. His interests besides music are drawing, reading, and long walks.

E-mail: david.zamoracisneros(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Office: Wong 6190

Master Students

Ariel Zheng

   Ariel is a Master of Science student in Chemical Engineering, focusing on the production of protein and bioplastic composites with improved mechanical properties. She was raised in Vancouver, BC and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at The University of British Columbia. During her undergraduate studies, she helped design and create specialized catalysts that could turn biocrude into usable fuel at ambient temperatures and pressures. When not busy with lab work, she enjoys reading, hiking and travelling to new places with friends and family. 

E-mail: jia.y.zheng(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Office: Wong 6290

Rebecca Yan

​Rebecca is a Master of Science student in Chemical Engineering and is working on the fabrication of bio-based fibres for the synthesis of textile yarn. She has received a scholarship from the CREATE SEED (Collaborative Research and Training Experience in Sustainable Electronics and Eco-Design) for her master’s degree. During her BSc in Chemistry, she worked on synthesizing aqueous nanoclusters for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and optimizing the synthesis of deuterated dopamine. Outside of the lab, Rebecca likes to listen to podcasts, read fiction books, watch new movies, and spend time with her friends and family!

Email: rebecca.yan(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Jing is a MEng student in Chemical Engineering. She completed her bachelor’s degree in ChemBio from McMaster University in May 2024. During her undergraduate studies, she helped design a new chemical sensor which can help monitor alkalinity in water and could be a potential candidate for water quality testing. In her free time, she enjoys walking, museums and nature.

E-mail: jing.yang6(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Xinxin is a Master of Science student in Chemical Engineering, focusing on the fabrication of soft electrodes for tissues. In his undergrad, he worked on developing composite bioinks for living cells and composite conductive biomaterials. He completed his bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in May 2023. He is a recipient of MEUSMA award.

Email: xinxin.hao(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Weijia Zhang

Weijia is a Master of Science student in Chemical Engineering, working on characterizing charge transport mechanisms in different types of conductive protein fibers. She completed her BASc in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in May 2024. During her undergraduate studies, she contributed to developing wood foams with increased bio-based components by partially or completely replacing the polymer binder (PVA) with pulp fibers. Outside the lab, Weijia enjoys reading detective novels, hiking, and spending time with dogs and cats.

E-mail: weijia.zhang(at)mail.mcgill.ca

Office: 6290

Undergraduate Students

Henry Stephenson

    Henry is a bioengineering undergraduate student working on a project to develop responsive textiles. His research background is primarily in immunology and synthetic biology, though he’s excited to expand his skills with biologically derived materials. He is part of the McGill iGEM undergraduate research team in addition to his work at Dorval Lab. Henry hopes to leverage his research background and a minor in Management to benefit the world through the innovations of biotechnology and molecular biology. Beyond research, Henry loves practicing piano (especially Chopin), linguistics and language learning, and playing pickup soccer with friends.

Reefah Kabir

Reefah is a bioengineering undergraduate student currently working on characterizing proteins in various liquid and solid state materials using circular dichroism in the context of SURE/NSERC USRA 2024. After graduation, she hopes to pursue research in biomaterials and/or biosensors. During her free time, she likes to try different foods, learn about cooking and learn new languages.

Beyza Ozbaran

Beyza is a chemical engineering undergraduate student currently working on the production and testing of conductive proteins derived from M13 bacteriophage. She is one of the recipients of a scholarship from the CREATE SEED (Sustainable Electronics and Eco-Design) program for the summer 2024. She’s hoping to use her passion for bioelectronics to create a more sustainable future. In her free time, she likes to go on long walks, read, and draw while listening to music.

Masoud Aminzare , PhD 2024.  in

Omar Jimenez Castaneda , MSc (thesis) 2024.  in

Slah Hidouri , Postdoc 2024.  in

Kingsley Wong , MSc (thesis), 2023.  in

Simon Rowat , MSc (thesis), 2023.  in

Zahra Abdali , PhD 2022, Postdoc 2023.  in

Angie Cai , MSc (thesis), 2022.  in

Amy Chow , MEng (project), 2022.  in  

Catrina Huyer , MEng (thesis), 2021.  in

Raed Gharbi , MEng (thesis), 2020.  in

Jiawei Yan , MEng (project), 2020.   in

Saadia Wasim , MEng (thesis), 2019.   in

Bita Janfeshan , Postdoc, 2018.   in

Elsa Baxter , NSERC USRA/SURE project, McGill University, Summer 2024   in

Yolanda Zheng , SURE/EUL and CHEE 495 research projects , McGill University, Fall 2022- Winter 2024   in

Ghia El-Zoubeir , UG research project (CHEE 494 ), McGill University, Winter 2024   in

José Moro Gutierrez , UG research project (CHEE 494 ), McGill University, Winter 2024    in

Matthew Pyo , UG research project (CHEE 495), McGill University, Fall 202 3-Winter 2024   in

Sharon Wu , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Fall 202 3   in

Juliana Ferraro , SURE/EUL & CHEE 494 projects, McGill University, Winter 2020-Fall 2023   in

Leila Megevand , UG research project (CHEE 495), McGill University, Fall 2022 - Winter 2023   in

Jennifer Jiang , NSERC USRA/SURE & BIEN 471 projects, McGill University, Summer 2021-Winter 2023   in

Graham Townsend , SURE/EUL and CHEE 494 projects, McGill University, Fall 2020 - Summer 2022   in

Riley Sun , UG research project (CHEE 495), McGill University, Winter 2022 - Summer 2022   in

Alina Yuan , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter 2022

Dukun Zhao , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter 2022   in

Hajar Diouri , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter 2022  in

Sophia Roy , SURE/EUL & UG research projects, McGill University, Winter 2019 - Winter 2022.   i n

Pew Dey , UG research project (BIEN 471), McGill University, Summer 2021.   in

Coralie Jabra Khabbaz , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter 2021.  in

Gregory Brock , NSERC USRA/SURE project, McGill University, Summer 2020.   in

Ziqi Zheng , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Summer 2019 - Fall 2020. 

