Suchol Savagatrup, Ph.D.
Suchol grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his undergraduate degree from University of California, Berkeley in 2012 and his Ph.D. from University of California, San Diego in 2016, both in chemical engineering. At UC San Diego, Suchol worked in the laboratory of Prof. Darren Lipomi in the areas of semiconducting polymers with properties inspired by biological tissue, new concepts in organic photovoltaics, and wearable and mechanically robust organic electronics. As a graduate student, he was supported by several competitive fellowships, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP), Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Scholarship (ARCS), and Kaplan Dissertation Year Fellowship. Suchol joined Prof. Timothy Swager’s lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Ruth L. Kirschstein NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow, where he worked on novel designs for chemical sensors using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and complex liquid colloids. Suchol joined the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona, College of Engineering in 2019 as an Assistant Professor. At the University of Arizona, Suchol’s research interests sit at the interface of responsive soft materials science and device fabrication for applications in biosensors and environmental sustainability.
Email: suchol [at] arizona.edu
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Baishali Barua
Baishali is pursuing her Ph.D in chemical engineering at the University of Arizona. Her research interest is in the new classes of dynamic, soft materials and ways to create practical biosensors, using an interdisciplinary approach to combine materials science and interfacial interactions. She is originally from Bangladesh. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and her master’s degree in biosystems engineering from the University of Arizona. During her master’s, she worked with remotely sensed data for observing changes in the environment and the ecosystem. She has won the BUET Merit Scholarships (2013 & 2014), the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Scholarship (2018 & 2019), the Bangladesh-Sweden Trust Fund (BSTF) Scholarship (2019), and the Meritorious Graduate Teaching Assistant Award from the UA Biosystems Engineering Department (2019). Her favorite hobby is painting; she also enjoys traveling, hiking, and reading novels while not working in the lab.
Email: baishalibarua [at] arizona.edu
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Tyler Durkin
Tyler was born and raised on the Jersey Shore and has spent his entire life on the East Coast. He received his undergraduate degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019. While at Penn, Tyler worked in the laboratory of Prof. Zahra Fakhraai and concentrated in the areas of stable glasses and the engineering of properties of various polymers through the addition of nanoparticles. Outside the lab, Tyler enjoys cooking, spending time with friends, and exploring Tucson.
Email: tydurkin [at] arizona.edu
Aakanksha Gadh
Aakanksha is from New Delhi, India and is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Arizona. Her research interests are in the fields of biosensors, materials science, chemistry, and molecular engineering. Aakanksha is a recipient of the Sulzer Mines Scholarship (2020-2021). She is also a Scott Roberts Scholar (Spring 2021) who is working to develop all-liquid sensing particles for environmental monitoring. She is very passionate about singing and also enjoys reading novels and writing poetry in her free time.
Cameron Malloy
Cameron grew up in Woodstock, GA and spent most of his life living on the East Coast. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona and is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. His undergraduate background and experiences are in researching soft materials and sensors within the Savagatrup Research Laboratory, conducting a life cycle assessment for a local microbrewery with Dr. Paul Blowers, and working in the mining industry as a metallurgist with Freeport McMoRan. He is the recipient of the Triffet Award (2021–2022) and was selected as a Richard A. Harvill Fellow (2021–2022). Cameron also received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) in 2022. Outside of the lab, Cameron enjoys distance running, hiking in the mountains, and spending time with family and friends.
Laura Dunham
Laura is from Willcox, Arizona and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Arizona. Her research interests consist of soft materials, organic chemistry, and molecular engineering. She also received the Scott Roberts Scholarship for Spring 2023. In the future, she hopes to earn her Ph.D. in chemical engineering to further pursue her research interests. Outside of the lab, Laura enjoys lifting weights, taking care of her plants, and spending time with family and friends.
Jamie Holmstrom
Jamie is from Denver, Colorado and is pursuing her bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biochemistry. She also serves as the Industry Events Director for the Society of Women Engineers at the U of A. Before joining the Savagatrup Research Laboratory, she worked in the Research, Innovation, & Impact department of the University of Arizona as an administrative assistant. She hopes to pursue a career in pharmaceutical or materials manufacturing. Outside of school, Jamie enjoys hiking, rock climbing, skiing, and spending time with friends.
Matt Danley
Matt is from Woodbury, Minnesota and is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Matt stayed at Duluth for his master’s in chemistry working on piezoelectric biosensors to study the complications for heart valve replacement procedures with Dr. Victor Lai. Matt continued his education at UMD for one additional year to finish a master’s in chemical engineering while simultaneously teaching at the University of Wisconsin Superior as a lecturer for Organic Chemistry 1 & 2. Outside of school, Matt enjoys hiking, brewing beer, and watching sports.
Rohini Ghosh
Rohini is from Tucson, Arizona and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Arizona. She also serves as the Director of Finance on the Engineering Student Council at the U of A. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in chemical manufacturing, biotechnology, or pharmaceuticals. Outside of school, Rohini enjoys learning classical Indian dance, playing the flute, and reading.
Daniel Bellido, Ph.D.
Daniel obtained his bachelor’s degree in Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering at the Universidad de las Americas Puebla, Mexico. He also obtained his master’s degree in Nanoscience and Advanced Materials at the Federal University of ABC in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He then completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he worked on sustainable and bio-based epoxy coatings for anti-icing and anticorrosion applications. He also spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials in North Dakota State University studying the adhesion properties of anti-icing coatings. In his spare time, he likes to play soccer, hiking, and singing karaoke.
Karen Samantha (Sam) Cruz Amaya
Sam is an international student from Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico, pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering. She holds a M.Sc. degree in Food Science and Technology from the Universidad de Sonora, Mexico, and has been involved in multiple projects including in vivo metabolic assay for functional food design, pH-responsive hydrogels (CONACYT Scholarship), and educational social sciences (CONACYT-PRONACES). In her free time, she likes to quietly enjoy the days, try new food, craft beers, and outdoor physical activities.
Tiffany Nguyen
Tiffany is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a minor in biochemistry with goals of working in the pharmaceutical industry. She is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her research interests include working with soft materials to create complex droplets and biosensors. Outside of school, her hobbies include drawing, playing guitar, lifting weights, and snowboarding.
Sophie Fuller
Sophie is from Flagstaff, AZ and is pursuing her bachelor’s and accelerated master’s in chemical engineering. She has worked as a metallurgical engineering intern at Freeport-McMoRan, and enjoys hands-on work. Her interests include metals, soft materials, and sustainability. Outside of school, Sophie enjoys being outside, walking and playing with her dog, and spending time with friends and family.
Alumni
Vivian Trinh (2020–2021. B.S. 2020, M.S. 2021, now: NXP Semiconductors)
Ramón Castrejón Miranda (2021–2022. B.S. 2021, M.S. 2022, now: PhD student at Colorado School of Mines)
Isabel (Izzy) Beeley (2020–2022. B.S. 2023)
Leo Partida (2022–2023)