Team
Faculty
Maha Haji, PhD
Assistant Professor
Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
555 Upson Hall
maha@cornell
Prof. Maha Haji joined Cornell University in 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Systems Engineering. At Cornell, her lab develops designs for symbiotic offshore systems to sustainably extract resources from the ocean such as power, water, and food, as well as mineral resources key to the progress of clean energy. Previously, Prof. Haji was an MAE Faculty Fellow at Cornell and a Postdoctoral Associate in the Engineering Systems Laboratory in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT where her research focused on utilizing multidisciplinary design optimization to develop a floating platform, known as PEARL, to provide recharging and data offloading capacity for autonomous underwater vehicles. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Oceanographic Engineering in 2017 from the Joint Program between MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where she focused on the design and prototyping of a symbiotic system to harvest uranium from seawater. Prof. Haji has worked in industry as an engineering consultant at ATA Engineering, where she used analysis-driven design to solve problems ranging from aircraft and rockets to robotics and rollercoasters. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Doctoral Students
Nate DeGoede
Ph.D. Student
Mechanical Engineering
njd76@cornell
Nate is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering interested in research relating to sustainable source of energy, food, and clean water. He earned his Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Valpo in 2022. Throughout undergrad, Nate had the opportunity to research in the Markiewicz Solar Research Facility with Dr. Peter Krenzke and Dr. Luke Venstrom. Outside of Mechanical Engineering, Nate enjoys ultimate frisbee, hiking, and playing bass guitar.
Matthew Haefner
Ph.D. Student
Systems Engineering
mwh85@cornell
Matt is a Ph.D. student in Systems Engineering focusing on the design optimization of Integrated Pumped Hydro Reverse Osmosis (IPHRO) systems. He received his B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in May of 2020 and December of 2020, respectively. As an undergraduate and M.Eng student, Matt conducted research with Professor Avedisian on biofuel droplet combustion in microgravity. He also played the trumpet in Cornell’s Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and occasionally in Cornell’s Chamber Orchestra. Outside of research, Matt enjoys playing the trumpet, golfing, hiking, and a good crossword puzzle.
Kapil Khanal
Ph.D. Student
Systems Engineering
kk733@cornell
Kapil is a Ph.D. student in Systems and is interested in the interdisciplinary research in Systems, Optimization, Computation and Mathematical modeling. In his free time, He enjoys hiking, traveling and playing/watching/analyzing soccer. Originally from Nepal, he received his B.S degree in Mathematics and Data Science from Winona State University, MN in Aug 2020 and worked as a Data Analyst for a year. During his undergrad, he worked with Prof. Carl Ferkinhoff on analyzing emission lines from early galaxies and later as a part of summer REU with Prof. Kostas Pelechrinis on improving xG model for soccer event data. His current research interests involves Complex Systems, Multidisciplinary Design Optimization and Scientific Machine Learning.
Becca is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering interested in the design of renewable energy systems. She enjoys solving integrated mechanical, electromagnetic, fluid, and controls problems through simulation, systems design, and prototyping. Becca graduated from MIT in June 2021 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. At MIT, she focused on electric vehicles, writing her bachelor’s thesis on electric motor optimization for Formula SAE cars. Her current research involves offshore wind and wave energy. In her free time, she enjoys running, swimming, and tinkering with side projects.
Olivia Murphy
Ph.D. Student
Mechanical Engineering
om66@cornell
Olivia is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering interested in offshore integrated wind-wave energy systems, sustainable mineral extraction, and green hydrogen production. She graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in May 2020 and an MS in Engineering in August 2021. As an undergraduate research student, she studied scaffold designs for bioinspired craniofacial bone implants and optimal axis orientation for offshore wind turbines. Her master’s thesis investigated biofuel secondary breakup processes through parametric and comparative analyses of secondary breakup models. In the SEA Lab, Olivia is working on modeling and analyzing an offshore wind-powered system that extracts hydrogen and critical minerals from seawater. Outside of the lab, Olivia is a proud plant mom who enjoys tending to her plants. She also enjoys walking trails, traveling, and spending quality time with her friends and family.
