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.

Rebecca McCabe

Ph.D. Student

Mechanical Engineering

rgm222@cornell

Personal Website

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