Group photo August 2023
Back row: Christopher Povinelli (G4), Nick Dulock (G2), Jadon Bienz (G2), Zion Irving-Singh (G0), Shaoyang Lin (postdoc)
3rd row: Eshaan Patheria (G5), Brian Lee (G5), Dan McHaffie (G4), Zac Iton (G6), Kim See (PI)
2nd row: Colin Morrell (G3), Steven Stradley (G6), Grace Chen (G4), Tori Davis (G2)
Front row: Michelle Qian (G5), Xiaotong Li (postdoc), Kim Pham (G5), Skyler Ware (G6), Wendy Zhang (graduate!)
For past group photos, see the archive.
Kimberly See
Kim was born and raised in Colorado and received her B.S. in Chemistry from Colorado School of Mines in 2009. After a year at CU Boulder and a year in industry working at NuSil Technology, Kim attended the University of California, Santa Barbara for her graduate work with Profs. Ram Seshadri and Galen Stucky. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2014. For her postdoctoral work, Kim received the St. Elmo Brady Future Faculty Fellowship and worked with Prof. Andrew Gewirth at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she studied the local solvation structure of next-generation battery electrolytes. Find out more about Kim here.
postdocs
Shaoyang Lin
My name is Shaoyang Lin (林劭阳). I was born in Chengdu, Sichuan and grew up in Shantou, Guangdong. I did my undergraduate study in South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, learning about organic light emitting diodes and organic solar cells. I received my Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at Virginia Tech in 2019. Under the direction of Dr. Amanda Morris, I investigated catalysis mechanisms and charge transfer pathways of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical reactions catalyzed by metal-organic framework based heterogeneous catalysts. After that, I became a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The Ohio State University, joining Dr. Claudia Turro’s group in April 2019. My research was focusing on illustrating the reaction mechanism, especially the role of redox non-innocent ligands in dirhodium HER electrocatalysts. In my free time, I like watching soccer games and playing soccer. I have been a fan of Inter Milan for 20 years. I also like hiking, cooking, watching movies and singing.
graduate students
Zac Iton
Materials Science
Zac was born in the Caribbean Island Trinidad & Tobago but moved to Barbados at the age of 5 where he lived until he moved to Philly to pursue his undergraduate studies at UPenn. There he completed the VIPER dual-degree program and worked for Prof. Chris Murray. He investigated a variety of nanoparticles for possible energy/sustainability applications, including vanadium oxide films for smart windows and metal nanoparticles on ceria nanoplates for catalytic converters. After realizing he could not survive in the cold, Zac moved to California to pursue his graduate studies in material science at Caltech. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, exploring the city and spending time with friends.
Brian Lee
Chemistry
Brian was born and raised in Suwon, South Korea, then moved to Singapore in middle school. He moved again to Minnesota in high school, then attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry. He worked with Prof. Ken Suslick on the development of polymer gas chromatography microcolumns, then with Prof. Alison Fout on carbene based pincer first row transition metal catalysts. In his free time he enjoys getting his heart broken by the Minnesotan sports teams.
Eshaan Patheria
Chemistry
Eshaan grew up in Dublin, Ireland and later moved to Mumbai, India when he was 10 years old where he spent the rest of his school days. He then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend Harvard University where he received his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Physics. While there, Eshaan worked under Professor Philip Kim studying charge transport and interlayer excitons in van der Waals heterostructures of transition metal dichalcogenides. Before starting at Caltech, he spent one year working with an NGO called Gram Vikas to build a solar micro-grid in a village called Maligaon in Odisha, India. In his free time, Eshaan enjoys playing basketball, running and trying new foods.
Kim Pham
Chemistry
Kim was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts, home of proud sports fans and unpredictable seasons. At Brown University, Kim studied materials chemistry and worked with Professor Robinson on selective copper-catalyzed oxygen reduction reactions. As much as she loved the charm of the east coast and the convenience of public transportation, Kim decided to escape to sunny California for her graduate studies. In her free time, she loves to dance west coast swing and ballroom, work on crafting projects, and cook Vietnamese food.
Michelle Qian
Chemistry
Michelle was born in Pasadena before her parents moved to Minnesota to experience the frozen tundra. Not realizing that there were other seasons besides winter and construction, she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota. She wrote her undergraduate thesis on luminescent lanthanide probes for aqueous anions under the direction of Valerie Pierre. Deciding that -50 F was a touch too cold, Michelle returned to Pasadena for her graduate studies. Her hobbies include collecting minerals, hiking, and coaxing people into going to bar trivia with her.
Steven Stradley
Chemical Engineering
Steven spent his first 22 years below sea level in New Orleans, Louisiana. There, he earned a degree in chemical engineering at Tulane University. He wrote his undergraduate thesis on the binding affinity of the human adenosine receptor to a fluorescent ligand under Professor Anne Robinson. Steven thought that his string of loosely related work experience, including his time as an Airbnb host, an internship at a nuclear power plant, and his position as manager of his alma mater’s outdoor recreation program, gave him the perfect background for work in batteries. As a result, he eventually left the swamps for the cooler climate of Southern California to pursue his graduate studies at Caltech. When he’s not in the lab, Steven spends most of his free time watching Bon Appetit videos, climbing, and cooking.
