Dr. Joelle Frechette – Bio and Short CV

Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
Email: jfrechette@berkeley.edu
Office: 101-C Gilman Hall

Dr. Marina Pasquet – (2022-present) – Email: marina.pasquet@berkeley.eduMarina’s research focuses on understanding phenomena at fluid interfaces, on their dynamics and their mechanical properties. During her PhD she was interested in the stability of soapy objects (foams, bubbles, films). In particular, she studied problems link to drainage and evaporation effects. At the Frechette Lab, her work is motivated by understanding the presence of plastic particles, which can be found in the environment and in the food web, on the stability of cells. Specifically, she studies the impact of the presence of nanoplastics/microplastics and pollutants such as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the stability of lipid bilayers, mimicking the cell membrane.

Degrees: Ph.D. in Physics, University of Paris-Saclay, FranceMaster ICFP «Soft Matter and biological physics », University of Paris-Saclay and ENS, FranceBachelor in Fundamental Physics, University of Paris-Saclay, France

Yu Fu – (2018-present) – PhD student – Email: yfu29@berkeley.edu
Hierarchical structures are omnipresent in nature and give biomaterials superior multifunctional properties. However, methods to fabricate these structures are limited. His research mainly focuses on making bio-inspired hierarchical materials, especially mosquito compound eyes, through the assembly of droplets and nanoparticles. Currently he is working on addressing and imaging different microparticles within individual drop/compound lens to get anisotropic materials in external field.
Degree: B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, China

Kevin Espinet – (2024-present) – PhD student – Email: kevin.b.espinet@berkeley.edu

Kevin’s research focuses on characterizing thin films of ionomers and investigating how interfacial effects change their density and mechanical properties. His research aims to acquire an understanding of confinement effects and their impact on the operation of electrochemical devices.
Degree: B.S. in Chemical Engineering; Bachelor of Music. University of Florida, Gainesville FL

Lidya Gebremeskel – (2020-present) – PhD student – Email: lgebrem@berkeley.edu

Lidya’s research is in the area of adhesion of hydrogels. Hydrogels are densely connected polymeric networks with water as the dispersion medium and are popular candidates for medical adhesion. We are interested in engineering DNA hydrogels that are stimuli-responsive particularly to force stimuli. By manipulating the interactions and chemistry, we hope to control the bonding and debonding of the hydrogel with surfaces.  
Degree: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA.

Peiyao Wu – (2021-present) – PhD student – Email: peiyao.wu@berkeley.edu

Peiyao’s research focuses on nano and microparticle behavior at interfaces. She aims to explore nanoparticle adsorption and interactions at oil-water interfaces from both experimental and computational perspectives. Currently she is applying these principles to study microplastics stability and their interaction with lipid bilayers.
Degrees: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA
B.S. in Applied Mathematics, Emory University, Atlanta GA.

Devin Schinski – (2022-present) – PhD student – Email: devin_schinski@berkeley.edu

Devin’s research focuses on studying concentrated aqueous electrolytes at electrode interfaces. His work endeavors to better understand the effects of confinement on the structure and dynamics of the electrical double layer.
Degrees: B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Margaret Shen – (2022-present) – PhD student – Email: mdshen@berkeley.edu

Margaret’s research focuses on the interfacial interactions and characterization of ionomer thin films in fuel cells. Her research works to understand the structure-property relationships of thin-film ionomers in order to improve their functionality.
Degrees: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Rebecca Wheeler – (2023-present) – PhD student – Email: rebeccaw@berkeley.edu

Rebecca’s research in collaboration with Dow Chemical focuses on programmable de-adhesion. Her research endeavors to develop a method to remove adhesives to increase the efficacy of recycling.
Degrees: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, UC San Diego

Jack Reardon – (2024-present) – PhD student – Email: jack_reardon@berkeley.edu

Jack’s research focuses on understanding the structure and dynamics of concentrated water-in-salt electrolytes. His research aims to understand electrolyte material properties under confinement.
Degrees: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Sofia DeView – (2023-present) – Undergrad student – Email: sofia.deview@berkeley.edu

Sofia works with Lidya on studying the relationship between heterogeneity and stress transduction in hydrogels. She works to identify different characteristics of various hydrogels such as cross-linking efficiency, swelling ratio and turbidity.

Degree: B.S. in Chemical Engineering in progress.

Victoria Riabchenko – (2024-present) – Undergrad student – Email: vriabchenko@berkeley.edu

Victoria is working on CIJ flash nano-precipitation of polyethylene nanoparticles. She is mainly working with Marina who is using these nanoparticles to study their effects on the lipid bilayer.

Degree: B.S. in Chemical Engineering in progress.