Armita Amini , NSERC USRA/SURE & CHEE 494 projects, McGill University, Summer 2018 - Fall 2020.   i n

Robert Chen , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter - Fall 2020.  i n

Lei Wang , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter - Summer 2020. 

James Li , NSERC US RA/SURE project,  McGill University, Summer 2020.

Oliver Xie , NSERC USRA/SURE & CHEE 494 projects, McGill University, Fall 2017 - Summer 2020.   i n

Yangshixing Li , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter 2019 - Spring 2020.  i n

Cathy Zhou , UG res earch project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter-Fall 2019.  i n

Xiaodan Zhu , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Fall 2018-Fall 2019.  i n

Liam Curtis , UG research project (CHEE 494),McGill University, Fall 2019.  i n

Aastha Goyal , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Fall 2019.  i n

Johan Alberti , Visiting student, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse, Summer 2019.  i n

Alexander Bevacqua , NSERC USRA/SURE project, McGill University, Summer 2019.  i n

Elia Benchekroun-Jolicoeur , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Summer 2019.  i n

Shurui Feng , Visiting student, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Summer 2019.  i n

Scott Jiang , UG research project (CHEE 494),McGill University, Fall 2018-Winter 2019  i n

Alexandra Jacobson , UG research project (CHEE 496), McGill University, Winter 2019.  i n

Jonathan Ong , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Fall 2018-Winter 2019.  i n

Jessica Tian , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Winter 2018-Winter 2019.  i n

Nolwenn C ousineau , NSERC USRA/SURE project,McGill University, Summer 2018.  i n

Alexander Lambert , SURE project,McGill University, Summer 2018.  i n

Nidhi Kamath , Visiting student, Manipal Institute of Technology, January-June 2018.

Honghan Zhu , UG research project, McGill University, Fall 2017-Winter 2018  i n

Esther Xu , UG research project (CHEE 494), McGill University, Fall 2017-Winter 2018

Reghan J. Hill’s research group

Publications

Reghan J. Hill

Associate Professor

Canada Research Chair in Colloids for Advanced Materials (2002-12)

B.E. (1st class honours) Chemical & Materials Engineering, University of Auckland

Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Cornell University

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemical Engineering, Princeton University

Room 4280 Wong Building

Department of Chemical Engineering

McGill University

3610 University Street

Montreal, Quebec,H3A 0C5,Canada

Tel.: 514.398.6897, Fax: 514.398.6678, E-mail: reghandothillatmcgilldotca

Micro-hydrodynamic and electrokinetic phenomena; polymer-inorganic nano-composites; hydrogel nano-composites; rheology; nano-particle gel electrophoresis; electrophoresis soft nano-particulates; electrical micro-rheology of hydrogels and hydrogel nano-composites; electro-acoustic and dielectric spectroscopy; nonlinear hydrodynamics in porous media; computational fluid dynamics and lattice-Boltzmann simulation

Peer reviewer for >60 leading engineering and scientific journals.

(click the links for more information)

Advanced graduate courses:

CHEE 688 Advanced Materials in Chemical Engineering  

(with Prof. Dorval-Courchesne, winter 2022-present)

CHEE 641 Chemical Reaction Engineering (2021-present)

CHEE 611 Heat & Mass Transfer (2014-present)

CHEE 631 Foundations of Fluid Mechanics (2005-2013) 

CHEE 621 Thermodynamics (2009)

Technical complimentary (open to advancing undergraduates and graduates in sciences and engineering):

CHEE 585 Foundations of Soft Matter (2007-present)

Core undergraduate courses:

CHEE 231 Data Analysis and Design of Experiments (fall, 2022-present)

CHEE 204 Chemical Engineering Principles II (winter 2021)

CHEE 455 Process Control (2014-2019)

CHEE 204 Chemical Manufacturing Processes (2003-2013)

CHEE 314 Fluid Mechanics (2003)

Buoyancy-driven convection. Lattice-Boltzmann simulation (CHEE 611).

Two McGill researchers win 2024 Prix du Québec honours

Two McGill researcher s won   Prix du Qu é bec , the highest honours awarded by the Quebec government in the fields of culture and science. 

Myriam Denov , Professor in McGill’s School of Social Work won the Prix du Qu é bec ’s Marie-Andr é e-Bertrand Prize for social innovation.

Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne , Professor in Chemical Engineering, won the Hubert-Reeve s Pr ize , awarded to a promising young researcher .

A leading a dvocat e for children’s right s  

Denov conducted groundbreaking research on war-affected children and families for more than two decades and on three continents. Her research explored the unique realities and complex challenges of child soldiers, girls in armed conflict and children born of wartime rape, as well as that of post-conflict reconciliation and war-induced migration and resettlement.   

Denov’s work has helped shape policy and practice at Global Affairs Canada, National Defence , and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and she has provided key recommendations to improve Qu e bec ’s policies and intervention procedures concerning refugee children and families. 

“To be honoured in this way is deeply significant and I am incredibly grateful,” said Denov. “It is especially meaningful that the award comes from the province of Quebec, which has consistently and generously sponsored my work and provided a supportive context that has enabled me to grow and develop as a researcher.”   

Denov holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Children, Families and Armed Conflict and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.  

Research at the intersection of Engineering and Biology  

Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne , is being honoured for her cutting-edge work on nature-inspired materials. Her research focuses on three distinct areas: bioelectricity, bioplastics and “intelligent” fabrics.  

Proteins are well known as the essential building blocks of all life, but Dorval Courchesne is taking this adage one step further by using proteins to develop materials that can not only conduct electricity, but also repair themselves. Her team is working on developing fibres based on functional biopolymers , essentially converting harmless bacteria cells into microscopic protein factories.  

