Team

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Post Doc
Email: santosh.gupta@utrgv.edu

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Post Doc
Email: swati.mohan01@utrgv.edu

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Post Doc
Email: jingjing.liu@utrgv.edu

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Graduate Student
Email: mitzy.penilla01@utrgv.edu

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Graduate Student
Email: jose.p.zuniga01@utrgv.edu

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: christina.figueroa01@utrgv.edu

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: shaikmerkaturhakim.marjuban01@utrgv.edu

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: omosola.oriretan01@utrgv.edu

UG Research Assistant
February 2018 - Present
Senior in college; applying to pharmacy school 
Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials 
Currently investigating the effect of Aluminum/Gallium substitution on the structural and luminescence properties of europium-doped YAG nanoparticles synthesized via Molten Salt Synthesis

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: jesus.cruz01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: hisham.abdou01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: maya.abdou01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: marisol.valdez01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: allen.abraham02@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: david.delagarza03@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: raiven.balderas01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: alan.babuji01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: hector.desantiago01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: adrian.portales01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: jorge.a.flores01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Coordinator
Email: andrew.atisa01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Coordinator
Email: amin.ibrahim01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Coordinator
Email: selene.hernandez01@utrgv.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: kusy.zarzosa01@utrgv.edu

Postdoc

Duration with the MAO group.
April 2013 – July 2014
Your current status (e.g. college, graduate school, med school, or professor)
Assistant Professor at Department of Chemistry
Your current institution or company or wherever.
King Saud University, Riyadh-11451, Saudi Arabia
A short description (in a few words) of the project(s) you worked on with the MAO group
Synthesis of nanostructured materials for energy conversion and conservation

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Post Doc
Email: jahmed@ksu.edu.sa

I had been in Dr. Mao’s group from May 30, 2018 to November 30, 2018 as a visiting scholar.Now I am working in Guangdong University of Technology (China).My research in Mao’s group is focus on the design and synthesis of advanced porous carbon nano materials using molten salt method.My personal email address is luowen0032@163.com

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Visiting Scholar
Email: luowen0032@163.com

Position you had with the MAO group (e.g. as a summer high school intern, UG Research Assistant, Graduate RA, Postdoc, Visiting Professor, etc.). Postdoc
Your current institution or company or wherever. UTRGV
A short description (in a few words) of the project(s) you worked on with the MAO group. As the phosphors field is quickly changing and new applications are emerging, it is integral to understand the fundamental physics Trivalent rare earth (RE³⁺) ion-doped phosphors play a very important role in today’s photonic industry. While working within Mao group, I worked on several projects in the area of visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) based rare earth (RE³⁺) ions doped phosphors in a multitude of hosts. Apart from this, I worked in the area of scintillators. Scintillators are materials with the ability to absorb high-energy ionizing radiation, such as X- or γ-rays, and to convert a fraction of the absorbed energy into ultraviolet or visible photons. While working with Dr. Mao group, I helped the group in designing X-Ray excited luminescence and γ-spectroscopy setup.
Any exciting project or significant achievement you are experiencing lately.  I have not counted but I am confident that I co-authored more than 10 papers while working within the Mao group.

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Post Doc
Email: madhab.pokhrel@utrgv.edu

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: sureshbabualaparthi@gmail.com

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Post Doc
Email: jingjing.liu@utrgv.edu

Visiting Scholar
Email: bobvic@126.com

I worked in MAO group as Graduate RA 2011-2014, and am a PhD candidate in School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University.  
Description of projects in MAO group:

1. Three-dimensional (3D) configurations of functional metal oxide ZnO@MnO2 core@shell "nanoforests" for miniaturized electrochemical energy storage devices, specially tangible microsupercapacitors/batteries for powdering microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
2. Crystal growth control and mechanisms of the 3D ZnO "nanoforest" configuration, and optimization the nanoforests with the record high photoconversion efficiency in homogenous ZnO nanostructures.
3. Optimized the electrochemical performances of V2O5@Polypyrrole nanocomposites by tuning the two phases, and partitioned capacitance contributions from electric double-layer and pseducapacitance.

 My current projects:

1. 3D strain engineering in epitaxial nanocomposite thin films for spintronics and data storage system.
2. Novel structure design of thin films for strain- and microstructure-enhanced property improvements.
3. Strain-driven and ordered growth in epitaxial nanocomposite thin films.

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: maggienjut@gmail.com

Position you had with the MAO group (e.g. as a summer high school intern, UG Research Assistant, Graduate RA, Postdoc, Visiting Professor, etc.). A: graduate RA.Duration with the MAO group. A: 2012-2014
Your current status (e.g. college, graduate school, med school, or professor). A: PhD candidate.
Your current institution or company or wherever.  A:  Purdue University
A short description (in a few words) of the project(s) you worked on with the MAO group. A: I used to work on 3D oxide nanostructure construction for energy applications.
Any exciting project or significant achievement you are experiencing lately. A: nowadays I specialize in in-situ small scale mechanical testing on nanoalloys and high resolution microscope.

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: qnli2015@gmail.com

Position you had with the MAO group (e.g. as a summer high school intern, UG Research Assistant, Graduate RA, Postdoc, Visiting Professor, etc.). Master student
Duration with the MAO group. 2014-2016
Your current status (e.g. college, graduate school, med school, or professor). PhD candidate
Your current institution or company or wherever. Iowa State University
A short description (in a few words) of the project(s) you worked on with the MAO group. Hydrogen storage with carbon material
Any exciting project or significant achievement you are experiencing lately. Become a PhD candidate

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Graduate Research Assistant
Email: lwei@iastate.edu

UG Research Assistant while I was working with Dr. Mao for about 2 years. Subsequently obtained a Master’s in mechanical engineering from Rice and am currently working as an engineer in the semiconductor industry.Specifically working in PECVD (plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition) division of Lam Research, a semiconductor equipment maker. While working with Dr. Mao, I was primarily focused on developing methods for and synthesizing novel materials for Lithium Ion battery cathodes typically precursored through Force-spun micro and nanofibers. I’m currently part of the group developing the tools for future semiconductor nodes; I’m developing one of the core tools required for the sub-10nm nodes that will be going into production around the world in the coming years.

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: alekseygv@hotmail.com

Positions: Undergraduate Research Assistant / Post Graduate Researcher
Duration: Fall 2013 - Summer 2016
Your current status: Master's Student
Your current institution: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 
A short description: production of cellulose nonwoven fiber mats via Forcespinning, low temperature synthesis of delafossite materials
Any exciting project: Composite membrane fabrication

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: alejandro.j.castillo011@gmail.com

UG Research Assistant
2015-2016
MD/PhD Student 
McGovern Medical School
Rare-earth pyrochlore oxides for scintillator applications 
Implementing machine learning to predict clinical outcomes from medical images

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: kareemwahid111@gmail.com

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Email: qianlu626@gmail.com

High School Intern for High Scholars Summer research program in 2019
weeks-24 hours per week
High School Senior
Science Academy of South Texas (High School)
Worked in Organic Chemistry with Dr. Mao and other graduate students on synthesizing La₂Ti₂O₇ due to its luminescence and photocatalytic properties.
Currently, I am working with a team of students on designing a product that can help prevent the occurrence of ventilator associated pneumonia in hospitals by targeting the biofilm layer that develops on the endotracheal tube

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High School Intern
Email: Pooja.pathak02@gmail.com