Maria Alder ’25

Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making

Advisor: Desirée Plata, Gilbert W. Winslow (1937) Career Development Professor in Civil Engineering; Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Yunpo Li, Graduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Using data science and machine learning to understand and predict methane emission from oil and gas infrastructure

Gabriela Alvarez-Perez ’22

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Eric Anton Verploegen, Research Engineer; Lecturer, D-Lab
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Evaporative cooling rooms for vegetable preservation

Louise Anderfaas ’24

Materials Science and Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Qin Qi, James R. Mares ’24 Career Development Chair; Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

Aqueous ionic liquid microstructures for efficient lipid extraction in microalgal biofuel production

Shelly Ben-David ’23

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor: Farnaz Niroui, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Direct Supervisor: Weikun Zhu, Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: Shell

Onsite growth of halide perovskites with single nanocrystal resolution

Max J. Burns ’24

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Eric Anton Verploegen, Research Engineer; Lecturer, D-Lab
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Investigating clay pot coolers for food storage in developing nations

Joshika Chakraverty ’25

Chemical Engineering

Advisor: Michael Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor, Chemical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Matthias Kuehne, Postdoctoral Associate, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: Chevron (summer) and Friends of MITEI UROP (fall)

Probing fluid phase transitions in single digit nanopores

Luke Chapman ’24

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Daniel Sweeney, Research Scientist, Biomass Fuel and Cookstoves; Lecturer, D-Lab
Direct Supervisor: Lisa Tang, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Home energy efficiency improvements in the Himalayan region

Jason Chen ’25

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Daniel Sweeney, Research Scientist, Biomass Fuel and Cookstoves; Lecturer, D-Lab
Direct Supervisor: Suyong Kim, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Ugandan Makaa stove project/Home energy efficiency improvements in the Himalayan region

Kemi Chung ’25

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Evelyn Wang, Department Head, Ford Professor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Yajing Zhao, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Fabrication and characterization of electrospun membranes for condensation heat transfer

Francisco Colon ’25

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor: Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, Urban Studies and Planning
Direct Supervisor: Jungwoo Chun, Graduate Student, Urban Studies and Planning
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Siting of renewable energy facilities

Katherine Crowley ’25

Chemical Engineering

Advisor: John E. Rice, Senior Research Scientist, Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Direct Supervisor: Conor Perks, Graduate Student, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Shell

Argon pumpout from ICRF waves

Giselle Duque ’23

Chemical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Jean-Francois Hamel, Lecturer, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Modeling bioethanol production in yeast

Tamilore Fashae ’23

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Ahmed Ghoniem, Ronald C. Crane (1972) Professor; Director, Center for Energy and Propulsion Research; Director, Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Aniket Patankar, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Shell

A reactor train system for efficient solar thermochemical fuel production

Andy Fong ’25

Chemical Engineering

Advisor: Yogesh Surendranath, Paul M Cook Career Development Associate Professor, Chemistry
Direct Supervisor: Wei Lun Toh, Graduate Student, Chemistry
Sponsor: Shell

Exploring the application of gas diffusion electrodes in non-aqueous electrolytes

Caitlin Fukumoto ’24

Urban Studies and Planning

Advisor: Kristin Bergmann, D. Reid Weedon, Jr. ’41 Career Development Professor, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Direct Supervisor: Les Armstrong, Graduate Researcher, MIT Energy Initiative
Sponsor: Shell

Mapping salt resources for long-term geological hydrogen storage

Runako Gentles ’24

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Advisor: Ruben Juanes, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Professor of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Lluis Salo-Salgado, Graduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Classification of carbon dioxide injection–induced earthquakes using feature-based representation of time series data

Sierra Green ’24

Materials Science and Engineering; Music and Theatre Arts

Advisor: Antoine Allanore, Professor of Metallurgy; Heather N. Lechtman Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Director, Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology
Direct Supervisor: Charles Boury, Graduate Student, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Production of pure tungsten from sulfidized ore for sustainable metals extraction (IAP)
Treatment of molybdenum impurities in tungsten minerals via sulfide chemistry (fall)