The resulting fabrics could communicate with smart devices to offer useful information on the wearer’s health status, while also spontaneously repairing tears or other damage incurred during an athletic performance. She has previously collaborated with Lululemon in the development of smart tights, for example.

“Receiving the Hubert – Reeves Prize is fantastic recognition of my work and my efforts to build a creative, multidisciplinary and inclusive research group,” said Dorval Courchesne. “It’s an honour to be   recogni z ed by an award that bears the name of a scientist who was passionate about research, environmental protection and science populari z ation .”  

Other finalists and alumni winners    

“On behalf of McGill University, I extend my warmest  congratulations  to Prix du Québec laureates, Professors Myriam Denov and Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne,” said Dominique Bérubé, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “From giving a voice to those who are unheard to pioneering new materials with transformative potential, their achievements exemplify the positive impact of research conducted at McGill on Quebec, Canada and the world.”

In addition to the two award winners, Marie-Hélène Pennestri and Massimiliano Orri were also finalists for the Prix Hubert-Reeves. And among the 13 other Prix du Qu é bec award winners are several McGill alumni: Sylvie Belleville (PhD’88 – Prix Armand-Frappier), Anne-Marie Mes-Masson (PhD’84 – Prix Wilder-Penfield), Frantz Saintellemy (MBA’20 – Prix Innovation).  

Winners will be recognized at the Prix du Qu é bec awards ceremony on Oct . 29, 2024.  

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Nineteen mcgill researchers honoured by the royal society of..., cfi invests $10m in mcgill research, federal government announces 17 canada research chairs for mcgill, myriam denov honoured with top sshrc research award.

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Introduction

Scholarships and funding, career opportunities, program tuition fee, student testimonials, about the school.

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PhD in Chemical Engineering

Astana, Kazakhstan

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STUDY FORMAT

The Ph.D. program in Chemical Engineering fully taught in English, is designed to provide a sophisticated knowledge base and advanced skills at the expert level for individuals planning a career in academia, industry, and research settings in any of the subfields of the Chemical Engineering discipline.

Merit-based scholarships are available.

The first year of the Ph.D. Program Chemical Engineering is largely filled with 5 compulsory and 3 elective courses. The compulsory courses are so-called “core courses” in the field, namely:

• Advanced Heat & Mass transfer
• Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering
• Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• OUTLINE Thesis Research
• Current Research Literature

A palette of elective courses is available; students make a selection of 3, based on their scientific interests. In the following 3 years, the focus is exclusively on scientific research. This will culminate in a Ph.D. thesis that meets the highest international scientific standards, and which will be defended, by the student, in public. Hereafter, the laureate will carry the title: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

Many chemical engineers work in industries whose products are sought by many manufacturing firms. For instance, they work for firms that manufacture plastic resins, which are used to increase fuel efficiency in automobiles. Increased availability of domestically produced natural gas should increase manufacturing potential in the industries employing these engineers. In addition, chemical engineering will continue to migrate into dynamic fields, such as nanotechnology, alternative energies, and biotechnology, and thereby help to sustain demand for engineering services in many manufacturing industries

• Biomedical Engineers
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UCR welcomes 74 new faculty members

Read their bios and learn about their research interests

UC Riverside welcomed 74 new permanent faculty members for the 2024-2025 academic year who come from a variety of disciplines and research interests.

The new faculty members offer expertise on a wide range of subjects from the economics of immigration to the history of California Indians. Their research covers a wide variety of topics including brain disorders, experimental cosmology, and reducing food safety risks. The new group includes researchers from top universities, a former middle school teacher and grassroots organizer, and a cultural consultant on the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie.  Learn more about the new faculty below:

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Stephen Antonoplis , an assistant professor of psychology, received his doctorate in psychology from UC Berkeley. He specializes in social and personality psychology. His past work has examined personality factors motivating cross-race friendship, how personal income shapes how people think about their futures, and how to best conceptualize and measure socioeconomic status. His current projects include the historical development of class identity in the U.S. and differences in the relationships occupied by different- and same-race contacts in personal networks. He joined the faculty in January.

Alejandra Arce , an assistant professor of psychology, received her doctorate in clinical and community psychology from Georgia State University. Arce conducts strengths- and community-engaged research with immigrant and Black, Indigenous, and people of color youth. Her research aims to advance theoretical and empirical models of resilience and resistance to oppression, create prevention programs, and evaluate community interventions that advance equity efforts.

Olivia Atherton , an assistant professor of psychology, received her doctorate in psychology from UC Davis. Her research intersects between social-personality, health, and developmental psychology. Her primary focus is understanding the associations among self-regulation, sociocultural contexts, and mental and physical health. Her research focuses on diverse populations often underrepresented in psychological science, including Latinx communities and socioeconomically disadvantaged and rural populations.

William Bauer , a professor of history, received his doctorate in history from the University of Oklahoma. An enrolled citizen of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, his research focuses on oral history, labor, and California Indian history. He has authored or co-authored books including most recently “We Are the Land: A Native History of California,” and “California Through Native Eyes: Reclaiming History.” Bauer is the president-elect of the Western History Association. He previously taught at the University of Wyoming and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. At UCR, he will teach classes on California Indian and American Indian history.

Gene Brewer , a professor of psychology, received his doctorate in psychology from the University of Georgia. With an extensive background in cognitive psychology, his research delves into the mechanisms of attention, memory, and executive control in humans. He previously was a faculty member at Arizona State University where he was recognized for his outstanding teaching and mentoring.

Xiao Chen , an assistant professor of history, received his doctorate in history from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He researches Qing and modern Chinese history. His book manuscript explores how Qing colonial practices contributed to the development of a convict labor system that focused on exploiting convicts. Chen has also authored a journal article on how ethnicity became a factor when trying sexual offenses in eighteenth-century Qing legal culture and a book chapter on indigenous Taiwanese skin markings in early modern European and Chinese travel writings. He previously taught at Grinnell College, Iowa.

