People

Tom was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. He obtained the title of engineer in 2014, dealing with the subject of energy efficiency of buildings. In 2016, he obtained a master’s degree defending his thesis in the field of construction. He obtained both titles at Warsaw University of Technology. From 2016 to 2022, he participated in doctoral studies at the Warsaw University of Technology, from which he graduated with honors in 2022. He is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Fundamentals of Civil Engineering at Warsaw University of Technology. He joined ETL in August 2023 as a DEKABAN Fund fellow.

Email: tkulakow@umich.edu

Yimin was born and raised in Sichuan, China. She received her B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering with the highest honors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in July 2020. She joined ETL in Fall 2020.

She has a great interest in global energy utilization and environmental sustainability. Her current research project is phase-change heat transfer for thermal management applications.

Outside the lab, she is the president of Qingyun Chinese Instrumental Ensemble, a student-founded organization at the University of Michigan that features traditional Chinese instruments.

Email: yiminzh@umich.edu

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Biruk was born and raised in Ethiopia. He obtained his B.S. degree in ME with highest honors from Pusan National University in South Korea in February 2020, and obtained his MS degree in ME from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in August 2022. He joined ETL in Fall 2022.

His current research interest is in droplet impact on micro/nanostructured lubricated porous structures.

In his spare time, he likes to play soccer and swim.

Email: birukg@umich.edu

Jerry(Ziyang) Huang was raised in Shanghai, China. He obtained his B.S degree in Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in May 2022. He joined ETL in Summer 2023.

His current research interest is in characterizing ice adhesion strength on various surfaces.

Outside of the lab, he is a car enthusiast and working on cars from the 80s.

Email: hziyang@umich.edu

Devika Harikrishnan, hailing from India, holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, where she also pursued a minor in Computer Science Engineering. Her upcoming association with ETL, starting in Fall 2023, is fueled by her keen interest in thermal management and renewable energy systems.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Devika finds joy in dancing and pencil sketching.

Email: devikahk@umich.edu

Wei was born and raised in Anhui province. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2016 from Anhui University of Science and Technology with high honor. He joined ETL in Fall 2020. His current research focuses on utilizing engineered surfaces and active droplet manipulation strategies to enhance phase-change condensation.

Wei is a photography enthusiast. Outside of work, he enjoys taking high quality pictures of people, events, and landscapes with his camera. Additionally, he enjoys playing table tennis.

Email: wlume@umich.edu

John grew up in Jos, Nigeria. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Calvin University in 2017. After working for three years in the West-Michigan area, he joined ETL in the summer of 2021. He is interested in global sustainability challenges of energy and water.

He finished his Masters in the Fall 2021 semester. After graduation, he is now working at AVL, Plymouth, MI.

In his spare time, John enjoys being outdoors, cooking, and hanging out with his cat.

Email: joyolee@umich.edu

Michelle grew up in Ann Arbor, MI. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University in 2020. She joined the ETL in the Fall 2021 semester. She is interested in assisting condensation using active forces.

She finished her Masters in the Winter 2022 semester. After graduation, she is now working at IMRA, Ann Arbor, MI.

In her spare time, Michelle enjoys reading fiction books and baking deserts.

Email: michua@umich.edu

Mohammed was born and raised in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from King Saud University with the First honor.  He joined ETL in fall 2021. He is interested in solar steam generation (solar desalination) and radiative cooling.

In his free time, Mohammed enjoys hiking, horseback riding, cooking, and playing soccer.

Email: masaker@umich.edu

Weihan (Michael) was born and raised in Zhengzhou, China. He obtained his B.S degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Rochester in May 2022. He joined ETL in Fall 2022. He is interested in thermal management and is currently working on enhancing condensation heat transfer using lubricant-infused surfaces.

In his free time, Weihan enjoys playing bass guitar and hard rock.

Email: weihanw@umich.edu

Hunter grew up in Temperance, MI and is a graduate of Bedford High School. He is currently working on his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He joined ETL in the Winter 2021 semester. He works on icephobic material synthesis and experimental characterization.

