The annual Student Symposium and Showcase at the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science is a chance for students to communicate their research and network with industry professionals in their field
Over the last 20 years, graduates of the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at USC Viterbi have gone on to lead new developments in renewable energy and decarbonization, semiconductor equipment and chip manufacturing, biomaterials and new drug delivery systems – and the list goes on.
Many of those graduates first tested their research by participating in the Mork Annual Showcase & Symposium. Now in its 20th year, the event is designed to foster industry connections and celebrate student success as visiting judges present awards to the most innovative, impactful and effectively presented research projects.
The judging panel featured Chelsea Appleget, director at The Aerospace Corporation; In-Tae Bae, senior scientist at The Aerospace Corporation; James Boedicker, professor of physics and astronomy and biological sciences at USC Dornsife; Andre Kovach, lead optical engineer at Boeing; Patrick Knox-Brown, formulation scientist in biologics at Varda Space Industries; Saty Raghavachary, associate professor of computer science practice at the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science at USC Viterbi; Kyle Russell, materials engineer at SpaceX; Edwin Woo, president of J&L Custom Plastic Extrusions; Lili Yang, professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics (MIMG) and the Department of Bioengineering at UCLA; Charles Zukoski, Robert E. Vivian Professor in Energy Resources and professor of chemical engineering and materials science and biomedical engineering at USC Viterbi.
Wade Zeno, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science, leads the program and presents the awards to the winning students
PhD candidates, master’s students, and undergraduates presented poster sessions to the judges, in a setting where communication skills are as important as academic brainpower.
“This annual event is an important part of how we build community,” said Fluor Professor in Engineering Andrea Hodge, who serves as department chair and a professor of chemical engineering, materials science, aerospace and mechanical engineering at USC Viterbi. “It’s a chance for our students to see what their peers are working on, sowing the seeds of new ideas and cultivating connections between research topics to better address societal problems.”
This year’s winners represented the broad scope of engineering fields encompassed by the department, indicating that potential for intersection.
Graduate winners
Sairaj Patil
Research Project: Novel Joule Heated Reactor for Electrothermal Integrated Carbon Capture and Utilization
Advisors: Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz, Pasquale and Adelina Arpea Early Career Chair in civil and environmental engineering, chemical engineering and materials science; Jay H. Lee, Choong Hoon Cho Chair and professor of chemical and materials science, aerospace and mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and industrial and systems engineering
Sairaj Patil
Technologies that can both capture and utilize carbon dioxide are increasingly important for reducing industrial emissions. This project develops an electric reactor that captures CO₂ from industrial exhaust and converts it directly into fuels and chemical building blocks. Using a process similar to Joule heating – where electricity generates heat inside a material – the system rapidly drives chemical reactions without the need for large, energy-intensive furnaces.
The innovation lies in combining CO₂ capture and conversion into a single step. The reactor uses dual-function materials that both absorb CO₂ and catalyze its transformation, eliminating multiple costly stages such as gas compression and transport. By coating conductive foam with these materials and applying electricity, the system achieves fast, efficient heating and reaction control. This electrothermal approach reduces energy use and enables a compact, scalable reactor design.
The technology could be integrated into a range of existing chemical processes, making the transition to low-carbon chemical production more feasible. By lowering energy demands and turning emissions into valuable products, it offers a pathway to reduce greenhouse gases while improving the economics of sustainable manufacturing.
Brandon Pizarro
Research Project: Incorporation of an Amphipathic Peptide into Nanodiscs to Enhance Cellular Uptake
Advisor: Wade Zeno, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science
Brandon Pizarro
The ability to deliver therapeutics into cells remains a major challenge, as the cell membrane blocks most molecules from entering. This project explores how engineered nanoparticles can be designed to cross that barrier and deliver drugs more effectively.
The research uses small protein–lipid particles called nanodiscs, modified with short peptides that promote interaction with cell membranes. By attaching these peptides in a controlled way, the system allows researchers to study how specific design changes affect cellular uptake. Using live-cell fluorescence microscopy, the team directly tracks how these nanoparticles interact with membranes and enter cells, providing real-time insight into the delivery process.
This work helps identify design principles for improving intracellular drug delivery. Many emerging treatments – such as RNA therapies, protein-based drugs, and chemotherapies – depend on entering cells to be effective. By clarifying how nanoparticle structure influences uptake, the research supports the development of more efficient delivery systems, with potential applications in cancer treatment and other diseases where targeted cellular delivery is critical.
Arun Saji
Research Project: Probing Deformation Mechanisms in Rare Earth Orthophosphates
Advisor: Corinne Packard, professor of chemical engineering and materials science
Arun Saji
Ceramics are widely used in extreme environments but are often limited by brittleness. This project focuses on rare earth phosphates (RePO₄s), aiming to make these materials more ductile so they can absorb strain without fracturing.
The research builds on the discovery that some RePO₄s exhibit superelasticity – the ability to deform and recover without permanent damage. Instead of phase changes, this behavior is driven by reversible twin boundaries within the crystal structure, allowing materials like GdPO₄ to maintain both stiffness and energy dissipation, a rare combination. Furthermore, the work illustrates that the observed phase transformation in RePO₄ compounds can be externally controlled through the choice of pressure‑transmitting medium and, importantly, that the exact transformation pressure can be determined using a novel photoluminescence‑based method.