Kendra Gage , an assistant professor of teaching in history, received her doctorate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a historian of the civil rights movement, sports, Olympics, women in the west, and the American West. Her work centers on uncovering stories of political struggle, oppression, and resistance in the everyday landscapes of people’'s communities. She is working on a book manuscript about Black freedom struggles in California history and co-edited “A People’s Guide to Las Vegas.” She was previously an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Emily Graham , an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Comparative Literature and Languages, received her doctorate from the University of Texas at Arlington where she focused on psycholinguistics and phonetics. In psycholinguistics, she explored sentence-level processing while in phonetics she has published work on phonetic imitation of English sibilants in native and non-native speech. Graham is also an active member of the Linguistic Society of America where she serves on committees devoted to linguistic pedagogy and gender equity in linguistics.

Elizabeth Hanna Rubio , an assistant professor of gender and sexuality studies, received her doctorate in cultural anthropology from UC Irvine. Her ethnographic research builds on her work as a community organizer and cultural anthropologist. She is currently completing a book manuscript examining the politics of multiracial coalition-building based on seven years of research into undocumented Korean American organizers. Rubio is the co-editor-in-chief of the Journal for the Anthropology of North America and has had work published in Amerasia, Frontiers: A Women’s Studies Journal, and the LA Review of Books.

Donggyu Kim , a professor of economics, received his doctorate in statistics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was previously an associate professor in the College of Business at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, South Korea. His doctoral dissertation was about high-dimensional matrix inferences.

Ajin Lee , an associate professor of teaching in economics, received her doctorate in economics from Columbia University. An applied microeconomist, she studies health, social insurance, and policies targeting disadvantaged populations in the United States. Her research has explored the design of public health insurance programs, the impacts of financial and health shocks to families, and childhood environment on health and well-being. She was previously an assistant professor at Michigan State University and a visiting assistant professor at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

Timothy Petete , an associate professor of teaching in English, received his doctorate in English from the University of Oklahoma. A member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, his teaching and research interests include American literature, Indigenous studies, visual and sonic rhetoric, and memory culture. He is co-editing an issue of Great Plains Quarterly on contemporary Indigenous Pop Art and a book about the FX television series Reservation Dogs.

Heather Rastovac Akbarzadeh , an assistant professor of dance, earned her doctorate in performance studies, with an emphasis on women, gender, and sexuality, from UC Berkeley. Building on two decades as a dance-maker, artistic director, and dramaturg, her research examines diasporic South West Asian and North African communities and their performances undermining colonial ways of seeing the Middle East.  Her monograph-in-progress is titled “Choreographing the Iranian Diaspora: Dance, Spectatorship, and the Politics of Belonging.” Rastovac Akbarzadeh joined the faculty in January. 

Trisha Federis Remetir , an assistant professor of comparative literature and languages, received her doctorate in English and comparative literature from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She specializes in critical Filipino studies, Asian diasporic literature, postcolonial studies, and environmental humanities. Her research focuses on the racial and environmental histories of the Philippine archipelago and other sites of environmental struggle through water. She is working on a book exploring how extractive projects around Philippines waters influenced cultural productions. She was a 2022-2024 Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow at UCR.

Cassia Roth , an associate professor of society, environment and health equity, received her doctorate in history from the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on understanding gendered and racialized health inequities in the past and present in the Portuguese-speaking world. She is the author of “A Miscarriage of Justice: Women’s Reproductive Lives and the Law in Early Twentieth-Century Brazil.” She has also published work on topics including the Brazilian feminist scientist Bertha Lutz, the recent history of abortion activism in Latin America, and the history of cesarean sections. Roth will teach on the history of public health and health equity.

Charles Sepulveda , an assistant professor of ethnic studies, received his doctorate in ethnic studies from UC Riverside. He studies California Indian histories, focusing on the mission system’s enslavement of Native peoples and their resistance. Sepulveda’s first book, “Native Alienation: Spiritual Conquest and the Violence of California Missions,” will be published this year. Sepulveda is a board member of the Acjachemen Tongva Land Conservancy and the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy. He previously taught at Cal Poly Pomona, and the University of Utah.

Dylan Shaul , an assistant professor of philosophy, received his doctorate from the University of Toronto. He specializes in 18th- to 19th-century philosophy, mainly German idealism and Jewish philosophy. He is also interested in early modern philosophy, 20th-century European philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of religion. He has published on figures including Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, and Kierkegaard, on themes including faith, forgiveness, hospitality, love, mourning, recognition, reconciliation, redemption, and repentance. He has also published on tragedy and comedy, from Euripides to Alfred Hitchcock and the Marx Brothers.

Kevin Shih , an associate professor of economics, received his doctorate in economics from UC Davis. A labor economist with expertise in the economics of immigration in the United States, his work has been published in leading economic journals. He previously was at Queens College CUNY, the CUNY Graduate Center, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a research affiliate of the IZA Institute of Labor Economics; the University of California, Davis, Global Migration Center; the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research; and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. He is a special sworn status researcher of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Daphnie Sicre , an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production, received her doctorate in educational theatre from New York University. A multi-hyphenate writer, director, and dramatug, she shares a deep passion for Black and Latine perspectives in theatre, especially AfroLatinidad. She is co-artistic director of Ammunition Theatre in Los Angeles and co-directs the Candela Fellowship for Latine and Caribbean Playwrights with the Dramatist Guild in New York. She leads diversity, equity, and inclusivity theatre workshops across the country and serves as a culture consultant for Nickelodeon. She also worked on the Emmy-nominated television series “Santiago of the Seas” and the movie “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Mutant Mayhem.”

Amy Skjerseth , an assistant professor of music, received her doctorate in cinema and media studies from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the intersections of music, media, material culture, and technology. A monograph in progress explores how 1960s transistor radios to 2000s vocaloids and 2020s deepfakes influenced musical and visual culture. She is working on a second book called “The Feminist Wall of Sound.” She has published her work across music and media journals and created video essays and podcasts. 