Grace Chen
Chemistry
Grace was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, then her family moved to Southern California when she was in middle school. Having never experienced cold winters with snowfall, she decided to move to Connecticut to attend Wesleyan University, where she received her bachelor's degree in Chemistry. She worked with Prof. T. David Westmoreland on the synthesis and characterization of Mn(II)-based MRI contrast agents. Despite falling in love with the rich history and historic architecture of New England, she missed the wide variety of delicious Asian cuisine and the pleasant climate of California, so she returned to Southern California for her graduate studies at Caltech. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, swimming, and hiking.
Daniel McHaffie
Materials Science
Dan grew up in Hamilton, Canada, and earned a BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering nearby at the University of Waterloo. During his undergraduate degree, he worked with Professor Wei Tsen to study a variety of low-dimensional materials for quantum computing applications. While spending some time outside of academia, Dan investigated degradation mechanisms of electrode materials in both lithium-ion batteries and neural interfaces during internships at companies in the Bay Area. His hobbies include canoeing, hiking, and playing soccer.
Christopher Povinelli
Chemistry
Christopher grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spent his undergraduate years in Massachusetts at Boston College, where the winters were also cold. There, he worked with Prof. Dunwei Wang on energy storage research, including MOF separators for magnesium-sulfur batteries and silicon monoxide prelithiation for lithium-ion anodes. He also spent a summer at Argonne National Lab working with Dr. Patricia Ignacio-de Leon on lithium batteries as well as silica xerogels for biofuel extraction. At Caltech, he continues to work on batteries while desperately trying to retain his cold tolerance in a warmer climate. In his free time, he enjoys modding Minecraft and cooking.
Colin T. Morrell
Chemistry
Colin grew up in Trabuco Canyon, California and earned an A.B. in Chemistry at Dartmouth College where he worked with Prof. Katherine A. Mirica on developing chemiresistive sensors for small reactive gases using conductive metallophthalocyanine framework materials. Missing the SoCal sunshine, Colin returned for his graduate studies at Caltech. In his free time, he enjoys photography, bird watching, and playing Pandemic Legacy.
Nick Dulock
Chemistry
Nick grew up in Pelham, New York, but betrayed his state to follow his love for the Red Sox and attend school at Boston College. There, he earned his B.S. in Chemistry and studied a variety of electrochemistry under Professor Dunwei Wang, including Li-O2 battery SEIs, biomass valorization, and water oxidation. Chasing a love for batteries, he ditched the East Coast and his sweater hoard to pursue graduate studies at Caltech. In his free time, Nick enjoys doodling, losing at boardgames, and ingesting spooky folklore and mythology
Jadon M. Bienz
Materials Science
Jadon grew up in the Bay Area before moving down the coast to UC Santa Barbara for undergraduate studies in chemistry. There, he worked with Professor Ram Seshadri and graduate student mentor Kira Wyckoff on Wadsley-Roth phase metal oxides for Li-ion battery electrodes. He also spent a summer in the heat of Arizona working on fracture mechanics at Intel. Continuing his migration down the California coast, Jadon moved to Pasadena to pursue a PhD in materials science at Caltech. In his free time, he likes to hike, spend time with friends, and listen to the Steely Dan discography.
Victoria K. Davis
Chemistry
Tori grew up in Santa Clarita, California. She got her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Scripps College. During undergrad, Tori worked on organometallic catalysis and organic synthesis at Scripps in Claremont, California, inorganic synthesis during her study abroad at University College Dublin in Ireland, and battery electrochemistry during her Caltech SURF at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Tori got her master’s degree in Inorganic Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill in North Carolina, where she maintained a research collaboration with JPL and Caltech, gaining expertise in solution and interfacial characterization of liquid electrolytes. Tori is now pursuing her doctoral degree in Inorganic Chemistry at Caltech in the See group. Tori’s favorite things are chocolate, her dog Tyson, spending time with family and friends, baking, and reading papers at the beach.
Zion Irving-Singh
Chemistry
Zion was born and raised in Wailuku, Hawaii, where he found his love for nature and the outdoors. He followed this love to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where he majored in chemistry with a minor in environmental engineering. During his undergrad, he worked with Professor Paige Hall on understanding and harnessing the power of LSPR in noble metal nanoparticles, where he realized his passion for research. Following this, he did a quick stint at JPL, where he fell in love with the Caltech community (and Pasadena weather). After that, there was no question of what was next, and now he is pursuing a PhD in chemistry at Caltech. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and capturing the world around him with photography.
Naiara Munich
Chemical Engineering
Naiara grew up right around Pasadena, California before moving across the country for her undergraduate studies in chemistry (and a sprinkle of chemical engineering) at Barnard College of Columbia University. There, she worked with Prof. Lauren E. Marbella at Columbia Engineering on electrolyte engineering for Li-metal and K-metal batteries, using operando solid state NMR to investigate the SEIs. As much as she loved NYC, she realized winter and overcast weather were not for her, and moved right back to her hometown for a PhD in chemical engineering at Caltech. Naiara loves to read fantasy books, do crafts (embroidery and pottery), and spend an entire day soaking up the sun at the beach.
undergraduate students
Leah Soldner
Undergraduate Student
Chemical Engineering (class of 2024)
Leah grew up in South Pasadena, California and is currently an undergrad at Caltech studying Chemical Engineering on the Material Science track. She first discovered her love of batteries while looking at ways to understand and optimize a sulfonamide-based electrolyte in Li-ion batteries for full cell stability with Professor Yang Shao-Horn at MIT. Wanting to continue working on batteries at Caltech, she joined the See group! In her free time, Leah enjoys going on hikes, playing tennis, and photography.