Graduate students

Fatima Mahnaz

3rd year Ph.D. Student

Education

B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) - 2018

Fatima has been keen to learn about the advent of catalytic technologies in addressing major environmental and energy issues since her undergraduate days. She joined in Dr. Md. Shafiul Azam’s nanomaterial research lab in BUET and worked on synthesis of multifunctional nanocomposites for catalysis applications, and the synthesis of activated carbon fiber from natural precursors for adsorption application. Before joining TAMU, she completed a year at University of Virginia working on periodic reactor operation for methane oxidative reforming in Prof. William Epling’s lab. Beyond work, she likes travelling, reading books and spending time with family and friends.

Jenna Vito

NSF Graduate Research Fellow

2nd year Ph.D. Student 

Education

B.S., Chemical Engineering, West Virginia University - 2022.

Jenna has always been passionate about environmental sustainability and hopes to make an impact by developing technologies that will lead to a cleaner, greener future. She finished her undergraduate degree at WVU where she gained research experience in metal-oxide nanoparticle synthesis for use as targeted MRI contrast agents. In addition to academic research, she completed two industrial research internships with MATRIC in South Charleston, WV which covered a breadth of topics including catalysis and process development. Outside of research, she enjoys hiking, coffee shops, plants, and baking.  

Siddhesh Borkar

1st year PhD student

Education

B.Tech (Honors), NIT Rourkela - 2020. 

MS, Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2023.

Siddhesh is a science enthusiast who wants to positively impact the world through research in catalysis and sustainability. He completed his undergraduate study in 2020, and worked as a chemical technology design engineer for a year before beginning his graduate studies in 2021. He has research experience in catalysis, chemical kinetics, and separation processes. He is also an avid debater, creative writer, and football fanatic. He loves spending his free time exploring new places and photography. 

Nik Suphavilai (co-advised with Prof. Hae-Kwon Jeong)

Royal Thai Government Fellowship

1st year Ph.D. student

Education

B.Eng., Materials Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi - 2018.

During my undergraduate studies, I undertook a project focused on the fabrication of lignin fibers via electrospinning process. Additionally, I gained experience in the plasma nitriding process applied to stainless steel during my internship at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan. Following graduation, I worked at an electronics factory as a quality engineer for nearly 4 years, then moved to the National Nanotechnology Center in Thailand. I have a profound passion for nanotechnology and green innovation, and I aspire to transform laboratory discoveries into practical and sustainable technologies.


Jasan Mangalindan

2nd year MS student

Education

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Mapúa University – 2018

B.S., Chemistry, Mapúa University – 2018

Jasan aspires to develop sustainable chemical and energy production technologies for a greener future. He completed two undergraduate degrees in Mapúa University last 2018 and did research internship at National Cheng Kung University where he studied the biological treatment of DMSO from wastewater. Thereafter he spent 3 years at II-VI Performance Metals, Inc. (Philippines) where he focused on the research and development of processes for new product lines. On his spare time, he enjoys playing volleyball and exploring the outdoors.

Siddharth Jayaraman

Integrated Masters Student

Siddharth is an individual who wants to impact the world through sustainability and clean energy. Siddharth has prior experience with synthesizing tri-block polymers and their applications in liquid anode batteries. In addition to being a integrated MS student in the Chemical Engineering department, Siddharth is a student-athlete on the Texas A&M Cross Country and Track and Field team for Texas A&M. 

Shoity Das

1st year M.S. student

Education

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Purdue University - 2022

I have always been quite inquisitive about catalytic processes and environmental sustainability. The practical applications of this field and its contribution to making the world a better place to live in, have always driven me to explore its prospects further. During my time as an undergraduate at Purdue University, I gained experience, under the supervision of Dr. Enrico Martinez, on lignin depolymerization where our main objective was to break down lignin into phenolic monomers by cleaving the  β-O-4 linkage, alongside producing cleaner sourced chemicals and safer products such as formaldehyde-free laminate boards. With similar intent, I am glad to join Dr. Manish Shetty’s lab at Texas A&M University where I’ll be working on chemical recycling and up-cycling of end-of-use plastics.  

Undergraduate students

Alumni

Graduate

Last known position - PhD student, Texas A&M University

Last known position - PhD student, Texas A&M University

Undergraduate

Visiting Undergraduate (Virtual)