Research Group
Members of the Zurek Research Group, November 2022, Natural Sciences Complex.
Eva Zurek: structure and bonding.
Postdoctoral Associates
Ethan Shapera: high-energy density quantum matter, superhard materials.
Samad Hajinazar: evolutionary algorithms and machine learning.
Francesco Belli: superconducting hydrides, machine learning, anharmonicity.
Stefano Racioppi: planetery materials, electrides, quantum crystallography.
Biswas Rijal: machine learning, superhard materials.
Josiah Roberts: machine learning, superhard materials.
Xiaoyu Wang: superconductivity, nanostructuring.
Nisha Geng: high pressure chemistry.
PhD Students
Trevor Higgins: superconductivity, multifunctional materials.
Morgan Reddington: high pressure chemistry, hydrides.
Masashi Kimura: high pressure chemistry.
Undergraduate Students
Sean Torres: superconductivity, structure prediction.
Previous Members
Busheng Wang, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently an assistant professor at Yanshan University.
Project: topological high pressure materials, structure prediction.
Dongbao Luo, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently an assistent professor at Nanjing University of Technology.
Project: superhard materials, structure prediction.
Seong Won Jang, Masters Student
Project: high pressure chemistry.
Cooper Cohen, Undergraduate Student
Project: evolutionary algorithms.
Giacomo Scilla, Undergraduate Student
Project: high pressure chemistry.
Katie Hilleke, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently an assistant scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics
Project: chemical pressure and bonding, high pressure chemistry.
Jose Manuel Recio, Visiting Professor from the University of Oviedo
Project: high pressure chemistry.
Pratik Kumar Das, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently an INSPIRE Faculty Fellow in the Department of Earth Science, IIEST Shibpur, Kolkata.
Project: superconducting, planetery and geological materials under pressure.
Tiange Bi, PhD Graduate. Tiange is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institute for Science.
Project: high pressure chemistry.
Yan Yan, Visiting Scholar from Changchun University
Project: structure prediction, superconductivity and high pressure chemistry.
Miao Zhang, Visiting Scholar from Beihua University
Project: structure prediction, superhard materials and high pressure chemistry.
Patrick Avery, PhD Graduate. Patrick now works as a Research and Development Engineer at Kitware.
Project: evolutionary algorithms and structure prediction.
Daniel Miller, PhD Graduate. Dan now works as an Assistant Professor at Hofstra University.
Project: self-assembly of organic molecules on metal surfaces.
Dr. Niloofar Zarifi, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently a data scientist in Canada.
Projects: predicting crystal structures of solids under high pressures.
Michelle Gabbour, Masters Graduate.
Project: self-assembly of organic molecules on metal surfaces.
Zack Falls, PhD Graduate. Currently an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Informatics at the University at Buffalo.
Project: heterogeneous catalysis; algorithms for structure prediction.
Tyson Terpstra, PhD Graduate.
Project: solids under high pressure; bonding in complex intermetallics.
Andrew Shamp, PhD Graduate. Andrew is currently a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Project: predicting crystal structures of solids under high pressures.
Dr. Nina Tyminska, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently in France.
Project: heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis.
Scott Simpson, PhD Graduate. Scott now works as an Assistant Professor at St. Bonaventure University.
Projects: self-assembly of organic molecules on metal surfaces.
Courtney Sosinski, Masters Student
Project: self-assembly of organic molecules on metal surfaces; carbon nanotubes.
Dr. Xiaoguang Luo, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently in Nankai University, China.
Project: predicting crystal structures of solids under high pressures.
Lara Hargrave, Undergraduate Student
Project: self-assembly of organic molecules on metal surfaces.
Patrick Saitta, Undergraduate Student
Project: predicting crystal structures of solids under high pressures.
Amanda Wach, Undergraduate Student
Project: part of URGE to compute; docking and intermolecular interactions.
Jiechen Chen, Undergraduate Student
Project: part of URGE to compute; docking and intermolecular interactions.
Dr. James Hooper, Postdoctoral Associate. James now works at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.
Projects: predicting crystal structures of solids under high pressures; genetic algorithms.
David Lonie, PhD Graduate, Dave's Blog. Dave now works as a Research and Development Engineer at Kitware.
Project: Genetic algorithms; structure prediction.
Dr. Bahadir Altintas, visiting scholar from Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey.
Projects: electron-phonon interactions; electronic structure of compressed solids.
Kyle Whitson, Masters Student
Projects: Metal-ammonia systems; gold clusters.
Dr. Pio Baettig, Postdoctoral Associate. Currently in Switzerland.
Projects: Predicting hitherto unknown materials; multiferroics; potential superconductors or hydrogen storage media.
James Pander, REU student from Penn State Erie, the Behrend College.
Projects: random dock; excess electrons in water.