Hunter is also a student-manager for the University of Michigan Men’s Wrestling team, and a member of the MRover student design team.

When he is not working he enjoys hiking and exploring northern Michigan.

Email: hgandee@umich.edu

Yicheng (Frederick) was born in Wuxi, China and moved to California for high school. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the Fall 2022 semester as a sophomore. His current work focuses on the formation of ice dendrites on lubricant-infused surfaces and the oil propagation through dendrites.

In his free time, he has a passion for quantitative finance and complicated machines like automobiles and aircraft.

Email: valeska@umich.edu

Lisa was born and raised in Okemos, MI. She is currently working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She is currently working to better understand oleoplaning droplets and lubricated surfaces.

In her spare time, she enjoys making her own clothes and dancing.

Email: konglisa@umich.edu

Minjeong, originally from Seoul, South Korea, is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. In the fall of 2023, she became a part of ETL. Her research project is on analyzing the wetting ridge dynamics of lubricant-infused surfaces.

Minjeong is deeply committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and is a firm believer in the power of leaders to drive social change. During her free time, she collaborates with her brother to create music, and in 2022, her music amassed over 65k listeners on Spotify.

Email: kimminje@umich.edu

Matthew grew up in Rochester, Michigan. He is currently a senior studying mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in fall 2023 and is working on visualizing ice attachment mechanisms on solid surfaces.

In his free time, Matthew enjoys card games, music, and learning about various engineering topics.

Email: milajoie@umich.edu

Mobin spent most of his time growing up around Ann Arbor. He’s currently a Mechanical Engineering senior at the University of Michigan and is pursuing a minor in Energy Science and Policy. His main focus is on sustainability, decarbonization, and the social-impacts of engineering. He started working in the ETL Fall 2023. He is working on using planar laser-induced fluorescence to visualize and characterize thin films.

Outside of engineering, he likes to cook, play the cello and drums, and can be spotted biking around campus.

Email: mobin@umich.edu

Jared was born in the United States and raised in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. Currently, Jared lives in Ann Arbor Michigan. Jared is currently a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan. Jared is currently working on experimentally characterizing and modeling water droplet impact on silicon micropillars.

Jared enjoys cooking and working on scratch-built remote control vehicles. Over all, Jared enjoys working on anything technical or engineering-related.

Email: jmlieb@umich.edu

Juan was born in Santiago, Chile. He is currently working on his Bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics. He has a passion for innovation and sustainability. He joined ETL in winter 2021. His research focuses on understanding the motion of millimeter size water droplets on nature-inspired state-of-the-art micro/nanostructured lubricated porous structures.

Juan is also a member of the Michigan International Students Society.

In his free time, he enjoys mountaineering, reading, cooking, and playing soccer.

Email: jchomali@umich.edu

Justin was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and grew up in Levittown, New York. He is currently working towards earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Electrical Engineering. He has a passion for sustainability and robotics. Justin joined ETL in Summer of 2021 and is working on water harvesting.

He is also a research team member in the Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP) at the University of Michigan and a current board member of the Michigan Powerlifting Club.

In his free time Justin enjoys cooking, the outdoors, collecting figurines, and going to the gym.

Email: jramlall@umich.edu

Haobo was born and raised in Wenzhou, China. He is double majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the Fall 2021 semester. He is currently working on understanding the transient and steady state behavior of wetting ridge on lubricated surface.

He finished his Bachelor’s degree in the Winter 2023 semester. After graduation, he is now a PhD student at Cornell University.

In his spare time, Haobo enjoys playing table tennis and watching movies.

Email: xurobert@umich.edu

Dalton grew up in Birmingham, MI and is a graduate of Brother Rice High School. He is currently working towards earning his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Physics. He joined ETL in the Fall 2021 semester. His current research seeks to understand the mechanics of ice adhesion on different surfaces of varying wettability.

In his spare time, Dalton enjoys reading, chess, golf, and cooking.

Email: wawro@umich.edu

Xiaoyu (Shawn) was born in Jinan, China, and grew up in Yinchuan, China. He is double majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the Winter 2022 semester. He is currently working on understanding the motion of condensed droplet on the lubricated surface.

