Katelyn Wada

Bio

Dr. Katelyn (Kati) Wada is a Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering (MBE) at Boise State University. She previously received her B.S. in Physics from Boise State University in Fall 2018. Following graduation, she was an adjunct instructor for the physics department. Shortly thereafter, Kati joined the Advanced Nanomaterials and Manufacturing Laboratory to pursue her Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering, working with the Idaho National Laboratory and the DOE’s Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation program to develop temperature and thermal conductivity measurements for extreme environments. Dr. Wada successfully defended her Ph.D. in Summer 2023 and held an adjunct position teaching Thermal/Fluids II in the MBE Department in Fall 2023 while she continued to work with the Advanced Nanomaterials and Manufacturing Laboratory to develop novel manufacturing techniques for thermal conductivity measurement platforms and maintained a position leading the thermal and electrical transport lab. Dr. Wada accepted a Lecturer position in the MBE department starting Spring 2024.
She is currently leading a restructuring of the thermal/fluids course sequence and has begun developing a research program with her first student researcher focused on AI-driven tools for engineering education and thermal systems analysis.

Courses Taught

• ENGR 220 Engineering Dynamics
• ME 203 Engineering Mechanics II
• ME 321 Thermal Fluids I
• ME 323 Thermal/Fluids II
• ME 401 Engineering Systems & Apps
• ME 426/526 Renewable Energy Systems
• ME 501 Eng Professional Dev
• PHYS 212L Physics II with Calculus Lab

Education

• Boise State University, Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, 2023
• Boise State University, B.S. in Physics, 2018

Welcome to the Heat, Energy, and Analytical Tools (HEAT) Lab

Our team explores how emerging tools—like machine learning, simulation, and intelligent automation—can enhance both engineering education and the design of thermal and energy systems. We’re especially interested in how data-driven modeling can support student learning and help solve real-world challenges in areas like heat transfer, energy storage, renewables, and thermal packaging. Our ongoing and future projects aim to:

• Build AI-enhanced learning tools for heat transfer and thermodynamics courses
• Apply machine learning to thermal system analysis and design
• Explore thermal packaging solutions using analytical methods like thermal quadrupoles
• Optimize renewable and energy storage systems with intelligent modeling
• Connect simulation and benchtop models to create hands-on, AI-supported educational tools

We’re always looking for new collaborators and interdisciplinary insights—especially across engineering, education, and data science.

Our Team

Maxwell Hewes is a student in Mechanical Engineering at Boise State University, focusing on ethical AI integration in engineering education and sustainable energy systems. His research explores the application of machine learning, mechatronics, and thermal-fluid modeling to optimize resource use and support community-centered design. With a background in applied math and a passion for waste valorization, he aims to develop open-source tools that empower students, researchers, and local industries to co-create resilient, regenerative technologies.

1. Eixenberger, J. E., Anders, C. B., Wada, K., Reddy, K. M., Brown, R. J., Moreno-Ramirez, J., Weltner, A. E., Karthik, C., Tenne, D. A., Fologea, D., & Wingett, D. G. (2019). Defect Engineering of ZnO Nanoparticles for Bioimaging Applications. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 11(28), 24933–24944. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b01582
2. Josh E. Eixenberger, Catherine B. Anders, Rebecca Hermann, Katelyn Wada, Kongara M. Reddy, Raquel J. Brown, Daniel Fologea, Denise G. Wingett, “On Demand Release of Encapsulated ZnO Nanoparticles and Chemotherapeutics for Targeted Drug Delivery Applications”, RSC Pharmaceutics, 2024.
3. K. Wada, A. Fleming, and D. Estrada, “Novel Thermal Conductivity Measurement Technique Utilizing a Transient Multilayer Analytical Model of a Line Heat Source Probe for Extreme Environments,” in Energy Technology 2023, Springer, 2023. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-22638-0_13.
4. K. Wada, A. Fleming, J. Eixenberger, B. J. Jaques, and D. Estrada, “Transient multilayer analytical model of a line heat source probe for in-pile thermal conductivity measurements,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 188, p. 108241, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2023.108241.
5. Katelyn Wada, Austin Fleming, Joshua Eixenberger, Brian Jaques, David Estrada, “Analytical Models for In-Pile Thermal Conductivity Determination Utilizing Line Heat Source Probes”, NPIC HMIT
6. Katelyn Wada, Austin Fleming, Brian J. Jaques, David Estrada, “High Temperature Validation of a Line Heat Source Technique for In-Pile Thermal Conductivity Determination”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2024.108907.
7. Katelyn Wada, Scott Riley, Brian J. Jaques, David Estrada, “Methods for Temperature and Thermal Conductivity Measurements in Extreme Environments” (In-progress)
8. Katelyn Wada, Joshua Eixenberger, Dallin Stout, Todd Otanicar, Brian J. Jaques, David Estrada, “Analysis of near-wall pebble bed thermal conductivity”, ACS Omega, 2023, doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c08202.
9. Nb/Mo Printed Thermocouple Device for In-Pile Temperature Detection (In-progress)
10. Tony Valayil Varghese, Josh Eixenberger, Fereshteh Rajabi-Kouchi, Maryna Lazouskaya, Cadre Francis, Hailey Burgoyne, Katelyn Wada, Harish Subbaraman, David Estrada, “Multi-Jet gold nanoparticle inks for additive manufacturing of printed and wearable electronics”, ACS materials AU, 2023, doi:10.1021/acsmaterialsau.3c00058.
11. Chang-Beom Eom; Jung-Woo Lee; Jieun Kim; Anthony L. Edgeton; Tula R. Paudel; Neil Campbell; Brenton A. Noesges; Jonathon L. Schad; Jiangfeng Yang; Katelyn Wada; Jonathan Moreno-Ramirez; Nicholas Parker; Yulin Gan; Hyungwoo Lee; Dennis V. Christensen; Kitae Eom; Jong-Hoon Kang; Yunzhong Chen; Thomas Tybell; Nini Pryds; Dmitri A. Tenne; Leonard J. Brillson; Mark S. Rzchowski; Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, “Metal-organic Pulsed Laser Deposition for Complex Oxide Heterostructures”, Matter, 2025 (Submitted)