Olivia Vitale
Ph.D. Student
Aerospace Engineering
ov35@cornell
Olivia is a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering focusing on the optimization of wave energy converter (WEC) arrays for various sustainability applications. She graduated from the University of Missouri in May 2022 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Aerospace Engineering. During her undergraduate years, Olivia studied the mathematical modeling and optimal refrigerant fluids for ejector refrigeration systems (ERS) under the guidance of Dr. Hongbin Ma. In her free time, Olivia enjoys hiking, baking, and spending time with her cat, Phoebe.
Master’s Students
Ana Sofia Alonso Munera
Senior Undergrad and M.Eng
Mechanical Engineering
aa983@cornell
Sofia is currently a Senior (class of 2024) in Mechanical Engineering doing an MEng with a focus on Aerospace Engineering where she will be working on zero-fuel orbital maneuvering. At SEA Lab, Sofia is involved in the WEC prototyping project, where we are designing, building and testing two wave energy converters. Outside of the lab she enjoys running, hiking, and reading. She also recently started climbing.
Leah Buccino
MEng Student
Mechanical Engineering
lbb77@cornell
Leah is a first semester Early MEng student in Mechanical Engineering, and received undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering. She is interested in studying renewable energy system optimization, and has been doing that on the Aquaculture Project and the DECIDER Project in the SEA LAB. Her past year in the SEA Lab has been fun, rigorous, and rewarding, and she is excited to continue her time here!
Kaixin (Ezio) Shen
MEng Student
Civil Engineering
ks2355@cornell
Kaixin (Ezio) Shen is an M.Eng student in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is from Shanghai, China. He is currently on the SEA Lab’s wave energy converter project. He is interested in offshore wind turbine, and electric grid.
Ehina Srivastava
MEng Student
Mechanical Engineering
es924@cornell
Ehina is an undergraduate student studying Environmental Engineering, minoring in Sustainable Energy Systems (Class of 2024). In the lab, she is working on marine CO2 sequestration using wave energy, particularly on how energy produced from WECs can pump CO2 into the deep sea. She is very passionate about renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and climate justice. Outside of the lab, she is president of Cornell Nazaqat (Indian classical dance team), and works as a Resident Advisor. In her free time, she enjoys reading, dance, and drinking coffee.
Research Assistants
Jiarui (Jordan) Yang
Research Assistant
Systems Engineering
jy778@cornell
Jiarui Yang is an research assistant in Systems Engineering. Jiarui is a coder, Amazonian, and aims to making life meaningful by helping others and making their life better.
Undergraduate Students
Aisha Brundan
Class of 2025 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
aeb298@cornell
Aisha is a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering who is interested in designing and optimizing renewable energy systems. In the lab, she works on the wave energy converter prototyping project and the WEC array modeling project. Outside of class, Aisha enjoys hiking, backpacking, rock climbing and swimming.
Benjamin Choe
Undergraduate Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering
bkc54@cornell
Ben is a sophomore studying electrical and computer engineering as well as computer science. He is working on the electrical system for one the WEC prototypes. He is also on the Baja Racing team at Cornell. In his free time, you may find Ben unicycling or making something fun.
Mary Conlan
Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
mrc279@cornell
Mary is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering. She is working on the Integrated Pumped Hydro Reverse Osmosis Systems (IPHROS) project. This involves working with mapping technologies, optimization of systems, and completion of an academic paper on the IPHRO system, using past reports from the Hydropower Collegiate Competition as a skeleton. Mary is excited for her future in renewable energies and hopes that her passion for the green future will push her far into the industry. Outside of research, she loves to be with her friends, explore the nature and community in Ithaca, and relax with a book or movie.
Madison Dietrich
Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
mjd429@cornell
Madison is a freshman studying mechanical engineering with hopes of getting into the aerospace industry. She is currently on the systems team for the SEA Lab’s wave energy converter project, and she is also a member of Cornell’s Marine Energy Collegiate Competition team.
Gabriel Ewig
Class of 2024 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
gre27@cornell
Gabriel is an undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering with a focus on environmental sustainability. In the lab, his work involves designing and testing a miniature wave energy converter to teach K-12 students about renewable energy. Gabriel also enjoys exploring the outdoors and is a mechanic at a local bike shop.
