Current Members – Energy Transport Lab

Principal Investigator

Solomon Adera

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Education: PhD, MechE, MIT
Membership:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
American Physical Society (APS)
ASME K-16 Heat Transfer division
Pi Tau Sigma Nu Chapter
Tau Beta Pi (TBP)
Beta Lambda Alpha International Honor Society

Currently, we are looking for motivated and creative postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students to join our group. Interested students are encouraged to apply for graduate admission. Admitted students are encouraged to contact Prof. Adera via email. Undergraduate students should email Prof. Adera with their resume.

Dogtoral Assistant and Lab Manager

Dogtor CoCo

Postdog Dogtor CoCo is the Lab Manager (05/03/2021-present).

Postdoctoral Researchers / Visiting Scholars

Tomasz Kulakowski

Postdoctoral Researcher

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: [email protected]

Michal Remer

Postdoctoral Researcher

Michal was raised in Zamość, Poland. He received a BSc in 2012 at the Warsaw University of Technology, dealing with numerical simulations in scramjet engines. In 2014, he obtained a master’s degree, defending his thesis on droplet impact in icing conditions. From 2014, he worked as a Research Assistant at the Warsaw University of Technology in the Aerodynamics Department. He defended his PhD in 2022 in the field of triple line dynamics. He is an Assistant Professor at Warsaw University of Technology Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering. He joined ETL in March 2024 as a DEKABAN Fund fellow.

Email: [email protected]

John Kim

Postdoctoral Researcher

John was born in California and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Seoul National University. In 2024, he completed his Ph.D. in the Wooldridge Combustion Laboratory at the University of Michigan. His research project is passive thermal management using phase-change heat transfer.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer and computer games.

Email: [email protected]

Graduate Students

Yimin Zhou

Ph.D. Candidate

Yimin was born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan (Szechuan), 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 an e-board member of Qingyun Chinese Music Ensemble, a student organization at U of M that features traditional Chinese musical instruments.

Email: [email protected]

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Biruk Teka Gidreta

Ph.D. Candidate

Biruk was born and raised in Ethiopia. He obtained his B.S. degree in ME with highest honors from Pusan National University in February 2020 and 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 and immersion cooling of power electronics.

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

Email: [email protected]

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Young Jin Lee

Ph.D. Student

Young Jin, from Seoul, South Korea, obtained his B.S. degree in ME from Seoul National University of Science and Technology and completed his M.S. degree in ME at Korea University. During his B.S. and M.S., he worked at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. He joined ETL in Fall 2024. He is currently working on acoustically enhanced boiling and its applications.

In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym and cooking.

Email: [email protected]

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Takiyah Ali

Ph.D. Student

Takiyah, from Canton, Michigan, earned her B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She joined ETL in Winter 2025 and will begin her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan in Fall 2025.

She is currently focused on pool boiling on textured surfaces.

In her free time, she enjoys reading.

Email: [email protected]

Wonhee Cho

Ph.D. Student

Wonhee was born and raised in South Korea. He obtained his B.S degree from Chungnam National University and obtained his MS degree in M.E from Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) in August 2023. Prior to joining ETL in Fall 2025, he worked at Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R&D Center. His research interests include the impact dynamics of droplets on oil-infused and superhydrophobic surfaces. Additionally, he is interested in thermal management packaging technologies for semiconductor devices.

In his free time, he likes to play soccer

Email: [email protected]

Priyanka Viswanath

M.S. Student

Priyanka was born and raised in India. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from PES University, India. She joined ETL in Winter 2024. She is currently working towards earning her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Her research in on the enhancement of pool boiling heat transfer.

In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and singing.

Email: [email protected]

Arkady Grunin

M.S. Student

Arkady received a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the City College of New York in 2019. Since the completion of his undergraduate studies, Arkady has been employed with the US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) in the Analytics Fluid, Thermal & Survivability Team. His professional focus pertains to fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and computational engineering. Arkady is currently pursuing an MSE at the University of Michigan on a part-time basis.

Email: [email protected]

Hrushikesh Jadhav

M.S. Student

Hrushikesh was born and brought up in India. He obtained a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India. During his undergraduate studies, he worked at IIT Kanpur, Reliance Industries Limited, and IG Drones. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. His interests lie in energy generation and conservation. He joined ETL in fall 2024.

In his free time, he enjoys playing badminton, singing, and cooking!

Email: [email protected]

Nicholas Bush

M.S. Student

Nick was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2024. Currently, he is working towards a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. He joined ETL in Winter 2024. His interests include renewable energy and design optimization.

In his free time he enjoys playing tennis, pool billiards, and weight lifting.

Email: [email protected]

Undergraduate Students

Summer Undergrad Interns

Tanner Gaw

Tanner was born and raised in Shepherd, Michigan. He is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, and he joined ETL in the Summer of 2024. He is currently working on droplet impact dynamics on lubricated surfaces.

In his free time, he enjoys reading and exercising.

Email: [email protected]

Azekel Hartley

Azekel was born in Michigan and raised in both Brazil and Mexico. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Applied Physics at Morehouse College and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan through the Dual-Degree Engineering Program. He joined ETL in the summer of 2025, where his research focuses on Ice Adhesion on Micro/Nanostructured Surfaces.

In his free time, Azekel enjoys photography, weightlifting, and trying new foods.

Email: [email protected]

Elikem Amegah

Elikem was born in Chicago and raised in both Chicago and Bahrain. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the summer of 2025.

In his free time, Elikem enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, listening to music, and attending concerts and festivals.

Email: [email protected]

Jada Reeves

Jada was born in Memphis and raised in Atlanta. Pursuing a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, Jada joined ETL in April 2025. She is also a member of M-STEM Academy at the University.

In her spare time, she is a student pilot and enjoys baking, travelling, and music.

Email: [email protected]

Runshuang Guo

Runshuang was born and raised in Guangdong, China. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University through a dual-degree program. He joined ETL in the summer of 2025.

In his spare time, he enjoys reading and watching movies.

Email: [email protected]

Mikko Hendricks

Mikko is a rising junior studying Mechanical Engineering here at the University of Michigan from Chicago, IL. He joined ETL in the Summer of 2025 Currently, he is a part of the Micro-Drone Sensor Lab, as well as the Vice President for the UMich chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.

In his free time, he enjoys cooking, drawing, and playing basketball.

Email: [email protected]

Thomas Wooldridge

Thomas was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He recently graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May 2025. He first joined ETL as a summer intern in 2023 and returned to the lab in the summer of 2025. His current research focuses on understanding bubble entrapment mechanism and fragmentation dynamics during high-velocity droplet impact.

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

Email: [email protected]

Cesar Rosas-Vazquez

Cesar was born and raised in Waldorf, Maryland. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the summer of 2025.

In his spare time, he enjoys watching motorsports, particularly Formula 1.

Email: [email protected]

Judy Chung

Judy is a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan. She is a computer science major passionate about the application of technology on health and medicine.

In her free time, she likes to play the guitar, read, binge watch movies, and play the flute.

Email: [email protected]

Anas Ali

Anas Ali was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Michigan. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined ETL in the summer of 2025.

In his free time, Anas enjoys playing basketball and spending time with friends.

Email: [email protected]