Tabea Springstein , an assistant professor of psychology, received her doctorate in psychological and brain sciences from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research centers on the dynamics of emotion and emotion regulation in everyday life. She is particularly interested in how emotions are experienced and managed across various situations and social contexts and how emotional processes evolve over the adult lifespan. Using experience sampling and passive sensing methods to gather data from individuals in their natural environments, her long-term goal is to uncover individual differences in emotional processes that could lead to targeted interventions to enhance emotional well-being.

Megan Tabaque , an assistant professor of teaching the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production, holds an M.F.A. in playwriting and fiction from the Michener Center for Writers. Tabaque writes to create new mythologies, using pop cultural tropes as accessible entry points. Her work has been produced by the Alliance Theater, The Road Theater, Inner City Arts, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Tofte Lake Center, The Workshop Theater, Seven Devils, Texas State University, and Vanderbilt University. She was a visiting assistant professor at UCR in the winter quarter, previously taught creative writing at Bennington College, and has written for the immersive entertainment company Meow Wolf. 

Cecilia Vasquez , an assistant professor of anthropology, received her doctorate in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on grassroots responses to sanctuary policies, detention, and care practices in the Inland Empire. Her areas of interest are citizenship and belonging, accompaniment, and migration. She is working on her book manuscript, “Sanctuary i.e.: Meaning and Future of Sanctuary in the Inland Empire.” Her scholarship has led to a collective of poetry workshops, choreographing the folk opera “Canción del Inmigrante,” and community conferences.

Kēhaulani Vaughn , an associate professor of ethnic studies, received her doctorate in ethnic studies from UCR.  A Kanaka ‘Ōiwi scholar, her research engages Pacific Islander and Indigenous feminist theorizations of land, environment, and regeneration. She is working on a book about the trans-Indigenous recognitions between Native Hawaiians living in the U.S. and California Indian tribes. She was previously an assistant professor at the University of Utah where she established the Research Center for Pasifika and Indigenous Knowledges. She co-founded Empowering Pacific Islander Communities which focuses on education, research, and advocacy.

Miriam Venturini , an assistant professor of economics, received her doctorate in economics from the University of Zurich. A political economist and economic historian, her work explores the influence of grassroots organizations on political participation. Her future projects will expand her research focus to labor unions and their impact on the economy and politics.

College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Ellie Armstrong , an assistant professor of in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in biology from Stanford University. Her research focuses on the evolution of large carnivores and the impacts of intense global change on those sensitive populations and global biodiversity. Her lab uses cutting-edge genomic tools to evaluate the genetic health of at-risk species, as well as the general impacts of captivity.

Trevor Bolduc , an assistant professor of teaching in chemistry, received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. During his graduate studies, he instructed second-year students in both major and non-major organic chemistry laboratory courses. His research interests include alternative grading to improve student proficiency and reduce equity gaps, and organic chemistry education app development in support of alternative modes to learning.

Eric Barefoot , an assistant professor of geology, received his doctorate in Earth sciences from Rice University. He studies Earth’s landscapes and sedimentary rocks and is broadly interested in how strata accumulate to create an archive of Earth’s history. He uses modern landscapes to better understand sediment transport processes and rock outcrops to learn about Earth’s ancient past. He develops computer models of sedimentary environments to test hypotheses with scaled laboratory experiments.

Bryan Brown , an assistant professor of computational biology, received his doctorate from Duke University and performed his postdoctoral training at Seattle Children’'s Hospital and the University of Washington. His group will focus on studying and manipulating interactions between endogenous bacteria and viruses and the immune system to improve health outcomes in women and infants. 

Xu Cao , an assistant professor of teaching in statistics, received his doctorate in statistics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His research focus is on survival analysis and its applications in various fields including healthcare.

Christopher Catano , an assistant professor of botany and plant sciences, received his doctorate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Washington University in St. Louis.  His research seeks to understand how biodiversity and ecological communities respond to environmental change, and the consequences of these changes for ecosystem functioning and resilience. His research integrates approaches spanning experimental ecology, quantitative modeling, and remote sensing to advance fundamental theory and scale up capacities to guide ecosystem restoration and conservation.

Laura Catano , an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate from Florida International University where she studied marine community ecology. She has taught biology for over a dozen years, most recently at Emory University in Atlanta. She is interested in developing biology curricula with active-learning approaches that promote diversity in science.

Sonali Chaturvedi , an assistant professor of virology, earned her doctorate from UCR. Her group deciphers genetic circuits pivotal in determining viral fates, seeking to leverage an understanding of those design principles to engineer indomitable therapies envisioned to outsmart viral evolution. The group has a particular interest in latency, oncogenesis, developmental disorders associated with DNA viruses and the transmission mechanics of pandemic potential RNA viruses.

Yuzhou Chen , an assistant professor of statistics, received his doctorate in statistics from Southern Methodist University. He is also an adjunct assistant professor in computer and information sciences at Temple University and a visiting research collaborator in electrical and computer engineering at Princeton University.

Steve Choi , an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, received his doctorate in physics from Princeton University. Choi’s research focuses on experimental and observational cosmology, particularly in the development of superconducting detectors for precise observations of the cosmic microwave background, the remnant radiation from the Big Bang. At UCR, Choi plans to develop more sensitive astronomical instrumentation to address fundamental questions about our universe.

Wei-Chun Chou , an assistant professor of statistics, received his doctorate from National Tsing Hua University and completed postdoctoral training at Kansas State University. His research focuses on computational modeling, particularly physiologically based pharmacokinetic models, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in environmental toxicology and human health. He has pioneered AI methods for predicting chemical toxicity and developed models for nanomedicine and protein interactions to enhance tumor delivery. He serves on the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Luciano Cosme , an assistant professor of entomology, received his doctorate in entomology from Texas A&M University. Before joining UCR, he spent nine years at Yale University as a postdoctoral associate and research scientist, conducting research on mosquitoes. His work focuses on the natural genetic variation of mosquito traits important for arbovirus transmission, photoperiodic diapause, and insecticide resistance. By exploring how genetic variation is generated and maintained in natural populations, he aims to develop innovative strategies for managing mosquito vectors and reducing the burden of mosquito-borne diseases.

