Jill Cleveland
Jill joined in Spring 2024 as a ROSEI Postdoctoral Fellow. She completed her PhD in Materials Science & Engineering at University of Delaware in 2024. She also holds an MS in Science Education from Montana State University and a BS in Chemistry from University of Maryland. She previously worked as a high school science teacher in Maryland. Her research interests include quantum dot synthesis, optical characterization, and materials for energy applications. Outside the lab she enjoys horseback riding, baking, and chasing around her toddler.
Kyle Barcus
Kyle joined the the lab as a post-doc with joint appointment at the Thon Lab and the Thoi Lab, working with both the Dept of ECE and Dept of Chemistry . He received his PhD in Chemistry from University of California San Diego in 2023.
Hoon Jeong “Kevin” Lee
Kevin joined the ECE department at Johns Hopkins University in Fall 2020. He received his B.S. in Physics and his B.S. in Engineering Physics (electrical engineering concentration) from New Mexico State University. His research interests are in solar energy and nanotechnology. He spends his free time watching and reading about films.
Serene Kamal
In 2020, Serene started her PhD in the ECE department at Johns Hopkins. She received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. Her research interests include 2D materials and optoelectronics. She enjoys listening to music, reading and hiking in her free time.
Dhanvini Gudi
Dhanvini joined the ECE Department at Johns Hopkins University in Fall 2021. She received her undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, India, and her masters in Microsystems and Nanodevices from the University of Alberta, Canada. She worked as a Yield Engineer at Global Foundries before joining JHU. Her research interests include thin films, optoelectronics, and nanotechnology. On the non-academic front, she is passionate about Bharatanatyam dance and Hindustani vocal music.
Yijun Zhang
Yijun is a PhD student who joined the ECE department at Johns Hopkins University in Fall 2022. He comes from Zhengzhou, China. He received his B.A. in Physics from Grinnell College, Grinnell. Iowa and M.S. from Johns Hopkins University. His research interests include nanomaterials and energy harvesting. He also enjoys badminton and ping-pong
Hunter Saylor
In Spring 2024, Hunter received his B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering from Morgan State University. In Fall 2024, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University as a PhD student with a research focus in photovoltaic technology and sustainable energy.
Delancy Ma
Delancy is in her third year studying Electrical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on developing spray-casting methods for solar cell applications. In her free time, she enjoys figure skating and reading.
Joseph Zoller
Joseph is an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying Electrical Engineering. He grew up on a nearby sheep farm in Maryland. His research interests include economical renewable energy, nuclear energy, and optoelectronics. Aside from research, Joseph enjoys playing the electric bass, ballroom dancing, and baking.
Ariel Mekis
Ariel is an undergrad studying Material Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins. His research interests lie in materials for sustainability and renewable energy. He is from San Diego, California, and enjoys playing volleyball, going to the beach, and listening to music.
Sashi Wi
Sasha is an undergraduate student studying Electrical Engineering at Johns Hopkins. Her research interests lie in renewable energy and optoelectronics. In her free time, she enjoys visiting art museums, traveling, and doing yoga.
Ezra Harumi Baerga Akamine
Ezra joined in Summer 2025 as a member of the REU ROSETAS program. He is an undergraduate student studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. His research interests lie in photovoltaic technology and grid integration of renewable energy. In his spare time he enjoys playing guitar, listening to music and going to the beach.
Jada Iwuoha
Jada Iwuoha is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland Baltimore County studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She joined in the summer of 2025 as a member of the PROPEL Summer Research Program. Her research interests lie in sustainability and economical renewable/solar energy. She also enjoys playing lacrosse, making art, and hanging out with family and friends.
Mira Singh
Mira Singh is a rising tenth grader at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. She enjoys hiking and playing softball.
Sohum Sachdev
Sohum is a high school student attending Severn School who started working under Serene Kamal in the Summer of 2025 through the AEOP internship program at JHU. He is interested in solar power, backpacking, cooking, and tennis.
