August 28, 2023
Ten new faculty members join the Hajim School this academic year. Top row from left to right: Yasemin Basdogan, Michele Cotrufo, Siddharth Deshpande, Gang Fan, and Cherice Hill; bottom row from left to right: Jian Kang, Jiaming Liang, Allison Lopatkin, Monika Polak, and Yukang Yan.
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Wednesday marks the start of a new academic year at the University of Rochester and we are fortunate to add 10 outstanding new faculty members to the Hajim School. These scholars will provide important fresh perspectives for our students to learn from and help propel the university into exciting new frontiers of research.
The following assistant professors join us from top research institutions across the country:
- Yasemin Basdogan joins the Department of Chemical Engineering after having served as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology. She uses computational simulations to understand problems related to climate change and leverages artificial intelligence and machine-learning to design new materials for sustainability and energy applications.
- Michele Cotrufo joins the Institute of Optics after having served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin and at the City University of New York. Michele focuses on the theoretical and experimental investigation of metamaterials—artificially structured materials that manifest optical properties not available in bulk materials—for a broad range of applications in classical and quantum optics.
- Siddharth Deshpande joins the Department of Chemical Engineering after having served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware. He develops atomic models to understand reactive interfaces relevant to energy storage, conversion devices such as thermal and electrocatalytic systems, and next-generation battery chemistries.
- Gang Fan joins the Department of Chemical Engineering after having served as a postdoctoral associate at MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering. Gang seeks to solve problems in sustainability through the integration of chemical engineering, chemistry, and bioengineering.
- Cherice Hill joins the Department of Biomedical Engineering after having served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Clemson University – Medical University of South Carolina Joint Bioengineering Program. Her research concerns joint biomechanical function, particularly as it relates to pathologic risk, optimization of clinical outcomes, performance, and health disparities.
- Jian Kang joins the Department of Computer Science after having earned a PhD in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jian designs machine-learning algorithms that are both nondiscriminatory and reliable for use in high-stake applications such as financial and healthcare services.
- Jiaming Liang joins the Department of Computer Science with a joint appointment in Data Science after having served as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Computer Science at Yale University. Jiaming’s primary research goal is to design, analyze, and implement fast algorithms for solving a general class of problems in data science.
- Allison Lopatkin ’13 joins the Department of Chemical Engineering after having served as an assistant professor at Barnard College. Previously, she also served as a postdoctoral scholar at MIT. Allison uses systems and synthetic biology approaches to engineer genetic communication in bacterial communities.
- Monika Polak joins the Department of Computer Science after having served as a senior lecturer at Rochester Institute of Technology. Monika joins us as an instructional faculty member.
- Yukang Yan joins the Department of Computer Science after having served as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. Yan’s research focuses on understanding, predicting, and enhancing user behavior in mixed reality.
Please join me in providing them a warm welcome to the Hajim School.
ALUMNUS ENGINEERS A REVOLUTIONARY ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
The Sphere, located in Las Vegas, USA. [Image: Sphere Entertainment]
Optica recently published a fascinating conversation with an alumnus from the Institute of Optics who helped lead a project to reimagine a new type of theater for the 21st century. Stuart Elby ’82 (optics), the senior vice president for advanced engineering at MSG Ventures and a member of our Hajim Dean’s Advisory Committee, discussed creating the Sphere, a 366-foot-tall orb-shaped venue on the Las Vegas strip that will open in September when U2 begins a 25-show residency.
The spherical theater designed to hold more than 17,000 spectators is lit by 1.2 million LED light fixtures and incorporates custom audio equipment and systems to simulate wind and motion. Stuart talked about how his optics background helped him lead a team tasked with inventing so many new technologies.
“Audio was completely new to me,” said Stuart. “But what I found once I started working in audio—especially because we’re doing phased arrays—is that, fundamentally, it’s really just like optics. I mean, yes, there are differences between longitudinal waves and transverse waves, and the equations aren’t the same. But the concepts and the underlying physics are really exactly the same.”
Read the full story on the Optica website.
DOE HIGHLIGHTS OMEGA EXPERIMENT
University of Rochester researchers hope to demonstrate ways to measure—and thereby better understand—how viscosity drives the turbulence and mixing of hot plasmas that form during high-energy-density experiments such as this one using the OMEGA laser at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
The Department of Energy (DOE) placed the spotlight on an exciting project involving Hajim School researchers at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). The DOE’s Office of Science showcased a photo of the OMEGA laser in action for their science picture of the week.
The post highlighted a project led by Jessica Shang, associate professor of mechanical engineering, to understand the viscosity of plasma needed for fusion reactions. The aim is that by better controlling plasma in fusion experiments, it could ultimately lead to fusion as a sustainable energy source.
To learn more about the experiment, go to the DOE website.
BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITY
As we work towards shaping the future of our institution, University leadership values your insights and perspectives about the Boundless Possibility strategic plan. At this early stage in the planning process, we are especially interested in assessing awareness of the strategic plan among our community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
You are invited to participate in a very short survey that will take less than one minute to complete. Your responses will remain anonymous, and the information will be used to help us improve our communications about the plan’s goals and objectives.
Click here to access the survey.
Lastly, the next edition of Hajim Highlights will arrive on Tuesday, September 5 due to the Labor Day holiday. I wish you a wonderful start to the new academic year!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
