Current Group Members

I received my B.S.E in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University in 2025. As an undergraduate, I conducted research on bacterial growth dynamics in confined spaces, as well as research on biosensor development for virus detection. I joined the Yang group in August 2025, and my research interests include synthesis methods and applications of novel polymeric biomaterials

I received my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 2022. My past research focused on the mechanical properties of cellulose based materials. My current research interests include synthesis of functional nanoparticles and sustainable materials.

I received my B.S.A. in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023. During my undergraduate, my research consisted of evaluating the mechanical properties of cellulose nanofibers and similar derivatives with a particular interest in bioinspired antibacterial applications. Additionally, I worked on wet spinning of various polymers to create more efficient functional textiles. My current research interests include functional sustainable materials (fiber/ hydrogel/ adhesion/ deposition based) and their commercial applications in industry.

I received my B.A.Sc. in Materials Engineering from the University of British Columbia in 2024 and joined the Yang’s group in April 2025 as a master’s student at the University of Pennsylvania. My previous research focused on sustainable composite materials. I have hands-on experience in cleanroom-based nanofabrication and chip-scale device processing. Currently, I work on heat-responsive liquid crystal elastomer actuators and defect engineering in silicon nitride thin films.

I received my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2023. I joined the Yang group in February 2024 as a master student. My previous research experience focuses on the mercaptan removal of metal organic frameworks (MOFs). My current research focuses on synthesis of MOFs for carbon capture.

I received my B.S. in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Sichuan University. I joined the Yang Group in September 2025, and my current research focuses on structural color and cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers.

I received my B.E. in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Anhui University of Science and Technology in 2019 and my Ph.D. in Chemistry and Physics of Polymers from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2026. From 2023 to 2026, I conducted research at UCLA as a jointly trained doctoral student. My research focuses on the hierarchical orchestration of polymer chemistry and structure to develop advanced functionalities, including biomimetic mechanics, stimuli responsiveness, and energy and matter harvesting, storage, and transport.

I received my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Pusan National University, South Korea, in 2016, and my Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, in 2023. My research interests focus on low-temperature processing of low-dimensional nanomaterials (primarily 2D MXenes) for multifunctional coatings and interfaces.

I received my B.Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University of Hong Kong in 2021, my M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022, and my Ph.D. in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Yale University in 2026. My research focuses on elucidating selective ion transport mechanisms in nanoconfined systems and developing advanced membrane materials for water purification and resource recovery. As a VIEST Postdoctoral Fellow at Penn, I work with Prof. Shu Yang and Prof. Zahra Fakhraai (Chemistry) to integrate interfacial engineering, polymer physics, and ion transport thermodynamics to fundamentally understand and harness membrane and nanofluidic systems for sustainable energy and environmental applications.