James Greer ’22

Electrical Science and Engineering

Advisor: Tomas Palacios, Director, 6-A MEng Thesis Program; Professor, Electrical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Qingyun Xie, Graduate Student, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Process optimization and measurement of GaN field-effect transistor

Sydney Hawkins ’25

Biological Engineering

Advisor: Amos Winter, Ratan N. Tata Career Development Professor; Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Jeffrey Costello, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Sliding vane energy recovery device (ERD) for photovoltaic-powered brackish water reverse osmosis desalination (PV-BWRO)

Blake Hudspeth ’25

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Tonio Buonassisi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Aleks Siemenn, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Product engineering of an accelerated material discovery device

Karina Lara ’24

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Daniel Sweeney, Research Scientist, Biomass Fuel and Cookstoves; Lecturer, D-Lab
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Redesigning the wood-burning cookstove for Guatemalan households

Heidi Li ’22

Materials Science and Engineering

Advisor: Christopher Knittel, George P. Shultz Professor of Energy Economics, Professor of Applied Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management
Direct Supervisor: Aisling O’Grady, Project Manager, MIT Energy Initiative
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Climate Action Through Education (CATE) project

Elaine Siyu Liu ’24

Mathematics; Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science

Advisor: Marija Ilic, Senior Research Scientist, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
Direct Supervisor: Miroslav Kosanic, Graduate Student, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Power system failure prediction through influence graphs

Zixuan Liu ’25

Biological Engineering

Advisor: Giovanni Traverso, Karl Van Tassel (1925) Career Development Professor, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Troy Ziliang Kang, Postdoctoral Associate, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil (summer) and Friends of MITEI UROP (fall)

Miniaturized ultra-efficient micropumps using shape memory alloy-based peristaltic architectures

Connie Ly ’24

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Daniel Sweeney, Research Scientist, Biomass Fuel and Cookstoves; Lecturer, D-Lab
Direct Supervisor: Lisa Tang, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Household air pollution from cooking and heating assessment in the Himalayan region (IAP)
D-Lab: Himalayan household energy evaluation and combustion cookstove experiments (spring)

Lucas Marden ’24

Materials Science and Engineering

Advisor: Yang Shao-Horn, JR East Professor of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Daniele Vivona, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Accelerated discovery of perovskite lithium-based solid electrolytes

Charikleia Moraitaki ’25

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Eric Anton Verploegen, Research Engineer; Lecturer, D-Lab
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Evaporative cooling for vegetable preservation

Lee J. Morgan ’25

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor: Robert C. Armstrong, Director, MIT Energy Initiative; Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Pablo Ducru, Graduate Student, MIT-Shell Energy Fellow, Computational Nuclear Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Who can lead and pay for the renewable energy transition in developing countries?

Nigara Nizamidin ’23

Chemical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Jean-Francois Hamel, Lecturer, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Integrating online analytics and virtual sensors to develop a real-time carbon mass balance

Katherine Pelton ’22

Computer Science and Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Christoph Reinhart, Professor; Director, Building Technology Program, Architecture
Sponsor: Shell

Making miscellaneous electricity loads accessible

Katia Pendowski ’24

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Maria Yang, Associate Dean of Engineering; Gail E. Kendall Professor, Mechanical Engineering; MIT D-Lab Faculty Academic Director
Direct Supervisor: Jana Saadi, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

User-centered design of cookstoves

Rachel Pereira ’23, Wellesley College

Chemistry

Advisor: Betar Gallant, Associate Professor, American Bureau of Shipping Career Development Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Fang-Yu Kuo, Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: Shell

An alkali swing process for electrochemical CO2 separations

Sebastian Quintero ’24

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Desirée Plata, Gilbert W. Winslow (1937) Career Development Professor in Civil Engineering; Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sponsor: Shell

Using data science and machine learning to understand and predict methane emission from oil and gas infrastructure

Smah Riki ’24

Chemical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Jean-Francois Hamel, Lecturer, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Optimization of current industrial methodology of bioethanol production