Susanna Thon
Susanna M. Thon is currently an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She obtained her Bachelors degree in Physics from MIT in 2005 and her Masters and PhD in Physics from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2008 and 2010. Prior to coming to Hopkins, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto.
Alumni Members
Rui (Olivia) Wang
MS, 2016
Current Affiliation: IBM
Nathan Palmquist
BS, 2016
Current Affiliation: UC Santa Barbara
Kamal Musah
MS, 2016
Current Affiliation: Intel
Renita Mwangachuchu
REU Student, Summer 2016
Gabrielle Nyirjesy
BS, 2016
Current Affiliation: Accenture
Mindy Wagenmaker
REU Student, Summer 2017
Current Affiliation: University of Illinois
Nicholas Duncan
BS, 2017
Current Affiliation: Intel
Andrew Rauch
BS/MS, 2017
Current Affiliation: Intuitive Surgical
Amanda Fernandes
BS, 2017
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Joey Kern
BS, 2017
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Nicole Kim
BS, 2017
Current Affiliation: United States Patent and Trademark Office
Aaron Laciny
REU Student, Summer 2017
Ebuka Arinze
PhD, 2018
Current Affiliation: Intel
Gary Qian
BS/MS, 2018
Current Affiliation: Google
Laura Shimabukuro
REU Student, Summer 2018
Current Affiliation: UC Davis
Charles Thornton
BS, 2018
Current Affiliation: Virginia Tech
Eric Tsai
BS, 2018
Current Affiliation: Lockheed Martin
Garrett Ung
BS, 2019
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Botong Qiu
PhD, 2019
Current Affiliation: HUAWEI
Yan Cheng
PhD, 2020
Current Affiliation: Maxim Integrated
Christianna Bambini
BS, 2020
Current Affiliation: SpaceX
Subha Bhatta
BS, 2020
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Mansi Gao
MS, 2020
Yida Lin
PhD, 2020
Current Affiliation: Applied Materials
Chengchangfeng Lu
MS, 2020
Current Affiliation: UC San Diego
Tina Gao
BS, 2021
Justin Camargo
BS, 2021
Eleni Daskopoulou
BS, 2021
Eric Rong
BS/MS, 2021
Current Affiliation: Columbia University
Benjamin Balfanz
MS, 2022
Grayce Cooper
HEMI High School Intern, Summer 2022
Michael Gomez
REU Student, Summer 2022
Current Affiliation: UTSA
David Groff
MS, 2022
Ariana Hofelmann
BS/MS, 2022
Current Affiliation: Stanford University
Alex Ozbolt
BS/MS, 2022
Current Affiliation: Boeing
Eric Ji
BS, Summer 2022
Luna Singh
High School Intern, Summer 2022
Keyi Kang Yao
BS, 2022
Arlene Chiu
PhD, 2022
Current Affiliation: Northrup Grumman
Zhenbo Yan
MS, 2023
Current Affiliation: Henry Jack Foundation
Isaac Diaz
BS, 2023
Kaiya Jones
HEMI High School Intern, Summer 2023
Maddie Weihs
HEMI High School Intern, Summer 2023
Ross Kliegman
Rotation PhD student, Summer 2023
Leshan Zhao
Rotation PhD student, 2023-2024
Dana Kachman
BS, 2024
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University
Ekin Gunes Ozaktas
BS, 2024
Current Affiliation: Stanford University
Christian Kzanski
BS, 2024
Chris Khoury
MS, 2024
Current Affiliation: SpaceX
Lulin Li
PhD, 2024
Current Affiliation: Huawei
Tonidra Hackett
Visiting student, Summer 2024
Cherry Odhiambo
Visiting student, Summer 2024
Lucas Simpson
BS, Summer 2024
Jake Hoffman
BS, Summer 2024
Sreyas Chintapalli
PhD, 2025
Shuyue Bian
MS, 2025
Current Affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