He finished his Bachelor’s degree in the Winter 2023 semester. After graduation, he is now a PhD student at University of California, Berkeley.

In his spare time, Xiaoyu enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, playing basketball and hiking.

Email: xiaoyuch@umich.edu

Keith was born and raised in Arcadia, CA. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He was working on the study of oleoplaning droplets and lubricated surfaces.

He finished his Bachelor’s degree in the Winter 2023 semester. After graduation, he is now working at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Email: kgwong@umich.edu

Jose is a proud Cuban and Miami native. He is a Mechanical Engineering major with a passion for hands-on work with real world applicability. His work mainly consists of the study of droplet oleoplaning and its associated factors such as contact angle and surface tension of fluids.

Email: galguera@umich.edu

Jack Ruppel was born and raised in Freeland, Michigan, a small town about 90 minutes north of Ann Arbor. He is in his senior year at the University of Michigan studying Mechanical Engineering and joined ETL in the fall of 2022. He is currently working on drop impact dynamics on textured oil-infused surfaces.

Jack enjoys playing hockey, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: ruppelj@umich.edu

Christopher grew up in Bloomfield, Michigan. He is an undergraduate studying mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the fall of 2022. He is currently working on measuring the critical heat flux through engineered surfaces exposed to boiling water.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing the piano and building amateur rockets.

Email: cvandier@umich.edu

Wanxuan (Yolanda) was born and raised in Dongguan, China. She is a dual degree student majoring in mechanical engineering and environmental engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University and the University of Michigan. She joined ETL in the fall 2022 semester.

She enjoys reading, baking, and painting in her spare time.

Email: mwanxuan@umich.edu

Feihao (Howard) was born in Jiangxi, China. He is a junior in mechanical engineering major at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in Fall 2022. He is currently working on the ice adhesion strength on lubricant-infused surfaces. 

Email: hooooz@umich.edu

Lauren grew up in Milford, MI. She is currently working on her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She joined ETL in winter 2023. Her research studies phenomena on icephobic surfaces.

She is also a member of MedLaunch and is an Intramural Sports Supervisor at the University of Michigan. 

In her free time, Lauren enjoys playing basketball, hiking, reading, and painting.

Email: lcarrann@umich.edu

Miles was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX. He is currently working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at Howard University. He joined the ETL in Summer 2022. His current research focuses on understanding droplet impact dynamics on lubricant-infused surfaces.

In his free time Miles enjoys playing basketball, reading, and cooking.

Email: milesph@umich.edu

Thomas was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is an undergraduate student at Purdue University studying mechanical engineering. He joined ETL in the summer of 2023 and is currently working on visualizing ice attachment mechanisms on solid surfaces.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, badminton, and baseball.

Email: tbwool@umich.edu

Nikye grew up in Royal Oak, MI, and will be a Senior at Royal Oak High School next fall. As part of the University of Michigan Summer High School Apprentice Researchers Program (U-M SHARP), she joined the ETL in Summer 2021. Nikye will work on experimental characterization and numerical modeling of frost propagation and icing of subcooled water droplets on state-of-the-art micro/nanoengineered surfaces.

In her spare time, Nikye enjoys creating art of all different mediums, reading, and journaling.

Email: nixonn@umich.edu

Amira was born in Grand Rapids and attend East Kentwood High School in Kentwood MI. As part of the University of Michigan Summer High School Apprentice Researchers Program (U-M SHARP), she joined the ETL in summer 2022. Amira works on modeling oil wicking through dendrites.

When she is not in the lab, she enjoys dancing, reading, playing my guitar, and playing video games.

Email: hamira@umich.edu

Anju was born in Hyderabad, India and grew up in Albany, New York. She will be a Junior at Guilderland High School next year. She joined the ETL in Summer 2023 and is currently involved in a virtual internship analyzing how droplets spread and retract on thin liquid films during impact. 

In her free time she enjoys playing tennis, reading, and taking hikes. 

Email: anjanakummetha@yahoo.com