Graduate Research Assistants
Twinkle Pandhi earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Her current research focus at Boise State University includes investigating 2D materials for printed and flexible electronics. In 2016, she participated in a summer internship at NASA Ames under the direction of Dr. Jessica Koehne where she worked on integrating graphene in printed biosensors. She is the recipient of several research awards, including 2nd place student award at the FlexTech Conference and a NSF Travel award for the World Congress on Biosensors.
Kiyo Fujimoto earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the Boise State University in 2016. Fujimoto is the recipient of the Department of Energy’s prestigious Nuclear Energy University Programs Graduate Research Fellowship, awarded to only 32 students nationwide. She also received the equally prestigious INL Graduate Fellowship. Her current research focus includes investigating novel materials for additive manufacturing of nuclear sensors.
Ashita Chandnani earned a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from University of Rajasthan, India in 2009 and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar in 2014 with an emphasis on the design and analysis of MEMS based sensors for biomedical applications. She moved to Boise in 2016 and started her Ph.D. studies in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boise State in Spring 2017. Her current research focus includes investigating printed and flexible electronics for wearable technology and sensors applications.
Bahareh Badamchi earned B.S. and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Urmia University, Iran in 2011 and 2013, respectively. After graduating from Urmia University as an honors student, she joined the same university as a lecturer and served in that capacity until 2016. While there, she was also active in research involving the design of Ultra Wide Band (UWB) and Millimeter Wave (mmWave) reconfigurable antennas. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering at Boise State. Her research focuses on the design and fabrication of flexible, conformal and reconfigurable structures in antenna and microwave devices.
Naqsh-e-Mansoor earned her B.S. in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering. She joined the MS program at Boise State University as a Fulbright scholar from Pakistan. Her earlier research has been in the field of green nano-technology, about developing economical biodegradable polymers. She is an ardent advocate of environmental empathy. Her current project is about 2-dimensional nano-materials and their applications in environmental sensors. She also has deep rooted love for dogs, reading, bollywood music and all things food.
Florent Muramutsa earned his B.Eng. with Honours in Metallurgy Engineering from the University of Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, where he gained significant research experience while working on his bachelor’s thesis ‘Effect of Niobium Addition on the Reproducibility of Mechanical Properties in A356/2L99 Alloys’. He is joining the Boise State University Interdisciplinary Materials Science and Engineering Doctoral Program where his project involves developing 2-dimensional nanomaterial inks and additive manufacturing of electronic devices.
Nicholas McKibben earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Northwest Nazarene University in 2015. He spent one and a half years working as a research assistant in the field of organometallic chemistry at Texas Tech University, where his primary focus was new molecule synthesis for hydrogen cleavage and the reduction reaction. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University. His current research focus is the synthesis and development of nanomaterials for additive manufacturing methods.
Lynn Karriem earned her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Boise State University and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering. Her research focus is in the area of graphene bioscaffolds for regenerative medicine as part of NSF CAREER Award #188516. She is a previous recipient of the NIH INBRE Summer Fellowship.
Cadré Francis earned his B.S. in Biomolecular Sciences where his research was in the field of polymers and his M.S. in Environmental and Chemical Sciences with his thesis work focused on the Morphological and Ontogenetic Color Change in the American Alligator. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University where his current project involves the synthesis of 2-D nanomaterials for catalytic and sensing applications. He recipient of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Bridge to Doctorate Fellowship.
Katelyn Wada earned her B.S. in Physics from Boise State University and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering. Her research focus is in the area of temperature and thermal conductivity measurements for extreme environments. She is a recipient of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy’s Integrated University Program (NEUP) graduate research fellowship.
Mone’t Alberts earned a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering from Boise State University in 2020. Alberts is the communications officer for the National Society of Black Engineers, Boise State Chapter, as well as a recipient of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Bridge to Doctorate Fellowship. Alberts is pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a research focus in the area of graphene bioscaffolds in support of NSF CAREER Award 188516, and is an active advocate for diversity and inclusion in the field of STEM.
Ariel Weltner earned a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Physics from Boise State University in 2020. Ariel’s previous research focused on the epitaxial growth of semiconductor nanostructures with applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Currently, Ariel is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University with a research focus in printed electronics and 2D nanomaterials. Ariel is an active volunteer and advocate for STEM outreach to underrepresented groups, and enjoys working with local junior high and high school students to encourage diversity within STEM fields.
Fereshteh Rajabi Kouchi earned her B.S. in Pure Chemistry from Zanjan National University, Iran in 2010 and M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry from Tehran University, Iran in 2015, where her research focused on synthesis of phosphine ligands by Grignard reaction and using their metallic complexes as catalyst in Hydroformylation reaction. She worked as a laboratory quality control manager in zinc ingot Production Company after graduating from bachelor’s degree. Fereshteh is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University. Her current research focus includes developing optoelectronic material inks for plasma jet printing of optoelectronic devices.
