the group
Group (Fall '13) - (L to R) Top Row: Shichen (Danny) Lian, Eli Fahrenkrug, Betsy Brown, Luyao Ma, Junsi Gu. Bottom Row: Jialiu Ma, Wen Wen, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Stephen Maldonado, Sudarat Lee, George (Nik) Hargenrader, Tim Zhang.
Current Group
Past Groups:
the group
Group (Winter '13) - (L to R) Top Row: Betsy Brown, Tim Zhang, Zhijie Wang, Stephen Maldonado, Shichen Lian, Eli Fahrenkrug, Sabrina Peczonczyk. Bottom Row: Elizabeth Keenan, Scott Su, Wen Wen, Luyao Ma, Junsi Gu.
Past Groups:
Winter 2013
the group
Group (Fall '12) - (L to R) Top Row: Jason Koch, Junsi Gu, Zhijie Wang, Stephen Maldonado, Eli Fahrenkrug, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Wen Wen. Middle Row: Sudarat Lee. Bottom Row: Shichen, Betsy Brown, Matt Gunsch.
Past Groups:
Fall 2012
the group
Group (Winter '12) - (L to R) Top Row: Junsi Gu, Eli Fahrenkrug, Zhijie Wang, Stephen Maldonado, Sean Collins, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Wen Wen. Middle Row: Anisha Shakya. Bottom Row: Jason Koch, Michelle Chitambar, Jesse Maddock, Elizabeth Keenan.
Past Groups:
Winter 2012
the group
Group (Fall '11) - (L to R) Top Row: Junsi Gu, Zhijie Wang, Stephen Maldonado, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Jesse Maddock, Michelle Price. Bottom Row: Elizabeth Keenan, Jeremy Feldblyum, Meagan Cauble, Elizabeth Brown, Sean Collins.
Past Groups:
Fall 2011
the group
Group (Winter '11) - (L to R) Top Row: Elizabeth Keenan, Jeremy Feldblyum, Stephen Maldonado, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Molly Soper, Jesse Maddock. Bottom Row: Justin Foley, Jeanne Hankett, Junsi Gu, Azhar Carim, Wen Wen, Michelle Price, Sean Collins.
Past Groups:
Winter 2011
the group
Group (Fall '10) - (L to R) Top Row: Justin Foley, Jesse Maddock, Sean Collins, Nich Griffith, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Junsi Gu, Matthew Tsang. Bottom Row: Michelle Price, Azhar Carim, Stephen Maldonado, Jeremy Feldblyum, Laura Pfund, Wen Wen, Elizabeth Keenan.
Past Groups:
Fall 2010
the group
Group (Winter '10) - From left: Jhindan Mukherjee, Justin Foley, Jeremy Feldblyum, Azhar Carim, Kevin Hagedorn, Stephen Maldonado, Colin Forgacs, Michelle Price, Wen Wen, Soojeong Kim, and Junsi Gu.
Past Groups:
Winter 2010
the group
Group (Fall '09) - From left: Jeremy Feldblyum, Jhindan Mukherjee, Kevin Hagedorn, Stephen Maldonado, Sabrina Peczonczyk, Wen Wen, Laura Thoma, Azhar Carim, Michelle Price and Rui Huang. Not pictured: Colin Forgacs and Eric Kushion.
Past Groups:
Fall 2009
the group
Group (Winter '09) - From left: Michelle Price, David Porter, Jhindan Mukherjee, Azhar Carim, Stephen Maldonado, Kevin Hagedorn, Colin Forgacs and Eric Kushion
Past Groups:
Winter 2009
the group
Group (Fall '08) - From left: Penny Peng, Jhindan Mukherjee, Azhar Carim and Stephen Maldonado
Past Groups:
Fall 2008
professor stephen maldonado
smald at umich.edu
B.S. Chemistry, University of Iowa, 2001 Ph.D. Chemistry, UT Austin, 2006 Postdoctoral Fellow, Caltech, 2006-2008
American Chemical Society, Member Electrochemical Society, Member The Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry, Member
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
My parents immigrated to the United States of America and settled in Knoxville, Iowa. I grew up there, away from the bright lights and big city atmosphere of Des Moines, Iowa. I went to the University of Iowa for my undergraduate degree and discovered the world of electrochemistry. I was hooked immediately. After graduating, I moved to Austin, Texas and studied carbon electrode materials. As a postdoc in Pasadena, I learned about semiconductors and the chemistry of interfaces. Now as an independent researcher in Ann Arbor, I am directing a group of scientists interested in the chemistry and physics involved in chemical sensing and renewable energy technologies.
doctor zhijie wang
B.S. Zhejiang University Ph.D. Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Zhijie is interested in solar cells, nano-materials, nano-devices, and organic and organic/inorganic hybrid devices.
doctor jhindan mukherjee
Ph.D., Chemistry, Univ. of Toledo, 2008
While with the Maldonado group, Jhindan worked on chemical strategies for surface passivation of III-V semiconductors for application in energy conservation devices. She employed XPS, IR and electrochemical techniques to investigate surface composition, resistance to ambient oxidation and band gap energetics of modified semiconductor surfaces. Jhindan's doctoral research was focused on developing electrochemical biosensors for selective and sensitive detection of cholinergic neurotransmitters and biologically important thiols. She developed enzyme modified electrodes and optimized their performance characeteristics to achieve selectivity, long operational stability and low detection limits.
University of Toledo Fellowship, 2005-2008
Certificate of Merit for Outstanding 1st Year Graduate Student
Robert E. Maytag Fellowship, 2003-2004
sabrina peczonczyk
B.S. Chemistry, University of Buffalo, 2009
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Sabrina is interested in the surface passivation of III-V semiconductors and how these techniques affect their electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties.
junsi gu
B.S., