People

Elizabeth M.Y. Lee, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

elizabeth.lee AT uci.edu | UCI Faculty Page | LinkedIn
Office: ET 744C

Liza Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, with affiliated appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Edelman Quantum Institute. Her research program focuses on computational materials and chemistry, with an emphasis on quantum, electronic, and energy materials.

Her honors include the NSF CAREER Award, the UCI Samueli Faculty Development Chair Award, the DOE ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge Award, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and the AIChE Electronics and Photonics Materials Award. She has also received recognition for excellence in teaching and mentoring, including the UCI Engineering Student Council’s Professor of the Year Award and the University of Chicago Maria Lastra Postdoctoral Mentor Award.

Liza earned Bachelor degrees from Johns Hopkins University, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She then completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Chicago before joining the faculty at UCI in October 2022.

Outside of research and teaching, she enjoys reading, yoga, watching movies, and exploring local boba places.

Alvin Yu, Ph.D.

Theory and Computation Advisor

alviny6 AT uci.edu | UCI Faculty Page

Office: IH 252 A

Alvin Yu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. His research interests include developing and applying multiscale simulations to provide physical insight into living systems and to understand biological phenomena that have a direct impact on human health. Alvin earned his B.S. in Physics from Caltech and a Ph.D. in Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied the physical and chemical basis for neural activity in glutamate receptor ion channels. As a Ruth L. Kirschstein postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, he studied the molecular basis for replication in viruses, including HIV and SARS-CoV-2. He is a recipient of the K99/R00 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Outside of work, he enjoys playing table tennis and board games, as well as investing.

Daisy Kamp

Graduate Researcher

dkamp AT uci.edu | LinkedIn

Office: ET 608

Daisy Kamp is a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2022 with a B.S. in Materials Engineering. Before coming to UCI, she worked with bacterial cellulose to use as a leather alternative and studied environmental science on the side. Daisy’s research interests lie in polymer sustainability, and she currently works on modeling metal-catalyzed polymer degradation. In her free time, she enjoys watching animated shows, playing video games, and listening to her favorite K-pop groups.

Sirisak Singsen

Graduate Researcher

ssingsen AT uci.edu | LinkedIn | Google Scholar

Office: ET 608

Sirisak Singsen is a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering. He graduated with a Bachelor in Physics from Khon Kaen University and a Masters in Physics from Suranaree University of Technology in Thailand. His research interests focus on computational condensed matter physics and machine learning. Prior to joining UCI, he conducted research on functional materials for metal-sulfur batteries, chemical gas sensing, and photocatalytic water splitting. At UCI, his research involves quantum defects in semiconductor, and machine learning for materials discovery. In his leisure time, Sirisak enjoys cooking, photography, and watching movies.

Joni Spencer

Graduate Researcher

jonis AT uci.edu | LinkedIn

Office: ET 608

Joni Spencer is a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering. In 2023, she graduated from Florida International University with a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences. Her undergraduate research was in computational astrochemistry, specifically in understanding reaction pathways of acetaldehyde and ammonia in interstellar clouds. Her interests have since shifted to the field of clean energy, and her doctoral research focuses on modeling electrochemical oxygen evolution reactions and understanding the effects of solvation and finite temperatures on these reactions. She is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Antigua & Barbuda. In her spare time, she is an avid photographer, baker, and domino player.

Sydney To

Graduate Researcher

sydnet6 AT uci.edu | LinkedIn

Office: ET 608

Sydney To is a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.S in Chemical Engineering with minors in Astronomy and Materials Science and Engineering. His undergraduate research was in high temperature oxidation of alloys. Sydney’s current research interests lie in semiconductor materials, specifically in quantum defects in solids. For hobbies, he likes to play video games and watch basketball.

Ruby Keesey

Undergraduate Researcher

rkeesey AT uci.edu | LinkedIn

Office: ET 608

Ruby Keesey is an undergraduate student in Materials Science and Engineering. Her research focuses on modeling metal-catalyzed polymer degradation using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and to understand how to design reaction conditions to optimize the product yield. In her free time, she enjoys painting, cooking, and collecting houseplants.

Shawn Juhon Lim

Undergraduate Researcher

shawnjl3 AT uci.edu

Office: ET 608

Shawn Lim is an undergraduate student in Materials Science and Engineering. He researches polar dielectric materials capable of generating low-frequency optical phonons. His other interests includes semiconductor materials and their properties. He loves to bake sweets and exercise during his free time.

Ronald Phung

Undergraduate Researcher

rdphung AT uci.edu

Office: ET 608

Ronald Phung is an undergraduate student in Materials Science and Engineering. His research focuses on modeling metal-catalyzed polymer degradation. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, card collecting, and exercising.

Nischala Pendyala

Visiting Undergraduate Researcher

nischap AT uci.edu

Office: ET 608

Nischala is pursuing an integrated dual degree in Engineering Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT BHU), Varanasi. At UC Irvine, her research centers on the formation of spin defects in silicon carbide and the computational screening of chiral materials with low optical phonon modes. She is also interested in statistical physics and quantum information theory. Outside of research, she enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and listening to music.