Group Members
The AMML Group Heading link

Group photo – August 2019
From left: Matt, Austin, Alex, Ritesh, Siyao, and Junaid
Principal Investigator Heading link

Matthew Daly
Assistant Professor of Materials Engineering
Training
Postdoc, Northwestern University
Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto
M.A.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo
B.A.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo
Email: mattdaly@uic.edu
Links: CV, Google scholar, Researchgate
Short Bio: Matt is originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has worked in a variety of academic and industrial settings over his career and also spent a couple of years living in Germany during his undergraduate studies. His research interests include the mechanics of nanostructured materials, advanced materials and microstructure design, in situ characterization techniques, physical metallurgy and atomistic modeling.
Graduate Students Heading link

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.
Ritesh Jagatramka Heading link

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.
Lu Yingjie Heading link

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.
Undergraduate Students Heading link

Amir Shirsalimian
BS Student in Mechanical Engineering
Amir Shirsalimian is a 3rd-year Mechanical Engineering student who is participating in undergraduate research. He will graduate in the Fall of 2022, with plans of working for a Mechanical Engineering consulting firm. 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.
Ariana Sofia Del Valle Heading link

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.
Lab Alumni Heading link
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Chu Wang
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, Nissan (Wuhan, China)
Austin Bernat
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
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
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Luke Zanoni
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: Chris B. Burke Engineering
Michael Cuzco
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
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.
Alex Jorgensen
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
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
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.