Staff Directory

Aaliyah is a postdoctoral research scientist co-advised with Dr. Sanat Kumar and Dr. Neil Dolinski in the Chemical Engineering department. She did her Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with Dr. Miguel Modestino on the electro-organic synthesis of Nylon precursors. She then moved to Austin, Texas to do her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin under the supervision of Dr. Gabriel E. Sanoja. Her Ph.D. focused on leveraging living copolymerizations to tailor the fracture properties of polymer networks. Her postdoctoral work now focuses on using dynamic chemistries to improve the mechanical recycling of polyolefins.

I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Environmental Engineering. I’ve previously worked on environmentally-oriented research such as carbon capture and triboelectric nanogenerator design, and am now bringing that focus to polymers in the Kumar Group, where I am currently studying the mechanics of nanoplastic degradation in laundry. 

I received my B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2022 from the University of California, San Diego. During my undergraduate, i worked on projects like Electro-Enhanced Conversion of Wet Waste to Products Beyond Methane and removal of Heavy Metals using Crab Shell Filter. In the Kumar Group I am currently working on the upcycling of Polyolefins
 

Sameer is a first-year PhD student originally from India. Prior to joining Columbia University, he completed his master's at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, India. Sameer’s research interests include polymer processing and recycling. His current projects focus on understanding polymer crystallization for better processing and recycling. Outside of school, Sameer enjoys playing chess.

I graduated from BITS Pilani in 2019 with a B.E. in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, I worked as a research assistant at International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (TIFR) from 2019-2021. At Columbia, I am working on a collaborative project between Kumar Research Group and Bishop Lab. I am interested in studying the dynamics of charged proteins and polyelectrolyte system using coarse-grained computational models. Outside of school, I enjoy biking.

Michele has obtained a PhD and MSc in Materials at Imperial College London and a BSc in Materials and Nanotechnology Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. His main research interests include statistical mechanics, soft matter and polymer physics. As part of the Kumar Group Michele is developing theoretical models and performing computer simulations to gain insight on the molecular mechanisms underpinning plastic degradation, polymer recycling and crystallisation.

I am a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University. I completed my Ph.D. in July 2023 at the University of Houston.
Currently, I am working on understanding the mechanisms behind micro and nanoplastics (MNPLs) generation from plastic-based materials, the health effects, and the prevalence of MNPLs, and using this knowledge to design plastics immune to the formation of MNPLs. I am also working on designing and developing polymeric membranes for gas separation, carbon capture, and storage.
As part of my Ph.D., I worked on the self-assembly of polymeric materials and their applications in energy storage, electronics, separations, and environmental remediations.
Broadly, I am interested in understanding the synthesis-structure-property relations of soft materials and utilizing their potential in applications ranging from energy storage and harvesting, environment (separations and resource recovery ), electronics, and healthcare.
Please visit my personal website https://www.maninderjeetsingh.com/ for more information.

I graduated from Ohio University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and minors in Mathematics and Chemistry. During my undergraduate, I conducted research on molecular simulations of surfactant adsorption behavior at metal-water interfaces. In the Kumar group, I am interested in studying nano-composites using various simulation techniques.

I received my Bachelor's Degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from the University of Bologna (UniBo) in June 2017. My undergraduate thesis, "Comparative Study of Polymeric Matrix Composite Materials to Create Freediving Fins", which I completed under the supervision of Prof. Martino Colonna and Prof. Andrea Zucchelli, allowed me to investigate innovative hybrid materials that have the potential to revolutionize the field of freediving. Fueling my desire to contribute to sustainable materials and advancements, I pursued a Master's Degree in Chemical and Process Engineering (July 2021), specializing in sustainable technologies and biotechnologies for energy and materials. The course was taught entirely in English at the University of Bologna. For my master's thesis, I delved into the world of cation exchange membranes for lithium ion transport, investigating their potential applications under the guidance of advisors, Prof. Sanat K. Kumar, Prof. Alan C. West, and Prof. Ferruccio Doghieri, I carried out my master's thesis at Columbia Unan opportunity that I had by winning a competitive grant from the University of Bologna My journey led me to an exciting and unconventional PhD experience. I now splits my time between Columbia University and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Under the supervision of Dr. Gregory Doerk at BNL's Center for Functional Nanomaterials, I investigate the ultrasonic spray technique for fabricating hybrid isoporous membranes. When I’m not in the lab, you can catch me soaring through the air as a neophyte aerialist or gliding beneath the waves as a licensed scuba diver and freediver.