Gerald J. Wang
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jerry Wang joined Carnegie Mellon in Fall 2019. He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Computation at MIT, where he worked with
Prof. Nicolas G. Hadjiconstantinou. Jerry's research focused on theoretical and computational modeling of fluid transport phenomena under nanoscale confinement. From 2014 to 2018, Jerry was a
U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow (CSGF). Jerry performed postdoctoral research with the late
Prof. James W. Swan in Chemical Engineering at MIT, studying the role of friction in dense colloidal suspensions.
Previously, Jerry received degrees of S.M. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT (2015) and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and in Mathematics & Physics from Yale (2013), where he worked with
Prof. Nicholas T. Ouellette and
Prof. Sarah M. Demers. He is a lifelong Cubs fan and adoptive Red Sox and Pirates enthusiast. Whereas 24 years passed between the start of his Cubs fandom and the team's first World Series victory (2016), this same quantity was approximately 24 days for the Red Sox (2013); this same quantity will be 24 for the Pirates as well (units to be determined).
Mehul Bapat
Ph.D. Student
Mehul is a Ph.D. student in Computational Mechanics at Carnegie Mellon University. He obtained his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India (2019) where he worked on synthesizing platinum catalysts on carbon supports for applications in fuel cells. He obtained his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (2020). During his M.S., he worked with Profs.
Andrew Gellman and
Grigorios Panagakos on CFD modeling of a microreactor.
Apart from working on micro- and nano-scale fluid dynamics for his research, Mehul enjoys playing the guitar. He also loves outdoor activities, including hiking, rafting, and kayaking.
Samuel Chen
Undergraduate Student
Samuel Chen is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Samuel is interested in applications of computing in civil and environmental engineering, especially as applied to transportation systems.
In his free time, Samuel enjoys cooking, attempting the crossword, and the outdoors.
Emerson Collins
MS Student
Arman Ghaffarizadeh
Ph.D. Student, NSERC Graduate Fellow
Arman is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree (high honours) and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Toronto in 2016 and 2018, respectively. During his undergraduate studies, Arman worked with Prof. Javad Mostaghimi on fabricating wire mesh heat exchangers for waste heat recovery systems, and Prof. Hani Naguib on developing smart polymers for wound dressing applications. As a Russell A. Reynolds Graduate Fellow in thermodynamics, under the supervision of the late Prof. Charles A. Ward, Arman’s MS work focused on specific surface area determination and adsorption of water vapour on silica nanoparticles.
Arman is involved in numerous student committees such as MEGSO and GSA, and was the recipient of Jeremieh Mpagazehe Award for his service and contributions to the graduate student community. When not investigating nanoscale phenomena, he spends his time capturing the beauty of macroscale objects in the night sky as an amateur astronomer and nightscape photographer. As a sports enthusiast, he also enjoys playing soccer and tennis.
Nicholas Hattrup
Ph.D. Student
Nick is a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He obtained his B.S. degree (high honors) in chemical engineering and physics from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021. During his undergraduate studies, Nick worked with Profs. Frank Gupton and Christina Tang on heterogeneous catalysts for cross coupling reactions and crystal characterization with computer vision, respectively. He also spent three semesters working at DuPont on a variety of applications including polymer synthesis and mechanical modeling. His current interests are in fundamentals of molecular simulation.
When not coding or geeking out about esoteric math, Nick enjoys biking around Pittsburgh, lifting (or at least attempting) weights, playing chess, and recently reading again.
Yuanhao (Leo) Li
Yuanhao Li is a Ph.D. student in Computational Mechanics at Carnegie Mellon University. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Auburn University (2018), where he did research on plate and shell theory with
Prof. James Davidson. He got his Master’s degree in Computational Mechanics from Carnegie Mellon University (2019), during which he gained some experience with numerical and experimental techniques to study nanoscale heat transfer. He also spent some time working on thermal conduction across material interfaces with
Prof. Hua Bao at the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiaotong Joint Institute in Summer 2019.
Outside of lab, Yuanhao enjoys playing table tennis and swimming in the CMU gym. He also enjoys playing traditional Chinese instruments such as flute and Erhu.
Ethan Meitz
Ethan is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering co-advised by Professor Jerry Wang and Professor Alan McGaughey. He earned his Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis in Mechanical Engineering. In the M5 lab, Ethan studies nanoscale heat transfer to develop a carrier-level description of heat capacity and thermal conductivity in liquids. At Washington University in St. Louis, Ethan worked with Professor Spencer Lake, to develop novel imaging techniques to diagnosis and prevent tissue damage. In his free time, Ethan enjoys playing drums, making art, playing sports (literally anything) and tinkering with electronics projects.
