Dr. Russell J. Composto
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering,
and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Education:
PhD Materials Science and Engineering 1987 – Cornell University
MS Materials Science 1984 – Cornell University
BA Physics 1982 – Gettysburg College
Member of:
Nano/Bio Interface Center (NBIC)
Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM)
Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME)
Penn Center for Energy Innovation
composto@seas.upenn.edu, LRSM 321, (215) 898-4451
AuthorDashboard – Russell J Composto
Visiting Researchers
Dr. Hyun-Su Lee
Visiting Scientist
hlee0316@gmail.com
Hyun-Su earned his doctoral degree in Chemistry from North Carolina State University, Raleigh. His current research focuses on the functionalization of polymer grafted nanoparticles.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Christopher S. O’Bryan
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & CBE)
csobryan@seas.upenn.edu
Chris O’Bryan received his Ph.D. and M.S. in mechanical engineering and B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida. His research has focused on developing aqueous and organic microgels for 3D printing applications, investigating interfacial phenomenon at soft interfaces, and soft matter contact mechanics. His current research is focused on studying polymer absorption on metal films.
Dr. Yitian Zhou
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & CBE)
zhyitian@sas.upenn.edu
Yitian Zhou received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania and her B.S. in Biology and Mathematics from Agnes Scott College. She is currently studying bacteria-surface interactions and antimicrobial coatings. She is co-advised by Dr. Daeyeon Lee in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Dr. Jaehyun Kim
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & CBE)
kjaehyun@seas.upenn.edu
Jaehyun Kim received his BS from Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), worked at Hyosung corporation as an engineer, and received a Ph.D. degree from SKKU. His research area is in nanoparticle design and synthesis, and will start research on plasmonic nanoparticle sensors.
Ph.D. Students
Katie Rose
Ph.D Candidate (CBE)
karose@seas.upenn.edu
Katie Rose received her B.S.E. in Polymer Science and Engineering from the Case Western Reserve University. She is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, NSF Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW) award, and REACT Fellowship. She is currently studying nanoparticle diffusion in hydrogels. She is co-advised by Dr. Daeyeon Lee in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Shawn Maguire
Ph.D Candidate (MSE)
Shawnmag@seas.upenn.edu
Shawn Maguire received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a recipient of the REACT Fellowship, and the Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Award of the ACS in 2021. He is currently studying the dynamics and thermodynamics of nanoparticles within polymer nanocomposites.
Mike Boyle
Ph.D Candidate (MSE)
mboy@seas.upenn.edu
Mike Boyle received his B.S.E in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. He is currently studying nanoparticle diffusion in strained polymer gels.
Aria Zhang
Ph.D Student (MSE)
ariaczh@seas.upenn.edu
Aria Zhang received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University. She is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She is currently studying nanoparticle diffusion in polymer nanocomposites.
Weiwei Kong
Ph.D Student (MSE)
weiweik@seas.upenn.edu
Weiwei Kong received her B.S.E in Polymer Science and Engineering from the Case Western Reserve University. She is currently studying nanoparticle diffusion through complex media.
Olivia Boyd
Ph.D Student (MSE)
oliviaboyd@gmail.com
Olivia earned her B.S. in Physics at Emory University. She is currently studying the dynamics of nanoparticles in nanocomposites.
Undergraduate Students
Sahana Sundar
Undergraduate (MSE)
ssundar2@seas.upenn.edu
Sahana is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She was accepted to the 2020 Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring program, to participate in research under the mentorship of Shawn Maguire and Connor Bilchak. She is currently studying the optical properties of nanoporous metals and nanoparticle analogues.
Sarah Beth Gleeson
Undergraduate (MSE)
sgleeson@seas.upenn.edu
Sarah Beth Gleeson is a senior undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She is a Rachleff Scholar who works on hydrogels for wound dressing applications in the Shu Yang group. She joined the Composto lab group in Summer 2021 to study nanoparticle tracking in oral biofilms under the direction of Katie Rose.
Sarah Ziegler
Undergraduate (MSE)
sziegler@vassar.edu
Sarah Ziegler is a senior undergraduate at Vassar College majoring in Physics and Economics. Through the Singh Center for Nanotechnology REU program, she joined the Composto lab group to study force interactions of layer by layer films under Mike Boyle.