Carnegie Mellon University

Group Members

 Meet the dedicated members of the Jen Research Lab

Coty Jen

Dr. Coty Jen

Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

  • TBD
Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Doherty Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Professor Coty Jen joined the chemical engineering department at Carnegie Mellon University in the Fall of 2018 after completing her post-doc with Dr. Allen Goldstein at The University of California, Berkeley and PhD with Dr. Peter McMurry at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Prof. Jen's research focuses on atmospheric new particle formation, developing novel instrumentation to measure freshly nucleated particles in diverse environments, sources of organic nitrogen emissions, and health impacts of wildfire smoke. 

During her downtime, Prof. Jen enjoys woodworking, cooking, attending musicals and plays, visiting museums, canoeing, sailing, swimming, hiking, biking, gardening, traveling around the world, reading books, and writing short stories. Dr. Jen is always working on some interesting topic!

 Dominic Casalnuovo

Dominic Casalnuovo

NSF Fellow, Chemical Engineering

  • Doherty Hall B203
Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, Dominic moved to New Orleans to study Chemical Engineering at Tulane University. He obtained his B.S. in 2020 and moved to Pittsburgh to continue his graduate education. His prior research experience is in materials science, though he has always been passionate about the environmental applications of chemical engineering. Working in the Jen Lab, he looks forward to exploring these applications by researching particle nucleation in the atmosphere. Outside of research, he enjoys spending time with friends, playing soccer, biking, and cooking

Darren Cheng

Darren Cheng

Ph.D. Candidate, Mechanical Engineering

  • Doherty Hall B202
Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Darren Cheng is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at CMU. Darren grew up in Westchester, NY and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. Previously, he was working at HP Inc as a process and tooling engineer for new inkjet cartridges. Darren's research currently involves building instrumentation to measure the size and composition of particles in the 1 nm size range. In his free time, Darren enjoys running, photography, and cooking.

Christine Troller

Christine Troller

Ph.D. Candidate, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Christine grew up in Wilton, CT and received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut in 2021. Her undergraduate research in particulate matter air pollution inspired her to continue with atmospheric chemistry during her graduate education. She looks forward to conducting research related to oceanic-atmospheric interactions with a warming climate in Dr. Jen’s lab. During her free time, she can be found going on hikes, running, painting, and exploring new restaurants in Pittsburgh.

Katherine Pierre-Louis

Katherine Pierre-Louis

Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Meet Katherine, raised in Richmond, VA, she moved to Pennsylvania to study chemical engineering and aerosols at Lafayette College. Now at Carnegie Mellon, she is researching marine particle formation in the Jen Lab. When she is not in the lab, Katherine is playing volleyball, sipping matcha, or seeking out the nearest car meet.

Joy Kiguru

Joy Kiguru

Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Joy grew up in Baltimore, MD and received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her prior research in air pollution led her to the Jen group where she looks forward to studying the complexities of atmospheric aerosol particles and their influence on air quality and climate. Outside of the lab, she enjoys going on walks, reading, and playing the piano. 

Ziheng Zeng

Ziheng Zeng

Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Ziheng grew up in Lanzhou, China and moved to Lewisburg, PA to study at Bucknell University in 2019. She obtained B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Studio Art in 2023. Inspired by her undergraduate research in aerosol sciences, Ziheng looks forward to conducting research related to air quality issues in the Pittsburgh area in the Jen Lab. Outside of academics, she enjoys cooking, travel journaling, and analog photography. 

Jing Lin

Jing Lin

Undergraduate Researcher, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Jing grew up near St. Paul, MN, and is currently pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. In Jen’s lab, he works on instrumentations that are used to detect particle concentrations in the atmosphere. In his free time, Jing spends his time playing Ultimate Frisbee, hanging out with friends, and playing a variety of board games and video games.

 Sanjay Johnson

Sanjay Johnson

Undergraduate Researcher, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Sanjay was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and is currently pursuing a double major in Chemical Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy. In the Jen lab he is performing research to better understand the influence of humidity on the stability of atmospheric particles. In his free time, Sanjay enjoys playing card games, cooking, and watching movies.

Amelia Jaffe

Amelia Jaffe

Undergraduate Researcher, Mechanical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Amelia is currently a junior working towards a degree in mechanical engineering. Her interest in the environment led her to join the Jen Lab, where she has worked on a variety of projects including determining nutrient concentrations in harmful algal blooms and building a flow rate regulator. Outside of school, Amelia enjoys exploring Pittsburgh, 3D printing, reading and spending time with her two Great Pyrenees.    

Simeranjit  Shihmar

Simeranjit Shihmar

Master's Student, Chemical Engineering

Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Simeranjit Shihmar grew up in Upper Darby, PA and completed his B.S. in Chemical Engineering  at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.  Dr. Coty Jen’s Aerosols and Nanoparticles class inspired him to join her research group.  In his free time he likes to play basketball, delve into TCG’s, and read.

Group Alumni

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Jack Johnson (PhD '23)
Chemical Engineering
Current: California Air Resources Board

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Farrah Haeri (PhD '23)
Chemical Engineering
Current: Air Products

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Michel Romero-Flores (PhD '23)
Chemical Engineering
Current: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

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Sandra Fomete (PhD '22)
Chemical Engineering
Current: McKinsey & Company

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Deanna Badger (MS '22)
Chemical Engineering
Current: Cardno

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Zhen Cai (MS '21)
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Current:

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Ashley Hu (BS '26)
Mechanical Engineering

 

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Joe Hayes
Visiting High School Science Teacher, Westinghouse High School

 

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James Crew (BS '22)
Chemical Engineering
Current: Blue Sky Resources

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Taiz Iturbide (BS '22)
Chemical Engineering
Current: Huron Consulting Group

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Zachary Kowalewski (BS '21)
Chemical Engineering
Current: Bay Area’s Air Quality Management District

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Bryan Seybert 
Visiting High School Science Teacher, South Fayette High School

 

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