Saptarshi Saha
Ph.D. Student (co-advised with Prof. Amit Acharya)
Saptarshi Saha is a Ph.D. student in Computation Mechanics at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (2020) during which Saptarshi performed molecular dynamics simulations of solitary waves in granular media. For his bachelor's thesis, under the supervision of Prof. Biswanath Banerjee, Saptarshi worked on identifying tumors in soft tissues via Optical Coherence Elastography and utilizing finite element software. Saptarshi is involved in both the CEE and university-wide Graduate Students Assembly. Apart from his research in liquid-crystalline media, Saptarshi enjoys playing seasonal sports, with a newfound passion for snowboarding, and can usually be found at most social gatherings.
Nicholas Tiwari
Ph.D. Student
Nicholas Tiwari is a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Rowan University, where he did research on process fluid mixing with Profs. Arthur Etchells and Robert Hesketh. Nick’s current research interests include applying ML and data science techniques to particle-based simulations and modeling of complex fluid systems using molecular dynamics. In his spare time, he enjoys running, biking, and watching football.
Chunzhi (Chris) Wu
Chunzhi Wu is a Ph.D. student in Computational Mechanics at Carnegie Mellon University. Before joining the M5 Lab, he got his Master’s degree in computational materials science from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, during which he gained experience with machine learning and density-functional theory to study interfacial phenomena, working in the group of Prof. Noa Marom. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Science from Beijing University of Chemical Technology (2018), where he did research on a variety of topics including photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes, adhesive emulsions, and flexible sensors. Outside of lab, Chunzhi enjoys playing music and has been uploaded his
original music to NetEase Music since 2014.
Ryan Rusali
Undergraduate Student (2021)
Ryan Rusali completed a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering with an additional major in Engineering and Public Policy. Ryan is interested in learning about novel applications of computing in Civil Engineering, especially as it applies to urban systems.
In his free time, Ryan likes to cook, practice music, and try out new sports.
Shuyuan Wang
MS Student
Shuyuan Wang is an MS graduate from the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Carnegie Mellon University. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from Zhejiang University (2019), where he performed marine analytical chemistry research with Prof. Yiwen Pan. Outside of lab, Shuyuan enjoys playing badminton, reading, and traveling.
Kelby Kramer
Undergraduate Student (2022)
Kelby Kramer is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University studying Civil and Environmental Engineering with an additional major in Engineering and Public Policy. Kelby is interested in climate adaptation for coastal and water-related infrastructure. Kelby’s other interests include U.S.-China relations, backpacking, surfing, and most things water related.
Lisa Gorbolskaya
Undergraduate Student (2022)
Lisa Gorbolskaya is pursuing a Bachelor's degrees in Civil Engineering and in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She is involved with activities including the Estimating Competition and the Solar Decathlon. She likes to cook and try out new recipes, go for runs, and watch stand-up.
Jared Hayes
Undergraduate Student (2022)
Jared Hayes is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University pursuing a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering. He is interested in fluid mechanics and computational engineering. Outside of lab, you can find Jared watching sports, walking his dogs, or working out.
Yushan Huangfu
MS Student (co-advised with Prof. Amit Acharya)
Yushan Huangfu is a MS student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering at Nanjing University and was a research assistant for three years at the Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Organic Pollution Control and Resource Reuse. She is interested in molecular-dynamics simulations of crystalline materials. Outside of lab, she likes jogging, yoga, and exploring various cuisines.
Sean Knight
Undergraduate Student (2022)
Sean Knight is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University pursuing a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. He is interested in computer applications for civil and environmental engineering practice and is excited to explore these interests through the M5 Lab. Outside of the lab, Sean enjoys playing football for CMU, listening to music, and reading mystery novels.
Xiangyu (Melo) Wang
MS Student
Eric Cora
Undergraduate Student (MIT, 2021)
Eric Cora is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has special interests in Simulation and Numerical Analysis. As a Mechanical Engineering student, he has explored this interest through undergraduate research in computational engineering with Dr. Wang and a simulation internship at Tesla. He hopes to continue his study of Numerical Simulation in graduate school.
Outside of lab, you can find Eric biking, eating, or learning something new.
Kevin Z. Riordan
Undergraduate Student (2021)
Kevin Riordan is pursuing a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He is interested in structural design and hopes to work in the future on designing foundations for new buildings.
Outside of lab, you can find Kevin drawing, playing with his cat, or working out.