Where our alumni go

Junaid Ahmed

PhD Student in Materials Engineering

Junaid Ahmed is originally from Sadiq Abad, Punjab, Pakistan and received his B.Sc. degree in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan. Afterword, he joined Mechanical Engineering department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia and received his M.Sc. degree in 2016. Under the supervision of Dr. Ihsan ul Haq Toor, he worked on the development and characterization of nano-structured stainless steels by powder metallurgy followed by spark plasma sintering. In November 2016, he joined University of Hafr al Batin, Saudi Arabia as a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering department. Junaid joined the AMML in January 2019 to begin his Ph.D. studies.

Next Position: Senior Metallurgist, Lyten

Ritesh Jagatramka

PhD Student in Materials Engineering

Ritesh Jagatramka received his Bachelors of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune. For his Bachelors’ work, he completed a project designing a mast of an indoor airship in collaboration with IIT, Bombay. Due to interest in the field of energy technology, a part of his work was on designing a solar concentrated sterling engine which made him realize the need for energy storage systems is paramount. He began his graduate career as a Masters’ student at UIC under the supervision of Dr. Indacochea. Given his high interest in the field of energy storage, he accepted a project on improving the efficiency of lithium-oxygen batteries in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory. He joined the AMML for his PhD studies in January 2019.

Next Position: Materials Engineer, Antora Energy

Javier Obregon

PhD Student in Materials Engineering

Javier Obregon is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. He received his B. Sc. Degree in Materials (Metallurgy) Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar in 2006. Then, he joined the beverage and food Industry as a Specialist in Materials Engineering where he worked on failure analysis, corrosion and wear mitigation, tribology, materials characterization and selection, risk-based field inspections, operations and maintenance. In 2017 he decided to broaden his metallurgical and corrosion knowledge by starting his Ph. D. studies at UIC under the advising of Dr. Ernesto J. Indacochea and in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, where he developed and optimized new stainless steel-based multiphase alloys and oxide composites as nuclear waste forms. He also received a M. S. in Materials Engineering from UIC in 2021 by the application of new electrochemical protocols for evaluating the corrosion in-vitro of biomedical implant alloys such as titanium and cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys. Javier joined the AMML in Fall 2022 as a research assistant to complete a project on measuring creep damage in stainless steels.

Next Position: Quality Control Engineer, North American Stainless

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan received his M.Sc. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, in 2016 with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He received his B.Sc. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from University of the Punjab (PU), Lahore, Pakistan in 2012. He has hands-on experience in the development and characterization of advanced materials for lightweight and high-strength applications. His M.Sc. thesis focuses on the development of Al-Al₂O₃ nanocomposites using powder metallurgical routes followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). In October 2016, he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia, and performed teaching and administrative tasks as a lecturer.

Next Position: Supplier Quality Engineer, GameChange Solar

Lu Yingjie

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Lu Yingjie is a Master’s student in Materials Engineering, who plans to graduate in the summer of 2023. She received her B.E in Materials Science and Engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. She is learning about deformation mechanisms and characterization of microstructures of metallic materials. She aims to pursue a career in materials design in the future. Yingjie joined AMML in January 2022.

Next Position: Materials Engineer, Solvus Global

Chheng Lang Ngov

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Chheng is a Master’s student in Material Engineering, expect to graduate in May 2024. She received a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University. She is interested in learning about advanced materials, the structures, the properties and how they influence the development of materials. My goal is to use these skills in process improvement and process engineering in material design.

Next Position: External Supply Operations Quality Intern, Pfizer

Alejandro Lara

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Alejandro is a Master’s student in Materials Engineering, expected to graduate in May 2023. He received his B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2018. He credits his job as an application engineer in surface finishing for developing an interest in materials. He is interested in material wear and protection, processing and manufacturing, and biomaterials. Currently with the group he is learning about creep deformation and testing.

Next Position: Application Engineer, NGL Group

Chu Wang

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Chu Wang received his Bachelor of Engineering in Metal Materials Engineering from the Hefei University of Technology in China. He worked on heat treatment process of traditional metal materials and 2D nanomaterials during his undergraduate study. For his interesting of advanced materials, he started his master study in CME department of UIC. He joined the AMML in September 2020.

