Staff Directory

Sophia is a visiting student from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2023 and is currently pursuing her master’s in Molecular Science and Engineering. During her time in the Boyce Lab, Sophia will focus on studying the effects of horizontal vibration on spouted and non-spouted beds.

I am a sophomore in Columbia Engineering majoring in mechanical engineering. My primary interests are in computational fluid dynamics and machine learning for dynamical systems, as well as aerospace and propulsion. In the lab, I am working on computer vision scripts for granular faraday wave quantification, and machine-learning based closures for solid frictional pressure in fluidized granular beds. In my spare time, I work with the Rocketry and Formula SAE teams, and volunteer as a superuser in the makerspace.

B. S. Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 2018-2022

After undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara, Nanqing pursued his academic journey at Columbia University in 2023. To further deepen his understanding of transportation phenomena for complex multiphase systems, he participates in the Boyce Lab and works together with Postdoc Oscar Jack Punch. Specifically, his research aims to enhance the understanding of granularized fluidized bed behavior with additional influence and their industrial applications, investigating the dynamics of fluidized beds through computational analysis. Outside of his academic pursuits, Nanqing enjoys hiking, immersing himself in literature, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

B. Sc. Chemical Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, 2017-2022

B. Sc. Mathematics, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, 2017-2022

Naimah Russ graduated from Tuskegee University in 2022 with a double major in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics. Her academic journey reflects a strong affinity for process engineering and material science within the field of chemical engineering.

Currently in her second year of pursuing a master's degree at Tuskegee University, Naimah remains devoted to Chemical Engineering. She actively engages in research within the Boyce lab, collaborating closely with Columbia University. Her work in the Boyce Lab focuses on the assessment of controlled particle mixing and segregation. This investigation encompasses both gas flow in isolation and gas flow combined with vibration. To enhance the study, she plans to employ CFD-DEM simulations using the advanced SuperDEM within MFiX.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Naimah enjoys spending time with her dog and watching action-packed movies.

BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May 2024

During his undergraduate studies, Mario worked alongside Prof. Irmgard Bischofberger and Dr. Paul Lilin to study crack pattern formation. Those cracks form due to high internal stresses from drying, and often create intricate patterns. Following graduation, Mario briefly joined the Harris lab at Brown University to study the water entry of hydrophobic spheres. At the Boyce Lab, Mario is investigating granular segregation within chute flows.

B.S. Student, Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY

B.A. Student, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH

I am currently a senior in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University. I spent three years at Oberlin College, where I focused on Chemistry. My primary interests are fluid dynamics and computational modeling. In Pro. Boyce’s Lab, I assisted Qiang in simulating the vibrated fluidized bed and conducting experiments about sinking intruders to fluidized beds.In my spare time, I like to paint and DIY stuff.

M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, 2020-2022
B. Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of California San Diego, California, 2016-2020

Graduated from University of California San Diego as a chemical engineering student in 2020, Jingyi is currently a second-year master student at Columbia University majoring in chemical engineering. In Boyce Lab, he currently works together with Postdoc Qiang Guo on evaluating multiphase granular flow systems, which includes two-dimensional and three-dimensional fluidized bed structures.In his free time, Jingyi enjoys hiking, playing tennis, and watching movies.

MS, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, 2012 – 2015 

BS, Amirkabir University of Technology – Tehran Polytechnic, Tehran, Iran, 2007 – 2012

Javad Omidi received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in engineering from Iran at Sharif University of Technology and Amirkabir University of Technology, respectively. In his master’s thesis, he focused on improving algorithms for numerical and mathematical simulation of Electro- Hydro-Dynamics (EHD) interactions between plasma actuators and fluid flow applying to a variety of applications. Prior to starting his PhD, he worked for about seven years as a Research Assistant at Sharif University of Technology. During this period, he engaged on improving algorithms, software packaging, data analysis, mathematical and computational simulations, and AI-based Multiphysics problem optimization. He has also improved his skills by working with professional software programs and taking advanced courses in computational modeling.

B.S. Student, Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York

I’m a senior at Columbia University majoring in Chemical Engineering. My primary interests are fluid dynamics, nuclear physics and computational modeling.In the Boyce Lab, I assist Alireza with investigating the behavior of Liquid-Solid interactions in varying 3D fluidized beds. I also assist Jagan with investigating the behavior of binary particle mixtures in pseudo-2D fluidized beds.

In my free time I enjoy playing basketball, and exploring the city.

B.S./B.A. Mechanical Engineering, University of San Diego, 2016

Following his Bachelor's studies, Chris worked on a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy testing and modeling heat exchangers used for solar thermal energy generation. He later went on to work at two startup companies, the first integrating lithium ion batteries for energy storage, the second developing a method for electrochemical additive manufacturing.

During his PhD, he plans to use computational and experimental techniques to investigate multiphase granular flow and apply his findings in the design of particle-liquid-gas reactor systems.

In his free time he enjoys surfing, photography, and live music.

Charlotte is a visiting student from ETH Zurich, currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. During her time in the Boyce Lab, Charlotte will focus on studying the effects of horizontal vibration and pulsed gas on structured bubbling in a gas-solid fluidized bed.