Current efforts investigate how applied stress influences which deformation twin modes manifest in a given RePO4 system. Understanding and controlling these mechanisms could enable the design of tougher, more reliable ceramics for applications such as aerospace components and high-performance composites.
Nicoletta Bouzos
Research Project: Unraveling the Role of Clathrin in Driving Membrane Fission During Endocytosis
Advisor: Wade Zeno, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science
Nicoletta Bouzos
Getting drugs inside cells is one of medicine’s persistent challenges, and this new study reveals an unexpected mechanism that could help. Research shows that clathrin, a protein that forms a rigid scaffolding on cell membranes, can physically bend and pinch off tiny membrane bubbles called vesicles, and that this ability depends on how the scaffold is assembled rather than simply how much protein is present.
To isolate clathrin’s role, Bouzos used a synthetic tag to recruit it directly to membranes, bypassing other proteins that normally assist in the process. This mechanical insight could have direct implications for drug delivery: since many nanomedicines rely on this same cellular machinery to enter cells, understanding how clathrin’s structure drives vesicle formation could help engineers design particles that are taken up more efficiently.
Jodel Cornelio
Research Project: Transfer Learning with Prior Data-Driven Models from Multiple Unconventional Fields
Advisor: Behnam Jafarpour, N.I.O.C Fellow and professor of chemical engineering and materials science, electrical and computer engineering, and civil and environmental engineering
Jodel Cornelio
Reliable production forecasting is essential for planning the development of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. However, in early-stage fields, limited data can make accurate prediction difficult. This project addresses that gap by applying transfer learning, a machine learning approach that reuses knowledge from previously studied reservoirs.
The research develops a framework that identifies which existing models are most relevant to a new field and selectively transfers their knowledge. It also introduces a multi-source approach that combines insights from multiple reservoirs and physics-based simulation models into a unified predictive system. By filtering out irrelevant information, the method avoids “negative transfer,” where mismatched data can reduce accuracy.
This approach enables more reliable production predictions when data are scarce, helping operators make better decisions about drilling and field development strategies while lowering uncertainty and development costs.
Murat Pamuk
Research Project: Picometer-Scale Disorder and Symmetry Breaking in Self-Intercalated Van Der Waals Ferromagnets Revealed by Multislice Electron Ptychography
Advisor: Yu-Tsun Shao, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science
Murat Pamuk
The performance of advanced magnetic materials depends critically on atomic-scale structure. This project uses electron ptychography to study chromium tellurides and reveal structural features that conventional techniques cannot detect.
Using this method, the research directly visualizes individual atoms, including missing atoms (vacancies) and subtle shifts in their positions. These measurements show that atoms are not arranged as previously assumed – tiny displacements and vacancies break the crystal’s symmetry in hidden ways. The method also pinpoints where these features occur within different layers, providing a three-dimensional view of the material’s structure.
These findings help explain how such materials can support unusual magnetic states, including skyrmions – stable, nanoscale magnetic structures that can be moved with very little energy. By uncovering the atomic origins of this behavior, the work provides a foundation for designing more efficient, next-generation memory and computing technologies based on magnetic materials.
Undergraduate Winners
Kaden Corrow-Webb
Research Project: Enhancing Organic Carbon Fixation: Investigating RuBisCO’s Proposed Prolapsed Carboxylation and Oxygenation Mechanisms
Advisor: Shaama Sharada, Chester Dolley Early Career Chair and associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science and chemistry
Kaden Corrow-Webb
The efficiency of photosynthesis is fundamentally limited by the enzyme RuBisCO, which catalyzes both productive and wasteful reactions. This project investigates the chemical mechanisms underlying this inefficiency in carbon fixation.
Using computational modeling, the research explores proposed oxygenation pathways by constructing models of RuBisCO’s active site and simulating intermediates and transition states. By generating free-energy profiles and estimating reaction kinetics, the study clarifies which pathways are most feasible and where inefficiencies arise.
These insights aim to inform strategies for engineering more selective versions of RuBisCO. Improved enzyme performance could increase crop productivity and enhance the ability of biological systems to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into useful products, contributing to more sustainable approaches to climate challenges.
Brian Kim
Research Project: Impact of Membrane Phase and Charge on α-Synuclein Binding
Advisor: Wade Zeno, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science
Brian Kim
Understanding how Parkinson’s disease begins at the molecular level is key to developing effective treatments. This project studies alpha-synuclein (αSyn), a protein that normally helps regulate communication between cells but can misfold and form harmful aggregates in disease.
The research examines how αSyn binds to membranes under different conditions, particularly changes in membrane composition such as charge and physical state. Using model membrane vesicles with controlled properties, the team visualizes and measures protein binding through fluorescence microscopy. Unlike prior studies, this work uses the physiologically relevant form of αSyn and analyzes multiple membrane properties simultaneously, revealing how they interact to influence binding behavior.
By identifying which membrane environments promote or suppress αSyn binding, the study sheds light on the early steps that may trigger protein aggregation. These insights could help guide strategies for early detection or intervention, such as stabilizing protein–membrane interactions or designing therapies that reduce conditions linked to disease progression.
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Discover more about the research taking place at USC Viterbi’s Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
Published on April 2nd, 2026
Last updated on April 2nd, 2026