Our team

Erika La Plante Profile
  • Erika Callagon La Plante, Ph.D.Assistant Project Scientist (Fall 2016-to-present)
    Erika La Plante Profile

    Staff Scientist (Fall 2016-to-present)

    Education

    • B.S., Geology, University of the Philippines, 2010.
    • Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geochemistry), University of Illinois at Chicago, 2016.

    Research Topics

    • Routes to CO2 mineralization for construction purposes using alkaline industrial by-products
    • Low-temperature synthesis of portlandite (Ca(OH)2)
    • Mineral-aqueous fluid reaction kinetics
Iman Mehdipour Profile
  • Iman Mehdipour, Ph.D.Research Scientist (Summer 2017-to-present)
    Iman Mehdipour Profile

    Staff Scientist (Summer 2017-to-present)

    Education

    • B.Sc., Civil Engineering, Azad University of Qazvin, Qazvin, Iran.
    • M.Sc., Civil and Geotechnical Engineering, International University of Qazvin, Qazvin, Iran.
    • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2017.

    Research Topics

    • CO2 mineralization and carbonation treatment in cement-based materials
    • Rheological behavior of slurry-based materials for 3D printing
    • Mechanical and visco-elastic properties of concrete
    • Fiber reinforcement and toughness

    Awards & Recognition

    • ASNT Student Travel Grant for 26th ASNT Research Symposium, 2017
    • ACI Charles Pankow Fellowship, American Concrete Institute, 2016
    • Honorary DJ Belarbi Graduate Scholarship Award, American Concrete Institute Missouri Chapter, 2015
Rachel Guia Giron Profile
  • Rachel Guia P. Giron, Ph.D.Postdoctoral Researcher (Summer 2017-to-present)
    Rachel Guia Giron Profile

    Postdoctoral Researcher (Summer 2017-to-Summer 2018)

    Education

    • B.S., Chemistry, University of the Philippines, 2003.
    • Ph.D., Chemistry, Lehigh University, 2017.

    Research Topics

    • Electrochemistry of surfaces (steel corrosion)
Xin Chen Profile
  • Xin Chen, Ph.D.Postdoctoral Researcher (Fall 2017-to-present)
    Xin Chen Profile

    Postdoctoral Researcher (Fall 2017-to-present)

    Education

    • B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, 2011.
    • M.S., Materials Science, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2014.
    • Ph.D., Materials Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2017.

    Research Topics

    • Metallic corrosion
    • Electrochemistry
    • Materials science and engineering.
  • Hyukmin Kweon, Ph.D.Research Scientist

    Education

    • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, 2015.

    Research Topics

    • CO2 separation
    • CO2 mineralization and geological storage
    • Heterogenous supported catalysts
  • Shiqi DongPh.D. candidate, Graduate student researcher (Winter 2017-to-present)

    Ph.D. candidate, Graduate student researcher (Winter 2017-to-present)

    Education

    • B.Sc., Microelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, 2014.
    • Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, expected 2019.

    Research Topics

    • Near-surface characterization of metal/alloy systems
    • Mesoscale simulations of multi-scale materials.
    • Jamming transition, relaxation and aging.
  • Sara Vallejo CastañoPh.D. student, Graduate student researcher (co-advised by Prof. Laurent Pilon) (Fall 2017-to-present)

    Ph.D. student, Graduate student researcher (co-advised by Prof. Laurent Pilon) (Fall 2017-to-present)

    Education

    • B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2014.
    • M.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2017.
    • Ph.D, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, expected 2021

    Research Topics

    • Alternative energy – salinity gradients, hydrogen fuel cells, solar power
    • Water treatment – desalination by capacitive deionization (CDI)

    Conference Presentations

    • Reverse electrodialysis for energy generation through salinity gradients, (May) 2014, PROCESA. Second Technical Congress. Universidad Nacional.
    • Reverse electrodialysis for energy generation through salinity gradients, (October) 2015, SENALMAR-COLACMAR.  National Seminar of sea sciences and technologies.

    Awards & Recognition

    • Master thesis distinction: Meritorious thesis.
  • Hakan Nuri AtahanAssociate Professor at Istanbul Technical University from 2012-to-present, Visiting 2017-to-present

    Associate Professor at Istanbul Technical University from 2012-to-present

    Visiting Lab (2017-to-2018)

    Education

      • B.S., Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Turkey, 1993.
      • MSc., Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, 1996.
      • PhD., Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, 2002.

    Research Topics

    • Design and mechanical properties of “High Performance and High Strength Concretes”/ “Self-Consolidating Concretes” / “Lightweight Aggregate Concrete”.
    • Rheology of cement based materials.
    • Microstructure and durability of cement based materials.
    • Nano technology and the use of nano-materials in cement based systems.
    • Cementitious fiber reinforced composites.