PHATE Research Group

PHATE Research Group // Shamberger

Team

Research Opportunities:  Graduate & Undergraduate Researchers

The group currently has openings for qualified and enthusiastic graduate students (starting fall 2017) and for motivated undergraduate students.  Feel free to contact the PI to express interest in joining the research group.

Postdocs/Researchers

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Delia Perez

Researcher
(2017 – present)
 

Amy Bolon

Postdoc
(2017 – present)

Graduate Students

Tim Brown

Graduate Student (PhD)

Performance of giant magnetocaloric effect materials in magnetic refrigeration cycles
  • Magnetothermal coupling in GMCE refrigerants provides basis for high-efficiency refrigeration cycles, but link between material properties and device performance is not well-understood
  • Developed thermodynamic framework incorporating phase transformation properties and hysteresis to simulate cooling performance and energy losses of materials implemented as refrigerants
  • Effect of transformation properties quantified; candidate refrigerant materials (NiMn Heusler alloys, MnFe hex-ferromagnets, La(FeSi)13 compunds) compared on energy efficiency basis
Controlling hysteresis in reversible MnFePSi martensitic phase transformation
  • Martensitic transitions in MnFePSi alloys enable fast switching between magnetic and non-magnetic states, but switching applications are limited by hysteresis
  • Fabricated and characterized a range of MnFePSi compositions to relate hysteresis to underlying nucleation barriers and austenite/ martensite lattice compatibility

(2014 – present)
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Heidi Clarke

Graduate Student (PhD)
TBD
(2014 – present)
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Yijia Zhang

Graduate Student (PhD)
TBD
(2015 – present)
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Emily Emmons

Graduate Student (MS)
Corrosion of Common Heat Exchanger Materials by Lithium Nitrate Trihydrate
(2015 – present)
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Michael Deckard

Graduate Student (MS)
TBD
(2017 – present)

Undergraduate Students

 

Daniel Galvan

undergraduate, Sophomore (CHEN)

Assessing the Performance of Fe2P Alloys Under Various Magnetic Refrigeration Cycle

  • Model the Hysteric Properties of GMCE Materials
  • Microscopic Characterization of Phase Transformations

(2015 – present)
 

Joseph  Anderson

undergraduate, Junior (PHYS)
TBD
(2017 – present)
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Elizabeth Yee

undergraduate, Junior (CHEN)
Decomposition of Ammonia Salts
(2017 – present)
 Laura Deremo

Laura Deremo

undergraduate, Sophomore (ECEN)
Failure in Electrical Resistance Switches
(2017 – present)
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Molly Jones

undergraduate, Junior (CHEN)
Summer REU student
TBD
(Summer 2017)
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Sunita Kumari

undergraduate, IITK Summer Intern
TBD
(Summer 2017)
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Aaron Garcia

undergraduate, Junior (MEEN)
TBD
(2017 – present)

Post-Doc Alumni

Eunju Jung: PD Researcher. Effectiveness of Active Learning Pedagogies in an Introductory Materials Science Class (2015-2016) {Currently PD at Univ Indiana – Bloomington}

UG Alumni

Sarah Hammock: UG Researcher (CHEN). 3D cAFM Imaging of Conductive Filaments in HfO2 Resistive Switching Devices(2015-2017) UG Honors thesis {Currently MS at UW Seattle, WA}

Bill Caraway: UG Researcher (MEEN). Imaging Phase Transitions in VO2 particles (2016-2017)

Nick Gripp: UG Researcher (CHEM). Decomposition of Ammonia Salts (2016-2017) {Currently MS at TAMU}

Tyler Buffington: UG Researcher (MEEN). Thermodynamic Efficacy of Irreversible Magnetocaloric Effect Cycles (2015-2016) UG Honors thesis {Currently MS at UT Austin, TX}

Adam McClellan: UG Researcher (ISEN). Materials Stability of Thermal Energy Storage Materials (2015-2016)

Xander Majek: UG Researcher (PHYS). Electrical Resistance Switching in Sputtering Grown HfO2 Devices (2015-2016)

Erika Salzman: HS Researcher. Undercooling in Mg(NO3)2 hydrates (2015-2016)  {Currently UG at Caltech}

Yasushi Mizuno: UG Researcher (MEEN). Entropy of Fusion in Low Melting Point Alloys (2014-2015) {Currently GS at TAMU}

Taylor Messinger: UG Researcher (MMET). Thermal Properties of Salt Hydrate (2015)

Joshua Murley: UG Researcher (CHEN). Indirect Entropy Measurement in Magnetocaloric Effect Materials (2014-2015)
Best presentation award at UG Gulf Coast Research Symposium

Shelby Turner: UG Researcher (ECEN). Electrical Resistance Switching in HfO2 Dielectrics (Spring 2015) {Currently GS at Ecole Centrale de Lyon}

Temi Balogun: UG Researcher (MEEN). Electrical Resistance Switching in HfO2 Dielectrics (Fall 2014)

Trey Torno: UG Researcher (CHEN). Magnetic Domain Structures in Magnetocaloric Heusler Alloys Near the FOPT. (Summer 2014-Fall 2014)
TAMU USRG Fellowship

Anna Rubin: UG Researcher (MEEN). Salt Hydrate Thermal Energy Storage Gels. (Summer 2014)

Pawan Bhandari: UG Researcher (MEEN). Thermophysical Properties of Low Melting point Alloys (2014)