Brian Duistermars , an assistant professor of teaching in molecular, cell and systems biology, received his doctorate from UCLA. He grew up on a dairy farm in the Inland Empire and received his bachelor’s degree from UCR. He has studied fly flight and aggression. He previously taught at the Claremont Colleges.

Ahmed El-Moghazy , an assistant professor of microbiology and plant pathology, received his doctorate in developing electrochemical biosensors for food safety applications from a joint program by University of Perpignan in France and Alexandria University in Egypt. Also a UC Cooperative Extension food safety specialist, his research focuses on reducing food safety risks through developing sensors for the detection of potential biological and chemical food contaminants as well as developing antimicrobial matrices to control microbial contamination in food supply chains. 

Tamara Harms , an associate professor of environmental sciences, is an ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist. She has studied desert riparian zones and streams, urban ecosystems, and boreal and arctic watersheds.

Bao-Lam Huynh , an assistant professor of nematology, received his doctorate in plant science from the University of Adelaide, Australia. His research is focused on host plant resistance and crop breeding for nematode resistance. He believes strongly in the sustainability benefits of resistant crops; they reduce reliance on pesticides, thus contributing to cleaner air, cheaper production, safer food, and increased demand and consumption.  His research includes germplasm analysis, genetic mapping, gene discovery, and promoting new varieties.

Siting Liu , an assistant professor of mathematics, received her doctorate in mathematics from UCLA. Liu's research focuses on mathematical modeling and computational techniques, particularly in mean-field games and mean-field control models. She develops efficient computational methods that leverage machine learning and mesh-based techniques to solve partial differential equations. Her work spans various applications in data science, machine learning, and engineering, aiming to provide advanced modeling tools and practical solutions to complex, real-world problems.

Xiaoqian Liu , an assistant professor of statistics, received her doctorate in statistics from North Carolina State University. Her research interests broadly encompass statistical machine learning, computational statistics and optimization, and their applications in bioinformatics and cancer biology, including mutation annotation, transcriptomic deconvolution, and tumor heterogeneity and evolution.

Samuel Mann , an assistant professor of inorganic chemistry, received his doctorate in chemistry from UC Irvine. In his research, Mann aims to merge (bio)inorganic chemical principles with protein design to construct new metalloproteins from scratch that help build structure-function relationships for natural metalloproteins and develop design principles for new-to-nature function.

Pedro Martinez , an assistant professor of pedology in the Department of Environmental Sciences, received his doctorate in soil science from Oregon State University. He is a broadly trained soil scientist with an interest in applying fundamental knowledge to investigate soil genesis, landscape evolution, and soil records of past environments. He seeks to continue developing research and teaching activities on soil-landscape evolution models to unravel past and future Earth system reactions to changing environmental conditions.

Filippo Mazzoli , an assistant professor of mathematics, received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Luxembourg. He is interested in geometric structures arising from representations of surface groups relying on tools from different areas of mathematics, such as differential geometry, dynamical systems, and low dimensional topology. He has worked as a research associate and lecturer at the University of Virginia and spent the last academic year at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences in Leipzig, Germany.

Jeffrey Meyer , an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Mathematics, received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Michigan. His research brings together tools from a broad collection of mathematical areas, such as geometry, linear algebra, and number theory, to solve problems. Much of his recent work has been in spectral and systolic geometry. He also has an interest in researching mathematics education, using cognitive psychology to understand student thinking in mathematics and using those understandings to inform and enhance his courses. He was previously a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma and California State University, San Bernardino.

Adam Norris , an assistant professor of biochemistry, received his doctorate in molecular biosciences from the University of Kansas. His research investigates how RNA splicing is regulated in unique ways in individual neurons. He was previously an assistant professor at Southern Methodist University.

Megan Norris , an assistant professor of biochemistry, received her doctorate in biology from Harvard University. Norris’s group works to understand how RNA localization is established and maintained, specifically in cell protrusions, and how RNA localization affects healthy vertebrate development as well as diseases such as congenital birth defects and cancer. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she showed that RNA localization affects protein binding and cell movement.

Saverio Perri , an assistant professor of environmental sciences, received his doctorate from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. His research specializes in aquatic organisms in limited water and salt ecosystems. He integrates physical modeling and observation to explore global land-use trends, salinity impacts, and ecohydrology. His work addresses the sustainability of ecosystems under climate stress.

Daniel Petras , an assistant professor of biochemistry, received his doctorate in biochemistry from the Technical University Berlin. His research focuses on environmental metabolomics and developing mass spectrometry-based techniques to study chemical interactions within microbial communities. He founded the Functional Metabolomics Lab as an independent junior research group at the University of Tübingen in Germany, moving the lab to UCR when he joined the faculty.

Sunil Kenchanmane Raju , an assistant professor of botany and plant sciences, received his doctorate from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. His research focuses on understanding the evolution of environmental adaptation in crops by utilizing information from stress-adapted wild relatives. Through his organizations, Plant Postdocs and Plant Grad, he provide resources and mentoring support to early-career scientists worldwide, training the next generation of plant scientists.

Crystal Reynaga , an assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in biomechanics from UC Irvine. Her work investigates questions at the intersection of musculoskeletal physiology, neuromechanics, and movement. Her research program aims to understand animal locomotion in complex environments by using integrative experimental approaches, such as biological materials testing and imaging. Her research spans different levels of biological organization, from microscopy of collagen organization to exploring how tendons passively impact control in whole-body movements. 

Jason Rothman , an assistant professor of teaching in microbiology and plant pathology received his doctorate in microbiology from UCR. He researches microbial ecology in environmental and host-associated systems, and the impacts of active learning and mentorship on student motivation in microbiology and bioinformatics. He previously taught at Cal Poly Pomona.

