Yuchen Liu (University of Manchester, UK)

Poster Prize Winner

Poster Title: “Novel Hetroatom-rich 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Characterization”

As a 3rd year undergraduate from the University of Manchester, Yuchen Liu has been working as a Henry-Royce intern in Keerthi’s group from summer of 2023. He designed his own project and successfully synthesized two-dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks (2D-COFs) with full proof from morphological and topological characterizations. His current interests include applications in heteroatom-based supercapacitors and designs of crystalline cyclohexanone-based materials. He is also particularly interested in computational simulations, which can be a versatile tool for electrochemical methodologies. Throughout his bachelor studies, Yuchen has demonstrated both research aptitude and exceptional academic performance, earning the “Best Chemist” award in both his first and second years. He also holds the positions of student representative and ambassador for the Department of Chemistry.

Aidan Graham (University of St Andrews, Scotland)

Poster Prize Runner Up

Poster Title: “Systematic Solvent Optimisation for the Synthesis of Dynamic Covalent Nanoparticles”

Aidan Graham received his MChem degree from the University of St Andrews in 2023. He is currently in the second year of his PhD studies under the supervision of Dr. Euan Kay and Prof. Russell Morris. His current research focuses on combining dynamic covalent gold nanoparticles with metal-organic frameworks towards the design and synthesis of remote-controlled hybrid nanomaterials. His focus is on the use of dynamic covalent chemistry for the design and synthesis of hybrid nanomaterials using a bottom-up approach

Poster Prize Runner Up

Poster Title: “Engineering Silica-Coated Gold Nanorods for Photothermal Therapy Applications.”

Sarah Alshehri is a PhD student in Physics at the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics (MNP) group at the University of Leeds, where she also obtained an MSc in Physics. She completed her BSc in Physics at the University of Bisha in Saudi Arabia. Her research focuses on the engineering and application of silica-coated gold nanorods for photothermal therapy and advanced sensing applications. She investigates their tunable structural and optical responses to laser irradiation, aiming to enhance their performance in biomedical and optical techniques.

Shannon Martello graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BS and MSE in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2017 and 2018, respectively. She then joined the lab of Dr. C. Norman Coleman at the National Cancer Institute as a post-baccalaureate Cancer Research Training Award Fellow. Under the direction of Dr. Coleman and Dr. Molykutty Aryankalayil, she studied blood-based miRNA signatures for radiation biodosimetry across different strains of mice and established a human liver-on-a-chip model to aid development of radiation countermeasures and of organ-specific radiation injury biomarkers. Shannon continued in the field of radiation biology at Vanderbilt University, where she is currently a PhD candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Under the direction of Dr. Marjan Rafat, she is studying neutrophilvasculature crosstalk in radiation-damaged mammary adipose tissue, with the goal of using 3D in vitro models to identify targetable interactions that contribute to breast cancer recurrence. Among other recognitions, Shannon received the Vanderbilt Russel G. Hamilton Fellowship and the AIChE Women in Chemical Engineering travel award. She has co-authored eleven peer reviewed publications and is first-author on three publications and four conference presentations and proceedings.

Shannon received an award for her poster entitled ‘Neutrophil-Vasculature Interactions Promote Pre-Recurrent Niche Formation Post-Radiotherapy’

Born in Florida, raised in Nashville, Lillie Cate Allen’s love of science started as an obsession with animals and parents who let her watch unlimited episodes of Wild Kratts on PBS. Homeschooled K-8th grade, it was the ISR program at Hillsboro that helped her handle the culture shock of high school and discover her love of research. She will graduate with honors in May of 2025 and (fingers crossed) begin her undergrad at Vanderbilt that fall, where she’ll pursue her Biomedical Research degree. She is giddy about the years and degrees in her future and can’t wait to see what research opportunities come next.

Lillie Cate was awarded a prize for her poster entitled, ‘Optimizing the Porosity Different PVDF Castings’

Daniel Woods is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Vanderbilt University, working under Dr. Daniel Gonzales. His research focuses on developing innovative probes for neural recording in nonhuman primates, with a particular interest in integrating optogenetic stimulation during working memory tasks. He holds both a B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Daniel received an award for his poster entitled ‘Flexible, transparent electrodes for acute recordings in non-human primates’

Harrison was awarded a prize for his poster entitled, ‘Polar-Topology-Mediated Phonons in Ferroelectric Superlattices’

Hayden Pagendarm is a 5^th year graduate student in Dr. John Wilson’s laboratory at Vanderbilt University. His research goals include designing novel vaccine platforms for both cancer and immune tolerance applications using approaches including both protein and extracellular vesicle engineering in combination with synthetic chemistries.

Hayden was awarded a prize for his poster entitled, ‘Albumin-binding nanobody-antigen fusions enhance antigen presentation and improve vaccine responses through pharmacokinetic modulation.’

Emanuela Riglioni is a first-year graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science PhD program at Vanderbilt University. Originally from Italy, she graduated summa cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. During her undergraduate studies, Emanuela worked on developing polymers for Li-ion batteries and performed computational analyses of 2D MXenes for catalytic applications. Currently, her research focuses on exploring the intersection of semiconductors, photonics, and 2D materials. Emanuela’s interdisciplinary approach aims to drive innovations in materials science and contribute to addressing global challenges through cutting-edge technology.

Emanuela was awarded a prize for her poster entitled, ‘Optimization of Etch, Release, and Transfer of GaN HEMTs Devices’