About Us
We are an interdisciplinary group of researchers who are eager to solve fundamental
problems with high technological and societal impact. We have a very open, collaborative research team.
The theme that connects all our research areas is dynamics at the nanoscale. We both develop new methods (both experimental
(e.g., microscopy) and computational (e.g., AI/ML)) and apply existing and newly developed methods to problems that have
interesting questions on the nanoscale, ranging from the properties of nanomaterials with energy applications to how
biological molecules function. The goal of our research is to uncover the underlying physical principles that govern the dynamics,
statistics, and self-organization of nanostructured materials.
Using a combination of experiment, theory, and computation
such as in-situ liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM), fluorescence optical microscopy,
nanoscience and colloidal chemistry, stochastic thermodynamics, and machine learning, we work on
the following projects in our group:
Dynamics of nanoparticles in interaction with heterogeneous environments
Phase behavior and dynamics of biological macromolecules in their native liquid environment at the nanoscale
AI for finding the hidden physical rules in nanoscale systems
Team
Principle Investigator
Vida Jamali (
CV)
Email:
vida@gatech.edu
Vida is an assistant professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
at GeorgiaTech since Aug 2022. She is also a program faculty of Machine Learning
and Bioengineering PhD programs. She is also an affiliated faculty member of the Institute for
Matter and Systems (IMS), Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (IBB),
and Institute for Data Engineering and Sciences (IDEaS). Vida's work has been recognized by the NSF CAREER Award (2024),
ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator Award (2023), and she has been named a Scialog fellow in Automating Chemical Labs (2024),
30 voices of Chemistry of Materials (2023), and a rising star in soft and biological matter by the University of Chicago MRSEC (2021).
Vida is currently one of the initiative leads of IDEaS for AI in Chemical and Materials Discovery at Georgia Tech.
Before joining Georgia Tech, Vida was a postdoctoral researcher at
the University of California, Berkeley and Kavli Energy Nanoscience Institute working
with
Paul Alivisatos where she also collaborated closely with
Kranthi
Mandadapu.
She received her PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Rice University advised by
Matteo Pasquali in
2017. Prior to that, Vida did her BS in Chemical Engineering at Sharif University of
Technology in 2011.
Graduate Students
Zain Shabeeb
BEng Chemical Engineering, Newcastle University, 2018
MSc Advanced Process Integration and Design, The University of Manchester, 2019
Email:
zshabeeb3@gatech.edu
Zain was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan and lived in Switzerland for four years during middle school.
Zain completed his BEng in Chemical Engineering and MSc in Advanced Process Integration and Design
from the UK. During his undergraduate studies at Newcastle University, Zain started developing
an interest in mathematical modeling and computer programming. For this reason, he pursued
a Master’s degree in Process Integration and Design, and in his free time, learned Python
programming, Machine Learning and Data Science. Before starting his Ph.D., Zain worked
in Fatima Group in Pakistan as a Supply Chain management associate, where he used
statistical time-series forecasting methods to forecast the prices of important commodities.
Zain is an avid fan of cricket, and in his free time loves to work out, play table tennis and pool.
Isabel Panicker
BS Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, 2023
Email:
ipanicker@gatech.edu
Isabel was born and raised in Suburban Chicago, Illinois. She earned her Bachelor’s
degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 2023. There, she worked
with Dr. Rakesh Agrawal in his Solar Energy Group where her research focused on
solution based synthesis of Multinary Sulfides for Photovoltaics. She has also
spent time as a Quality Engineering Intern at Tesla working on the continuous
improvement of the Drive Unit Manufacturing Line. Isabel joined the Jamali Lab in
2023 and is excited to be working with nanoparticles and studying their
non-equilibrium behavior utilizing Liquid TEM. In her free time, she likes watching films,
drawing and painting.
Brian Chettle
BS Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 2024
Email:
bchettle3@gatech.edu
Brian was born and raised in Villanova, PA. Brian earned his bachelor's in chemical
engineering with Honors in Chemistry from Penn State in 2024. In undergrad, he worked with
Dr. Andrew Zydney in characterizing fouling effects of proteins during viral filtration,
a step in the downstream processing of biotherapeutic development. He also performed physical
chemistry research with Dr. Bratoljub Milosavljevic to elucidate solvation effects on
bimolecular reactions in ethanol-water solutions. Brian joined the lab in 2024 and is
excited to study the behavior of biomolecules at the nanoscale using LPTEM. In his free
time, Brian enjoys watching films, reading, and crossword puzzles.
Undergraduate Students
Risha Goel
Email:
rgoel63@gatech.edu
Risha is a fourth-year Chemical Engineering student at Georgia Tech from Aurora, CO.
She is interested in exploring the applications of machine learning on nanoparticle research.
She enjoys playing tennis, crocheting, and trying new coffee shops.
Laurence Lines
Email:
llines3@gatech.edu
Laurence is a fourth-year Chemical Engineering major at Georgia Tech from Marietta,
GA. He joined the Jamali Lab to learn more about nanoparticles and heterogeneous fluid environments.
In his free time he enjoys cooking, hiking, and reading about language and history.
Cecilia Reed
Email:
creed62@gatech.edu
Cecilia is a fourth-year Chemical Engineering major at Georgia Tech from Atlanta,
Georgia. She joined the Lab to learn more about data analytics and X-Ray Photoelectron
Spectroscopy. She enjoys watching movies of all kinds, reading, and cooking.
Lauren Caldwell
Email:
lcaldwell30@gatech.edu
Lauren is a third-year Chemical Engineering major at Georgia Tech from Fishers, Indiana.
Within the Jamali Lab, she is interested in nanoparticle fluid analysis via both laboratory
techniques and machine learning developments. Outside of school, she enjoys playing soccer,
traveling, baking, and exploring Atlanta.
Matthew Abernathy
Email:
mabernathy8@gatech.edu
Matthew is a fourth year Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering major at Georgia Tech from Columbus Georgia.
He became interested in the Jamali Lab based on the group's involvement in characterization
of the Nanoscale using techniques like liquid phase TEM. Outside of research and academics,
he is interested in the German language and culture, Classical Music, and abstract strategy games,
primarily Chess and Go.
Isabella Faciano
Email:
ifaciano3@gatech.edu
Isabella is a fourth year chemical engineering major born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She joined the Jamali
lab to build upon her understanding of the synthesis and the applications of nanoparticles, more specifically
their computational and experimental methods. In her free time, she enjoys working out, exploring Atlanta with friends,
and watching TV shows (usually the same 5 over and over again)!
Group Alumni
Naisargi Goyal (2022-2024), CHBE undergrad, Current Position: PhD student at Princeton
Gabriel Joaquim Sampaio De Almeida (2023), CHBE undergrad
Arko Roy (2023), CHBE undergrad