Emma Rova Danelius , an assistant professor of chemistry, received her doctorate in chemistry from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Her research is at the interface of chemistry and biology with a special focus on molecular structures and interactions. At UCR, research in her group will aim to solve challenging structures of bioactive compounds beyond the traditional drug space, as well as their protein targets.

Elizabeth Rowen , an assistant professor of entomology, received her doctorate in entomology from Pennsylvania State University. Her work focuses on insect agroecology, specifically the ways in which soil management practices like cover crops, tillage, and fertilization practices can influence insect pests and predators. She is also interested in how livestock management can affect nutrient cycling with dung beetles in pastures and rangelands. She was previously an assistant professor at West Virginia University.

Meredith VanAkcer , assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in ecology and evolution from Columbia University. Her research integrates wildlife movement ecology, epidemiology, and community ecology to examine how animal hosts respond to global changes like urbanization and deforestation, and the impact on insect-borne and animal-borne disease emergence.

Morgan Weiler , an assistant professor of mathematics, received her doctorate in mathematics from UC Berkeley. Weiler’s work focuses on leveraging symmetry to study the dynamics and embedding properties of low-dimensional symplectic manifolds. At UCR, she plans to develop further computational techniques and to use Reeb dynamics to characterize three-dimensional manifolds.

Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering

Olivia Chen , an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, received her doctorate in electronic engineering from Yokohama National University. She previously served as an associate professor at Kyushu University, focusing on exploratory data analysis for energy-efficient superconducting electronics and neuromorphic computing. Chen’s research interests include developing efficient design tools for superconducting logic families and neural network acceleration. She will begin teaching in January 2025.

Wantong Li , an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, received his doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He directs the Intelligent Computing Architecture & Nanosystem Group. Li’s research spans the areas of emerging computing platforms, reliable and robust integrated circuit design, integrated nanosystems, and algorithm/hardware co-design for edge intelligence. He previously worked at Power Integrations and Micron Technology.

Yaofa Li , an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received his doctorate from Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining UCR, he was an assistant professor at Montana State University. Li’s research interest focuses on developing experimental, numerical, and theoretical studies of thermal-fluid problems primarily at microscopic scales with applications in human health, clean energy, and climate change. He is a recipient of an American Chemical Society 2021 Doctoral New Investigator Award and a 2022 National Science Foundation Career Award.

Shahab Vahdat , an assistant professor of bioengineering, received his doctorate in motor neuroscience from McGill University. His areas of research include neural circuits and neurotreatment in ischemic stroke, with a particular focus on brainstem and spinal cord circuitry. He was previously an assistant professor the University of Florida.

Yuanhang Zhu , an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received his doctorate in engineering from Brown University. His research focuses on using advanced experimental tools to study fluid-structure interactions, with applications in bio-inspired propulsion and renewable energy harvesting.

School of Business

Hyeik Kim , an assistant professor of finance, received her doctorate in finance from Ohio State University. Her primary research interests include private equity, entrepreneurial finance, and corporate finance. Prior to joining UC Riverside, she was a faculty member at the University of Alberta.

School of Education

Miguel Zavala , an associate professor of teaching, received his doctorate in urban schooling from UCLA. A former middle school teacher and grassroots organizer, Zavala has worked on preparing teachers in the areas of literacy and ethnic studies.  He has co-edited publications including “Raza Struggle and the Movement for Ethnic Studies,” “Rethinking Ethnic Studies,” and Transformative Ethnic Studies in Schools.” He is a lead editor of “Ethnic Studies Pedagogies”, an open access journal committed to critical race, decolonial, and ethnic studies movements.

School of Medicine

Milton Hamblin , an associate professor of teaching and director of the master’s degree program in the biomedical sciences division, received his doctorate in biomedical sciences from Meharry Medical College. His research focuses on vascular biology and vascular remodeling-related pathophysiological diseases, including abdominal aortic aneurysms, vascular lesion formation, and stroke. He was an assistant professor at Xavier University of Louisiana prior to joining UCR. 

Sherif Hassan , a professor of internal medicine and executive associate dean for pre-clerkship medical education, received his medical degree and doctorate from Cairo University. He completed residency training in general medicine and surgery and in clinical and chemical pathology at Cairo University Hospital. He has more than 29 years of medical education experience in the fields of gross anatomy, neuroanatomy, medical imaging, and embryology. He previously taught at the California University of Science and Medicine.

Elizabeth Jacobs , a professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, received her medical degree from UC San Francisco. She trained as a general internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and completed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellowship and a master's degree in public policy at the University of Chicago. Her research focus has been investigating disparities in health care, specifically in minority or marginalized communities. She is recognized as an expert in developing accessible and culturally competent care for diverse populations. She previously served as vice president for research at MaineHealth and director of the MaineHealth Institute for Research.

Andre Obenaus , a professor in the Division of Biomedical Sciences received his doctorate in neurophysiology from the University of British Columbia. His research interests encompass mechanistic studies in a variety of acquired brain injuries, including neurotrauma, stroke, epilepsy, early life adversity, and Alzheimer’s Disease. He utilizes neuroimaging in combination with molecular and cellular approaches to explain disease progression and accepted interventions.

Michelle Porche , a professor of internal medicine and director of clinical faculty research development and scholarly activity, received her doctorate in education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in psychology and human development. She has extensive experience on behavioral health research and interventions for children, adolescents, and adults who experience disparities in healthcare. She previously served in leadership roles at the UC San Francisco School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Naveen Raja , a professor of internal medicine and chief medical officer for UCR Health, received his doctor of osteopathic medicine from Nova Southeastern University and completed an internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship at the University of Southern California.  He is board certified in rheumatology and clinical informatics. He has 15 years of executive management experience with a health care emphasis, serving previously as the medical director for population health and accountable care at UCLA Health.