Anna Simmons ’25

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Mert Demirer, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics, Sloan School of Management
Sponsor: Shell (summer)

Reducing power plant emissions: Analyzing economic factors on plant efficiency

Advisor: Evelyn Wang, Department Head, Ford Professor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Yajing Zhao, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP (IAP)

Hierarchal surfaces for condensation heat transfer

Tomasz Slusarczyk ’25

Mathematics

Advisor: Yang Shao-Horn, JR East Professor of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Yirui Zhang, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Tuning liquid electrolytes for optimized electrochemical hydrogen generation

Matthew Sousa ’23

Chemical-Biological Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Jean-Francois Hamel, Lecturer, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Developing a rational methodology for the golden batch from simulation and experimentation

Phoenix Swartz ’24

Biology

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Jean-Francois Hamel, Lecturer, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Noninvasive method for monitoring S. cerevisiae liquid culture growth

Christine Tang ’25

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Eric Anton Verploegen, Research Engineer; Lecturer, D-Lab
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Developing SMS-based user feedback system for communication between clay pot cooler users and research teams

Joyce Tang ’25

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Eric Anton Verploegen, Research Engineer; Lecturer, D-Lab
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Mobile evaporative cooling rooms for vegetable preservation

Jocelyn Ting ’22

Materials Science and Engineering

Advisor: Robert C. Armstrong, Director, MIT Energy Initiative; Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Pablo Duenas Martinez, Research Scientist, MIT Energy Initiative
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Expanding the reference electrification model to optimally design grid-connected mini-grids in India

Sierra Triozzi ’25

Materials Science and Engineering

Advisor: Giovanni Traverso, Karl Van Tassel (1925) Career Development Professor, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Sanghyun Park, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil (summer) and Friends of MITEI UROP (fall)

Hydrogel based osmotic engine characterization for the tunable, multi-scale chemical-mechanical energy transition applications

Kanokwan Tungkitkancharoen ’25

Mechanical Engineering and Political Science

Advisor: Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, Urban Studies and Planning
Direct Supervisor: Jungwoo Chun, Graduate Student, Urban Studies and Planning
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Sources of opposition to renewable energy projects in the United States

Athena Wang ’25

Computer Science and Engineering

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Leslie Norford, George Macomber (1948) Professor in Construction Management, Architecture
Sponsor: Shell

Assessing machine learning methods in predicting building energy usage

Amir White ’25

Mechanical Engineering and Physics

Advisor: Evelyn Wang, Department Head, Ford Professor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Hyeongyun Cha, Postdoctoral Associate, Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Machine learning assisted models for understanding and optimizing boiling heat transfer

Hector Wilhem ’25

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, Urban Studies and Planning
Direct Supervisor: Jungwoo Chun, Graduate Student, Urban Studies and Planning
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Sources of opposition to renewable energy projects in the United States

Kelly Wu ’22

Chemical Engineering

Advisor: Jessika Trancik, Professor, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Direct Supervisor: Aliza Khurram, Postdoctoral Associate, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Sponsor: Friends of MITEI UROP

Capacity requirements and costs of hydrogen production and storage for reliably meeting electricity and fuel demand in renewables-dominant energy

Fabian Yanez-Laguna ’25

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Desirée Plata, Gilbert W. Winslow (1937) Career Development Professor in Civil Engineering; Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Using data science and machine learning to understand and predict methane emission from oil and gas infrastructure

Emily Zhang ’25

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Advisor and Direct Supervisor: Desirée Plata, Gilbert W. Winslow (1937) Career Development Professor in Civil Engineering; Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sponsor: Chevron

Using data science and machine learning to understand and predict methane emission from oil and gas infrastructure

Yan Zheng ’24

Chemical Engineering

Advisor: Ariel Furst, Paul M. Cook Career Development Professor, Chemical Engineering
Direct Supervisor: Thomas Gill, Postdoctoral Researcher, Furst Lab
Sponsor: ExxonMobil

Multiscale control of copper nanoparticle DNA conjugates for improved electrochemical CO2 reduction

 

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