EmPOWER Mentors

2024-2025 Mentors


Sofia Alfieri (Lead Mentor)

Research Interests: Recombinant adeno-associated virus based gene therapy
Group: Kelvin Lee
Year: 3rd
Undergrad: Purdue University
Hometown: Wilmington, DE
Hobbies: Triathlon, rock climbing, cats, and plants
Email: salfieri@udel.edu

Alex Hansen

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Email: ahan@udel.edu
Alexander Wang

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Email: waalexan@udel.edu
Alison Shapiro
she/her
Research Interests:
Sustainable polymers
Group: Epps Group
Year: 4th
Undergrad: Johns Hopkins University
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Hobbies: Triathlons, climbing, traveling, reading
Email: ajshap@udel.edu
Christine Oberhausen
she/her
Research Interests:
Catalysis, Sustainable Processes
Group: Vlachos Research Group
Year: 4th
Undergrad: Yale University
Hometown: Avon, CT
Hobbies: Soccer, running, hiking, reading, crocheting
Email: coberh@udel.edu
Claire Lois
she/her
Research Interests:
Cell-material interactions
Group: A. Kloxin and Sullivan
Year: 2nd
Undergrad: Saint Louis University
Hometown: Menomonee Falls, WI
Hobbies: Baking, Plants, Music
Email: clois@udel.edu
Emily Doleh
she/her
Research Interests:
Synthetic biology and viral vector production
Group: Mark Blenner
Year: 3rd
Undergrad: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Hobbies: Reading, hiking, concerts
Email: edoleh@udel.edu
Hong Nguyen

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Email: hongbng@udel.edu
Izak Minnie
he/him
Research Interests:
Electrochemical refrigeration, Electrochemical CO2 reduction
Group:
Dongxia Liu
Year:
3rd
Undergrad:
University of the Witwatersrand 
Hometown:
Johannesburg, South Africa
Hobbies:
Reading, hiking, traveling, board games
Email:
 iminnie@udel.edu
Jackie Ngu
she/her
Research Interests:
Plastics, Sustainability, Catalysis
Group: Vlachos
Year: 3rd
Undergrad: Case Western Reserve University
Hometown: Pennington, NJ
Hobbies: Reading, hiking, being with friends
Email: jngu@udel.edu
Jacob Otolski

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Email: otolsj@udel.edu
Jake Johnson
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Email: jtj@udel.edu
James Van Antwerp
he/him
Research Interests:
Synthetic Biology and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Group: Kelvin Lee and Aditya Kunjapur
Year: 2nd
Undergrad: Michigan State University
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Hobbies: Hiking/camping and woodcarving
Email: vanantj@udel.edu
Jianbo Yang

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Email: jyangbu@udel.edu
Jimmy Vu

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Email: jimmyvu@udel.edu
Jodi Graf

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Email: grafjo@udel.edu
Justin Harrington

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Email: justinzh@udel.edu
Kevin Kim
he/him
Research Interests:
Electrochemical refrigeration, CO2 reduction
Group: Dongxia Liu
Year: 2nd
Undergrad: University of Michigan
Hometown: Norton Shores, Michigan
Hobbies: Golf, tennis, badminton, anything outdoors/active
Email: kkevin@udel.edu
Kiet Pham
he/him
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Group: Wagner group
Year: 4th
Undergrad: University of Cincinnati
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh city
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Email: kgpham@udel.edu
Lisa Bain
she/her
Research Interests:
Nanoparticle therapeutics and pulmonary immunology
Group: Fromen Lab
Year: 2nd
Undergrad: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Hobbies: MLB Baseball, NFL and College football, Broadway Musicals
Email: lbain@udel.edu
Logan Yeager
he/him
Research Interests:
Drug Delivery and Protein Engineering
Group: Sullivan and Chen Labs
Year: 3rd
Undergrad: Colorado School of Mines
Hometown: Thornton, Colorado
Hobbies: Anything and Everything Outdoors, Painting, and Singing
Email: lpyeager@udel.edu
Matthew Pitell
he/him
Research Interests:
Soft Matter, Particle-Particle Interactions, Colloidal Science, Rheology
Group: Furst Group
Year: 2nd
Undergrad: Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Hobbies: Triathlon, Cycling, Weightlifting, Music, Horror Movies
Email: mpitell@udel.edu
Maxwell Bobbin
he/him
Research Interests:
Sustainable Industry, Catalysis, Novel Energy Solutions
Group: Vlachos Research Group
Year: 2nd
Undergrad: University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Hometown: Joppa, Maryland
Hobbies: Reading, running, video games, wood working
Email: mbobbin@udel.edu
Monona Khare

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Email: mkhare@udel.edu
Robert Barlow

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Email: rwbarlow@udel.edu
Saloni Gupta
she/her
Research Interests:
Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering
Group: Kunjapur Lab
Year: 3rd
Undergrad: VNIT Nagpur, India
Hometown: Navi Mumbai
Hobbies: Reading, Binging, Trail walks
Email: salonig@udel.edu
Sam Meil

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Email: smeil@udel.edu
Ted Egnaczyk

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Email: tmegna@udel.edu

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