Peter Ureste , an associate clinical professor and residency training director for psychiatry and neuroscience, received his medical degree at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of Southern California, followed by a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at UCSF. He received a master’s degree in academic medicine from USC. He was a faculty member at UC San Francisco for seven years, working with pre-medical students, medical students, and residents as a clinician educator.

Joy Xiang , an assistant professor in the Division of Biomedical Sciences, received her doctorate in bioengineering from Stanford University. Her research focuses on understanding protein-RNA interactions and networks in virus infections, and developing novel nucleic acid based and RNA-targeting therapeutics. Her lab tackles the complexities underlying disease-causing virus-host interactions.

School of Public Policy

Wei Kang , an assistant professor of public policy, received her doctorate from Arizona State University. Her research interests include spatial data science, housing, and spatial inequality. Kang is also the core developer of the open-source Python spatial analysis library, PySAL. Currently, she is conducting research focused on understanding the outcomes of affordable housing policies, such as COVID emergency rental assistance programs, low-income housing tax credit programs, and inclusionary zoning programs, as well as enhancing local spatial statistics and spatiotemporal statistics.

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Master of science in chemical and materials engineering.

The Master of Science in Chemical and Materials Engineering (MSc-ChME) degree program is a specialized degree program offered by the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences at NU (NU SEDS).

Students are required to complete 120 ECTS credits, in 4 semesters, which satisfies the requirements stipulated by the Bologna Process and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) for Master’s Degrees.

The program is research-oriented and it is designed to provide the skills required to solve advanced technical problems in chemical and materials engineering through a combination of Thesis Research and advanced coursework.

More information is available on the NU SEDS website: https://seds.nu.edu.kz/msc_in_cme

General information: 

Campus : Astana, Kazakhstan

Language : English

Delivery mode : Full-time, on-campus

Duration : 2 years

Total ECTS credit : 120

• MSC 601 Technical communication
• MSC 602 Advanced applied mathematics
• MCHME 603 Advanced materials processing
• MCHME 604 Advanced materials characterization methods
• MCHME 605 Advanced chemical reaction engineering
• MSC 600 Research methods and ethics
• MCHME 600 Research seminar
• MCHME 606 Advanced heat and mass transfer
• MCHME 601 Master thesis I
• MCHME 602 Master thesis II

Many MSc graduates start working in mineral resources sector, either in state-owned companies or multinational companies. The MSc. degree allows graduate to apply for PhD in both local and foreign Universities. Finally, the MSc degree is an excellent basis for entrepreneurship-oriented individuals to define specific industrial and societal needs, which can be addressed through the creation of a start-up company.

Admission Requirements

Apply to program

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Two McGill researchers win 2024 Prix du Québec honours

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Professors recognized for work on war-affected children and families, development of ‘intelligent’ fabrics

Two McGill researchers won Prix du Québec, the highest honours awarded by the Quebec government in the fields of culture and science.

Myriam Denov , Professor in McGill’s School of Social Work won the Prix du Québec ’s Marie-Andrée-Bertrand Prize for social innovation.

Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne , Professor in Chemical Engineering, won the Hubert-Reeves Prize, awarded to a promising young researcher.

A leading advocate for children’s rights

Denov conducted groundbreaking research on war-affected children and families for more than two decades and on three continents. Her research explored the unique realities and complex challenges of child soldiers, girls in armed conflict and children born of wartime rape, as well as that of post-conflict reconciliation and war-induced migration and resettlement.

Denov’s work has helped shape policy and practice at Global Affairs Canada, National Defence and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and she has provided key recommendations to improve Quebec’s policies and intervention procedures concerning refugee children and families.

“To be honoured in this way is deeply significant and I am incredibly grateful,” said Denov. “It is especially meaningful that the award comes from the province of Quebéc, which has consistently and generously sponsored my work and provided a supportive context that has enabled me to grow and develop as a researcher.”

Denov holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Children, Families and Armed and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Research at the intersection of Engineering and Biology

Dorval Courchesne is being honoured for her cutting-edge work on nature-inspired materials. Her research focuses on three distinct areas: bioelectricity, bioplastics and “intelligent” fabrics.

Proteins are well known as the essential building blocks of all life, but Dorval Courchesne is taking this adage one step further by using proteins to develop materials that can not only conduct electricity, but also repair themselves. Her team is working on developing fibres based on functional biopolymers, essentially converting harmless bacteria cells into microscopic protein factories.

The resulting fabrics could communicate with smart devices to offer useful information on the wearer’s health status, while also spontaneously repairing tears or other damage incurred during an athletic performance. She has previously collaborated with Lululemon in the development of smart tights, for example.

“Receiving the Hubert-Reeves Prize is fantastic recognition of my work and my efforts to build a creative, multidisciplinary and inclusive research group,” said Dorval Courchesne. “It's an honour to be recognized by an award that bears the name of a scientist who was passionate about research, environmental protection and science popularization.”

Other finalists and alumni winners

“On behalf of McGill University, I extend my warmest congratulations to Prix du Québec laureates, Professors Myriam Denov and Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne,” said Dominique Bérubé, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “From giving a voice to those who are unheard to pioneering new materials with transformative potential, their achievements exemplify the positive impact of research conducted at McGill on Québec, Canada and the world.”

In addition to the two award winners, Marie-Hélène Pennestri and Massimiliano Orri were also finalists for the Prix Hubert-Reeves. And among the 13 other Prix du Québec award winners are several McGill alumni: Sylvie Belleville (PhD'88 -- Prix Armand-Frappier), Anne-Marie Mes-Masson (PhD'84 -- Prix Wilder-Penfield), Frantz Saintellemy (MBA'20 -- Prix Innovation).

Professor Denov is a graduate of McGill University.

Professors Denov and Dorval Courchesne will be recognized at the Prix du Québec awards ceremony on Oct. 29, 2024.

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Engineering
• School of Social Work
• Research and innovation

Department and University Information