Updates & Highlights

Dr. Yin-Chen Lin joins Applied Materials and both Dr. Norleakvisoth Lim and Dr. Graham Reitz join LAM Research Corporation. We are sad to see them go, but we wish them all the luck and happiness as they move on to the next stage of their professional careers !!!

Our lab will miss them greatly!

Laura Chua, a middle school science teacher from Oxnard, CA participating in the MRL Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program joins our lab for the summer to work with Victoria Diaz on squid proteins and electrochemistry. Laura has a B.S. in Forensic Science and a minor in Chemistry. She is passionate about bringing real-world science into the classroom, and holds teaching credentials in Foundational Level Science, Computer Science, and currently working on adding Math to that list.

Delighted to have you in our lab over the summer !

Yin-Chen successfully defended her thesis, entitled Electrochemically Driven Structural Dynamics and Spectroscopy of Biomolecular Systems, on June 5, 2026. She gave an incredible exposé on squid structural color, reflectin protein electrochemistry and novel spectroelectrochemical techniques. She even loved her new squid plushy!

Sincere Congratulations to Dr. Lin !!!!

Graham successfully defended his thesis, entitled Moisture Outgassing Dynamics and Surface Reactivity of Technical Vacuum Materials: An Energetics-Based Approach Using Temperature-Programmed-Desorption, on June 2, 2026. We learned all about ultra-high vacuum temperature programmed desorption, XPS of surface oxides, and materials outgassing.

Sincere Congratulations to Dr. Reitz !!!!

Visoth successfully defended his thesis, entitled Plasma-Driven Decomposition of Hydrocarbons in High Density Media: High-Pressure Gases and Liquids, on March 16, 2026. It was a tour de force of plasma chemistry, mass spec, ro-vibrational spectroscopy, high voltage and nanosecond shadowgraphy to everyone's delight!

Sincere Congratulations to Dr. Lim !!!!

Takayuki Kosaka, a PhD student from J. Otomo-sensei's resarch group at the Institute of Science Tokyo, is visiting our lab for 3 months for experiments on CO₂ splitting with oxides.

Ryan Berry and Visoth Lim won Gold and Silver Presentation Prizes, respectively, at the InfoSyEnergy International Forum on Energy & Informatics in Phuket, Thailand in Dec. 2025! Awards were presented by Ihara-sensei from Institute Science Tokyo, Director of the InfoSyEnergy Consortium. Congratulations!!!!

Kai Uyeda from Occidental College joins our group to work on nitride semiconductors and metasurfaces in collaboration with SSLEEC. Welcome Kai!!!!

Congratulations to Eloise Masquelier for her recent paper in ACS Electrochemistry on electrochemical triggering and assembly of Tau protein that is responsible for Alzheimer's disease.
PAPER LINK

Luis Blanco, an NSF GRFP fellow and new Mechanical Engineering PhD student, has joined our group! He is co-advised with Prof. Sumita Pennathur in ME and will be working on combining optical sensing with microfluidic platforms. Welcome Luis!!!

Yin-Chen is going to the annual AIChE meeting to present her work on reflectin protein electrochemistry.

Atlas was selected as Outstanding Senior in Chemical Engineering for 2025 based on highest scholatic performance in the department. Atlas is going on to graduate studies at MIT in the fall. Congratulations!!!

Professor Gordon was selected by the class of 2025 as the recipient of the Outstanding Chemical Engineering Faculty Award. This is the eighth time that graduating seniors have honored Gordon with the recognition.

In this work, we demonstrate electrochemically reversible triggering and condensation of reflectin protein thin films with novel in situ diagnostics inclucing electrochemical ellipsometry, surfcce plasmon resonance, and cicrular dichroism. This work deepens our understanding of biophysical processes governing cephalopod coloration but also paves the way for bio-inspired materials and devices that seamlessly integrate biological principles with synthetic systems to bridge the biotic-abiotic gap.
PAPER LINK