People

Whitney Loo

Conway Assistant Professor

wloo@wisc.edu

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CV

Ph.D Chemical Engineering (2020), University of California Berkeley

B.S. Chemical Engineering (2015), MIT

Whitney Loo joined the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering as an Assistant Professor in January 2023. Whitney obtained her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. She obtained her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley in 2020 where she worked with Nitash Balsara studying the molecular level physics of block copolymer electrolytes for Lithium metal batteries. Most recently, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar working jointly at the University of Chicago with Paul Nealey and the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab with Ricardo Ruiz. Her postdoctoral research involved the design of novel polymers and nanofabrication techniques for block copolymer nanolithography. Outside of science, Whitney enjoys yoga, cycling, and cooking.

Marissa Gallmeyer

mgallmeyer@wisc.edu

B.S. and M.S. Chemical Engineering (2021), Michigan Technological University

Marissa completed her undergraduate and master’s work at Michigan Tech in northern Michigan. She worked with Dr. Rebecca Ong to study wax and lipid extraction from biomass before pretreatment and conversion to biofuels. After graduation, Marissa worked on fire suppression chemicals in Johnson Control’s Special Hazards R&D division. She is excited to shift her research focus to sustainable polymers and their applications. When not in the lab or studying, she enjoys reading, skiing, mountain biking, knitting, and cooking.

Hsin-Ju (Jenny) Wu

hwu454@wisc.edu

B.S. Chemical Engineering (2020), M.S. Biomedical Engineering (2022), certificate in Quantum Computing and Information Program (2022), National Taiwan University

Jenny graduated from National Taiwan University. During undergraduate studies, she did internships in Performance Materials division at BASF and Genomics Research Center at Academia Sinica, working on plastics market and capture of circular tumor cells, respectively. Her master’s research involved developing polymeric biomaterials to address clinical issues under the supervision of Dr. Tai-Horng Young. She is interested in using polymers to create sustainable future and exploring their applications in the field of energy storage. In her free time, she enjoys watching drama series/movies, hiking, tennis, and traveling.

Steph Brown

sbrown73@wisc.edu

B.S. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Applied Mathematics (2023), Johns Hopkins University

Steph completed her undergraduate work in chemical engineering and applied math at Johns Hopkins University. Her undergraduate research at Hopkins focused on the degradation of plastics under environmental exposure conditions, including detection of additives released from single-use plastics and the formation of microplastics as these plastic products break down. She is interested in exploring polymers from a sustainability perspective.  Outside of lab Steph enjoys running, crossword puzzles, and exploring local coffee shops.

Jingchao Qin

jqin48@wisc.edu

B.S. Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology,

M.S. Chemical Engineering, Columbia University

Jingchao Qin completed his undergraduate studies at East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai. He gained internship experience at Wanhua Chemistry ADI Department and Huntsman Asian Technical Center. He then pursued graduate studies at Columbia University, working with Professors Sanat K Kumar and Ngai Yin Yip on projects related to the modification of silica nanoparticles and ion-selective membranes. After graduating, Jingchao Qin joined the Medicilon Department of Organic Chemistry as a researcher, where he focuses on the synthesis of single large molecule. He is interested on the synthesis, application, and theory of polymers.

Þorfinnur Ari Herrmann Baldvinsson

tbaldvinsson@wisc.edu

B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Iceland

Þorfinnur completed his undergraduate studies in chemical engineering at the University of Iceland. He gained industry experience at the Rio Tinto aluminum smelter in Straumsvík, Iceland, where he worked in the R&D department on projects related to emission measurements and CO2 capture. During his undergraduate studies, Þorfinnur worked with Professor Karthish Manthiram at Caltech on electrochemical and thermochemical testing of cobalt and copper oxides for electrochemical hydroformylation through a SURF fellowship. At the University of Iceland, he studied hybrid electrolytes for zinc plating, relevant to large-scale zinc battery energy storage, under the mentorship of Dr. Anna B. Gunnarsdóttir. He is now excited to explore ion transport in polymeric materials. Outside the lab, Þorfinnur enjoys listening to music, soccer, and hiking.

Stanley Koesman

koesman@wisc.edu

B.S. Chemical Engineering (2024), National Taiwan University

Stanley earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from National Taiwan University. During his undergraduate studies, he worked in the Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Laboratory under Professor Chu-Chen Chueh, focusing on the synthesis of organic semiconductor materials. His research involved investigating the effects of ester-substituted side chains on polythiophene and exploring molecular design strategies to enhance the performance of conjugated polymers for organic electronics. He is currently interested in polymer science, synthesis, and characterization. Outside of his research, Stanley enjoys playing chess, board games, badminton, and watching soccer.

Aidiel Ikmal Abu Hassan

B.S. Chemical Engineering (expected 2025), University of Wisconsin—Madison

Aidiel is a junior at the University of Wisconsin—Madison studying chemical engineering. He is excited to work in the Loo lab, especially finding ways to improve energy storage using polymers. Outside of chemical engineering, he enjoys hiking, bouldering, running, cycling, playing soccer, and playing the guitar.

Akshith Vikram

B.S. Chemical Engineering (expected 2026), University of Wisconsin—Madison

Akshith worked with Marissa on polymer electrolytes. Chemistry has been his passion for over 6 years, and he is especially fascinated by polymers and is interested in breaking them down in order to generate energy. He has completed a research internship under Professor Ravikrishnan Vinu, at the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras, focusing on polymer pyrolysis. He is an inline speed skater, and he also enjoys reading, cycling, running, and cooking.

Lorelei Huber

B.S. Chemical Engineering (expected 2026), Miami University

Lorelei Huber was a participant in the National Science Foundation’s REU program in Summer 2024. She is completing her undergraduate degree at Miami University studying Chemical Engineering and Fashion Design. She is studying the enzyme catalyzed recycling of PET at her home university, and has done research on biosensors and phytohormones in the past. She is interested in studying Pharmaceuticals and Material Science in the future. Lorelei is a member of The Lilly Leadership Institute, the Honors College, and the Design Team for Miami University Fashion and Design.

Nidhi Ramesh

B.S. Chemical Engineering (2024), University of Wisconsin—Madison

Nidhi worked with Marissa on polymer electrolytes during her senior year. After graduation, she accepted a position at Proctor & Gamble in the research and development division. She previously completed two internships at P&G focusing on the interactions, properties and process engineering of the materials used in Pampers products.

Cole Pool

B.S. Chemical Engineering (expected 2025), University of Oklahoma

Cole Pool was a participant in the National Science Foundation’s REU program in Summer 2023. He is a junior at the University of Oklahoma, working on his B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Cole has worked with Dr. Reza Foudazi on applications of lyotropic liquid crystals as ultrafiltration membranes. Outside of school and research, he enjoys hiking, watching movies, viewing art, cooking, and traveling.