Next Position: Process Engineer, Honda

Austin Bernat

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Austin Bernat is a continuing student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, receiving his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 2018. He plans on combining both fields of study to analyze material deformation and modes of failure, with particular interests in anisotropy and extreme exposure conditions. Completing the first year of his Master program, Austin joined the AMML in May 2019.

Siyao Tong

MS Student in Materials Engineering

Siyao Tong is an international student from China. She received her Bachelor of Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She is currently majoring in Materials Engineering for her master degree. She will graduate in May 2020. Siyao joined the AMML in May 2019 for her master studies.

Next position: Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology

Juan Alanis

BS Student in Mechanical Engineering

Juan Alanis is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineer major at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is expected to graduate by May 2024. He grew up mainly in Chicago in a neighborhood called Rogers Park but has recently moved to Niles. Additionally, he has expressed his strong interest to pursue a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Ariana Sofia Del Valle

BS Student in Physics

Ariana Sofia Del Valle is a 4th year Physics student participating in research. She will graduate in the Spring of 2022 with plans of pursuing a career within Materials Science and Engineering. Ariana is interested in the research of materials and how their composition influences material properties and in the development of materials for energy storage. She joined AMML in January 2022 as a part of the Educational Research and Training Collaborative at UIC.

Next Position: Research Engineer, Blue Origin

Jacob Lasso

BS Student in Mechanical Engineering

Jacob Lasso is a 3rd-year Mechanical Engineering Student participating in undergraduate research. He will graduate in the Spring of 2024 with hopes of pursuing his Masters abroad and eventually focusing on environmentally sustainable design. Jacob’s interests include music composition, climbing, camping, and creation among other things. He joined the AMML in May 2022.

Amir Shirsalimian

BS Student in Mechanical Engineering

Amir Shirsalimian received his bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Chicago in the Fall of 2022. His interests include learning about a variety of different engineering techniques, plenty of which can assist him in identifying materials that can be lightweight and exhibit heavy load carrying capabilities.

Next Position: Manufacturing Engineer, Ford

Luke Zanoni

BS Student in Civil Engineering

Luke is an undergraduate student in Civil and Materials Engineering at UIC. He will graduate in Fall 2019 and plans to work full time as a Civil Engineering consultant upon graduation. Also, he hopes to pursue a Masters in Civil Engineering in the near future. Luke is interested in water resources and materials engineering, with a particular emphasis on developing sustainable solutions and applications for engineering design. Luke joined the AMML in August 2019 after working closely with Professor Daly on his senior design project, which focused on developing a material testing device for nanomaterials.

Next Position: Civil Engineer, Mackie Consultants LLC

Michael Cuzco

BS Student in Mechanical Engineering

Michael is a mechanical engineer who will graduate in Spring 2020. He has great interest in pursuing a masters degree and has an interest in heat engines and structural analysis.

Jeremy Harris

BS Student in Civil Engineering

Jeremy is an undergraduate student in the department of Civil and Materials Engineering at UIC with an expected graduation in Fall 2019. Along with being a full-time student, he currently works in the structural section of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District. After graduation, Jeremy is hoping to earn a Master’s in Civil Engineering and a Doctorate soon after. His goal is to eventually become a professor of Civil Engineering. Jeremy joined the AMML in September 2019 after working with Professor Daly and Luke Zanoni on their senior design project.

Next Position: US Army Corps of Engineers

Alex Jorgensen

BS Student in Civil Engineering

Alex is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He expects to graduate in December of 2021. Alex plans on specializing his degree in the technical area of environmental engineering. He joined the AMML in June 2019 as as part of the GPIP for first-year students at UIC.

Marius Zavistanavicius

BS Student in Engineering Physics

Marius was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. However, he did most of his growing up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Marius received an Associates degree in Science at Harper College. In 2020, Marius will graduate from UIC with a Bachelors in Engineering Physics.

Jim Brennan

BS Student in Civil Engineering

Jim was born in Downers Grove, Illinois and is a Civil Engineering undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He will graduate in Spring 2020 and plans to continue his education to receive his Masters degree in Structural Engineering. Jim is interested in research of materials, material composition of structures, and structural design.

Next Position: Field Engineer, Hensel Phelps