Elvin Fu
Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
ecf49@cornell
Elvin is an undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Sustainable Energy Systems. He is from Columbus, Ohio. In lab, he is working on the lithium extraction project and looking at efficient ways of extracting precious metals from seawater. Outside of lab, he is also a member of Shimtah, a Korean drumming club.
Kavya Mittha
Class of 2026 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
km773@cornell
Kavya is a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student passionate in renewable energy power generation working on the Wave Energy Converter (WEC) project. Kavya’s contribution included working on the float and PTO system for RM3 and float for RM5. Other campus involvements include: CUAUV Project Team, Society for India Board, Society of Women Engineers Board, and Engineering Peer Advisor.
Cecily Pokigo
Class of 2024 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
cpp43@cornell
Cecily is an undergraduate student studying mechanical engineering. She will also be completing her MEng in mechanical engineering at Cornell. She is working on the CASHEW project to develop a conceptual design for a carbon sequestration system powered by marine energy. Beyond the classroom, she is a captain of the varsity soccer team and enjoys reading, learning languages, and creating travel itineraries in her free time.
Zhiyu (Iris) Ren
Undergraduate Student
Environmental Engineering
zr92@cornell
Iris is an undergraduate student in environmental engineering. She is currently working on WEC optimization team to reduce its cost and power variation. She is also a member of Cornell University Sustainable Design, Soil Factory subteam. She is from Shaanxi, China. In her free time, Iris enjoys running, trying different cuisines and photography.
Kelvin Resch
Undergraduate Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering
kr562@cornell
Kelvin is a ECE undergraduate student interested in all elements of electrical design. He has previously worked on avionics PCBs for CubeSats and control systems for rocket motor gimbals. Kelvin will be designing PCBs for SEA lab’s Wave Energy Converter and hopes to contribute to the renewable energy shift through this project. Kelvin has two cats, Miso and Scratchy, and enjoys playing the piano with his friends and reading.
Annie Stewart
Class of 2025 Undergraduate Student
Environmental Engineering
aes369@cornell
Annie Stewart is a junior studying Environmental Engineering. She is working on developing cost and growth models for the Wave-Powered Multi-Trophic Aquaculture project. Annie is passionate about the development of the blue economy and hopes to work with the implementation of offshore renewable energy in the future. Outside of the lab, she is involved in the Society of Women Engineers and Cornell Sustainability Consultants. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and hiking.
Alumni
Nathan Rahklin
Class of 2025 Undergraduate Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering
npr29@cornell
Brandon Feraud-Solorzano
Class of 2025 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
bf282@cornell
Remy Vearil
Class of 2026 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
rsv34@cornell
Lalit Mistry
Visiting Undergraduate Student
Mechanical & Electrical Engineering
lm862@cornell
Isabel Mejía-Roberts
Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
mm2587@cornell
Arezoo Hasankhani
Mechanical Engineering
ah844@cornell
Now Assistant Professor at University of New Hampshire
Anjana Asok
Class of 2022 M.Eng.
Computer Science
aa958@cornell
Mirelys Carcana Barbosa
Undergraduate Student
Engineering Physics
University of California, Berkeley
mpc223@cornell.edu
Now doctoral student at Brown University
Ryan Cheng
Class of 2022 M.Eng. Student
Systems Engineering
yc885@cornell
Now Engineer at TSMC Arizona
Wen-Jung “Joanna” Chien
Class of 2023 M.Eng.
Material Science and Engineering
wc524@cornell
Now Engineer at Pou Chen Group
Mumtaziah Faaz
Class of 2021 M.Eng.
Material Science and Engineering
mf642@cornell
Now Engineer at Intel Corp.
Junyi Jiang
Class of 2023 M.Eng.
Material Science and Engineering
jj496@cornell
Owais Khalid
Class of 2022 M.Eng. Student
Chemical Engineering
omk24@cornell
Catherine Millwater
Undergraduate Student
University of Central Florida
Physics
cam553@cornell
Alex Niemi
Undergraduate Student
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Physics
alex.niemi@go.minnstate
Ray Weng
Class of 2022 M.Eng. Student
Computer Science
rw525@cornell
Paul Young
Class of 2023 Undergraduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
pjy23@cornell
Jinzhou (Kane) Li
MEng Student
Systems Engineering
jl3485@cornell