PI Alex Chortos
Undergrad: Nanotechnology Engineering (University of Waterloo)
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PhD: Materials Science & Engineering (Stanford University)
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Postdoc: Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard University)
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Alex Chortos did his undergrad in Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo and his PhD in Materials Science & Engineering with Zhenan Bao at Stanford. His PhD work included stretchable transistors and bio-inspired sensor networks. He subsequently did a postdoc position at Harvard working on 3D printing of soft electronics and soft robotics. He is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue.
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Youtube channel on the mechanics of emerging devices.
Ph.D. Students
Mina Lee
Master's from Pohang University of Science and TechnologyMina Lee received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and the M.S. degree inCreative IT Engineering from Pohang University of Science and Technology(POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea, in 2017 and 2021 respectively. Her current research interests include magneto-active actuators, soft robotics and bio-integrated technologies.
lee4050 @purdue.edu
Michael Sotzing
Michael obtained his baccalaureate at the University of Connecticut in Mechanical Engineering where he was also an undergraduate researcher at the Electrica Insulation Research Center. Michael developed his skillset through internships with Collins Aerospace and General Atomics which ranges from dielectric materials and capacitor development, high voltage testing and instrumentation design, to multiphysics modeling and electro-mechanical device development. Michael leverages these skills to design electroactive devices with the goal of creating high-performance bio-integrated systems.
Hammam Niyazi
AlHammam received the B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from King AbdulAziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2018, and the M.S. degree in the same field from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, in 2020, during which he conducted research in the field of MEMS inertial devices. His current research interests include soft robotics and actuators, ionic gels, hydrogels and electrowetting.
Renkun Wang
Renkun Wang received the B.S. degree in electromechanical engineering from University of Macau, Macau, China, in 2023, and the M.Eng. degree in mechanical engineering from University of California Berkely, CA, USA, in 2024. His current research interests include DEA, soft robotics, and 3-D printing.
Mohammed Al-Rifaie
Mohammed Al Rifaie received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mosul University (Iraq) in 2011 and an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University (USA) in 2017. His current research in the Dr. Alex Chortos Lab focuses on the development of prosthetic devices with comprehensive mechanical testing. Their work involves evaluating the durability, flexibility, and overall performance of new materials and designs to create more robust and effective prosthetic solutions for users.
Undergraduates:
Uday Mittal
Uday Mittal is a junior undergraduate student in the School of Mechanical Engineering. His primary interest lies in medical device technology, and his research in this lab focuses on soft robotics. He is currently working on gel actuator mechanics, with an emphasis on microstructured geometry for photo-curable gels.
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Loick Trampont
Loïck Trampont is a Senior Undergraduate Student in the School of Mechanical Engineering. He has developed a strong interest in soft material innovation. Currently, he is developing dielectric elastomer actuators with an objective of minimizing driven voltage to the device.
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Julia Fernandes
Julia Fernandes is a senior undergraduate student in the School of Mechanical Engineering. Her primary interest is mechatronics, with a special interest in humanoid robotics, and her research focuses on soft robotics. Currently, she is working on electrically-driven soft actuators, aiming to improve device efficiency and manufacturing optimization.
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Alumni
PhDs:
Jue Wang -> Postdoc at Yale
Masters:
Jeonghoon Lee (visiting Master's from Hanyang University)
-> PhD student at Johns Hopkins University
Mohammadreza Firoozan (visiting Master's from University of Tehran)
-> PhD student
​Chinmayee Curpod (Master's research credits)
Undergraduates:
Junsu Park (undergrad research) -> TSMC
Pranav Parigi (undergrad research) -> TSMC
Vishwesh Krishnamurthy
Maitreyi Dixit -> MS at CMU
Dhirodaato Sarkar -> PhD at Purdue
Enrico Setiawan -> Eli Lilly
Ruhaan Joshi -> Tesla
Wardah Yusra -> Petronas