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. Jihoon Choi
Visiting Faculty (MSE)
jihoonc@cnu.ac.kr
Jihoon Choi received his Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. His current research is focused on the phase behavior of polymer nanocomposites and dynamics of ionic molecules in organometal halide perovskites.
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. Molly Shave
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & CBE)
mshave@seas.upenn.edu
Molly Shave received her Ph.D in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. She is currently studying bacterial adhesion on anti-fouling surfaces within microfluidic devices. She is co-advised by Dr. Daeyeon Lee in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Dr. Mark Goulian in Biology.
Dr. Connor Bilchak
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & Chemistry)
cbilchak@sas.upenn.edu
Connor received his Ph.D. from Columbia University (advised by Dr. Sanat Kumar) researching gas transport and selectivity in mixed matrix membranes based on polymer-grafted nanoparticle materials. As part of the REACT program at the University of Pennsylvania, he is studying anisotropic alignment of nanomaterials using block-copolymer templating, magnetic fields, solvent annealing, and other methods.
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.
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. 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 currently studying nanoparticle diffusion in polymer nanocomposites.
Weiwei Kong
Ph.D Student (MSE)
wxk133@case.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.
Masters Students
Mingxuan Ma
Masters (Nanotechnology)
mxma@seas.upenn.edu
Mingxuan Ma graduated with a B.S.E. in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering from Fudan University, and is currently pursuing a masters in Nanotechnology here at Penn. His project with Katie Rose focuses on diffusion of nanoparticles in biofilms.
Undergraduate Students
Theresa Tsaggaris
Undergraduate (MSE)
ttsag@seas.upenn.edu
Theresa is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She began research with the Composto Group in May 2019 after receiving the LSAMP fellowship. She is currently working under Shawn Maguire and Connor Bilchak studying polymer infiltration of nanoporous metals, and the effects of polymer nanoconfinement on bicontinuous metal networks.
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.