
LAYERED MATERIALS & STRUCTURES Lab (LMSL)
Anasori Research Laboratory
Purdue School of Engineering and Technology
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Principal Investigator

Babak Anasori, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
email: banasori[at]iupui.edu
About Dr. Anasori:
Dr. Babak Anasori received his PhD at Drexel University in 2014 in the Materials Science and Engineering Department, the birthplace of MXenes. Before joining Purdue School of Engineering & Technology, he was a Research Assistant Professor at the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute and Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University from 2016 to 2019. Babak is one of the inventors of a family of MXenes, ordered double-transition metal MXenes, as a result of his postdoctoral research, which was featured as one of the 2015's "biggest moments in chemistry" by the American Chemical Society.
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Dr. Anasori's current research focuses on the synthesis and characterizations of novel MXenes and their metal and ceramic composites. He is one of the top five trending authors in the field of Materials Science and Nanotechnology in the world (Microsoft Academic) and among the Global Highly Cited Researchers 2019, 2020, and 2021 recognized by the Web of Science. Dr. Anasori has received several national and international awards and recognition for his research and artistic way of presenting science, including NSF/Science Visualization Challenge in 2011 and 2013, Diamond ranking in ACerS Graduate Excellence in Materials Science (GEMS) in 2012, Materials Research Society (MRS) Postdoctoral Award in 2016, Emerging Leaders of 2020 by the Journal of Physics, Condensed Matter, Drexel Forty-under-Forty in 2021, and the 2021 WIN Rising Star Award in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. [Honors and Awards]
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Dr. Anasori has originated and organized multiple international student competitions, including NanoArtography and Science in Video (SciVid) in the MRS Fall Meetings. He is currently the chair of the Early Careers Subcommittee of the Materials Research Society (MRS).
Postdoctoral Researchers

Anupma Thakur, Ph.D.
Education:
Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering, CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh, India (2021)
M.Tech. in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh (2016)
Research Experience:
Early Career Research Fellow: Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India (2021)
DST-INSPIRE Research Fellow: CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh (2017-2021)
Research Interests:
2D Materials (MXenes, MBenes, TMDs)
Energy Harvesting and Conversion Devices
Green Hydrogen Production (Photo/electrocatalytic pathways)
Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reaction (Electrocatalytic pathways)
Environment Pollutants Monitoring Devices (Chemical sensors) and Degradation
email: anupthak[at]iu.edu

Valeriia Poliukhova, Ph.D.
Education:
Ph.D. in Nanomaterial Science & Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), KIST School, South Korea (2022)
Erasmus Exchange Student, Master in Information and Computer Science, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg (2017)
Master’s degree Micro- and Nanoelectronic Instruments, NTUU ‘KPI’, Ukraine (2017)
Bachelor's degree in Micro- and Nanoelectronics, National Technical University of Ukraine 'Kyiv Polytechnic Institute'​ (NTUU ‘KPI’), Ukraine (2015)
Research Experience:
Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), South Korea, Seoul (2017-2022)
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Research Interests:
2D nanomaterials
Materials Engineering & Synthesis
Photo- Electrocatalysis
Hydrogen Production
Energy & Environmental applications
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email: lerapolukhova[at]gmail.com
Graduate Students

Kartik Nemani
Studying: PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Education: M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, The University of Toledo
email: snemani[at]purdue.edu
Website: knemani.com

Brian Wyatt
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow
Studying: PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Education: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
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email: bcwyatt[at]iu.edu


Felix Ugah Idu
Studying: PhD in Mechanical & Energy Engineering
Education: MS Ceramic Science & Engineering
email: fuidu[at]iu.edu



Visiting Postdoctoral Researchers/Research Scientist

Barbara Pacakova, Ph.D.
Education:
Ph.D. in Physics of Nanomaterials, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
M.Sc. in Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
B.Sc. in General Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Research Experience:
Postdoc researcher/Researcher Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Researcher Czech Academy of Science, Institute of Physics and Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague
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email: barbara.pacakova[at]ntnu.no

Mostafa Dadashi Firouzjaei
Assistant Research Professional, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama
Education: PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama
M.S. in Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama
M.S. in Material Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology
Bachelor of Science in Material Science & Engineering, Iran University of Science & Technology
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email: mdfirouzjaei[at]crimson.ua.edu
Website: Mostafa-firouzjaei.com
Visiting Graduate Students

Nithin Chandran B S
Science Education & Research Board (SERB) - Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellow (OVDF)
Studying: PhD in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), India
Education: M. Tech in Materials Science and Technology, National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC), India
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email: nitbala[at]iu.edu

Julio Fredin Ortiz
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Studying: PhD in Nanotechnology from Tec de Monterrey
Education: BSc in Chemistry from Tec de Monterrey
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email: jfredin[at]iu.edu

Katarina Novcic
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Studying: PhD at Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology (CEITECBUT), Brno, Czech Republic
Education: Faculty of Physical Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (2018-2019)
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Undergraduate Students

Bethany G Wright
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: bgwright[at]iu.edu

Austin Vorhees
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: ajvorhee[at]iu.edu

Jacob Patenaude
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: jpatena[at]iu.edu

John Waggle
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: johnwaggle[at]yahoo.com

Anmoldeep Sidhu
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: anmsidhu[at]iu.edu

Natalia Garcia
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Energy Engineering with a minor in Mathematics
email: garcina[at]iu.edu

Loralee Potter
Studying: Bachelor of Energy Engineering & Chemistry
email: lppotter[at]iu.edu

Jessica Englert
Studying: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
email: englertj[at]iu.edu

Garrett Rose
Studying: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
email: gr3[at]iu.edu

Andrea Smith
Studying: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
email: as63[at]indiana.edu

Bryan Rosario
Studying: Bachelor of Motorsport Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
email: brosario[at]iu.edu

Christian Scott
Studying: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
email: cps5[at]iu.edu

Patrick Barron
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Physics and Minor in Mathematics
email: pjbarron[at]iu.edu


Nathan DeNicola
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: natdenic[at]iu.edu

Ornoba Chowdhury
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
email: orchow[at]iu.edu

Madison Elizabeth Lisenko
Studying: Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry
email: mlisenko[at]iu.edu