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 of Materials Science and Engineering with a joint-appointment in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Her research program is focused on the design of materials with heterogeneous interfaces with applications in energy, sustainability, and quantum technology, and on the use and development of theoretical and computational methods for simulations of materials. Her awards include the DOE ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge Award, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, AIChE Electronics and Photonics Materials Award, the University of Chicago Mentoring Award, and the UCI Samueli Faculty Development Chair, and recently, UCI Engineering Student Council’s Professor of the Year.

Liza earned Bachelor degrees from Johns Hopkins University in 2012, and later an M.S. and a Ph.D. from MIT in 2018. She then completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Chicago before joining the faculty at UCI in 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.

Yu-Lun (Elaine) Chang

Graduate Researcher

yulunc5 AT uci.edu | LinkedIn

Office: ET 608

Elaine Chang is an M.S. student in Materials Science and Engineering. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the National Taipei University of Technology in Taiwan. Her research focuses on the computational modeling of catalysts for hydrocarbon conversion and spin defects in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride for quantum sensing. In her free time, Elaine takes pleasure in traveling and exercising.

Sirisak Singsen

Graduate Researcher

ssingsen AT uci.edu | CV | 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 in 2020 and a Masters in Physics from Suranaree University of Technology in 2022 in Thailand. His research interests focus on theoretical and computational condensed matter physics, specifically using Density Functional Theory. Prior to joining UCI, he conducted research on advanced electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, defect engineering in materials for gas sensing, and photocatalytic materials for water splitting. At UCI, his research involves characterizing the thermal and aqueous stability of near-surface nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond for quantum applications. In his leisure time, Sirisak enjoys cooking, photography, and watching movies.

Joni Spencer

Graduate Researcher

jonis AT uci.edu

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 water splitting 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 an M.S. 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.

Sebastian Casanova

Undergraduate Researcher

sebastc AT uci.edu | LinkedIn

Office: ET 608

Sebastian Casanova is an undergraduate in Materials Science Engineering. His project in the lab focuses on understanding the chemical cues that drive molecular reactions under nanoscale spatial confinement, using anhydride ligands on gold nanoparticles as a model system. He also works on an engineering senior design team project sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory to investigate the grain boundary diffusion in cesium oxide. Outside of research and classes, Sebastian is a board member and an active participant of the MatSci Club at UCI. In his free time, he enjoys riding dirt bikes in the desert, building Gunpla, and assembling gaming PCs.

Aaron Dong

High School Intern

donga8 AT uci.edu

Office: ET 608

Aaron Dong is a high school intern from Sage Hill High. At UCI, he is applying computer programming to solve problems in materials science and engineering, including catalytic deconstruction of plastic wastes. Currently, he is working with several other researcher to assist in building atomistic models and analyzing data from electronic structure calculations. In his free time, Aaron enjoys playing music and video games.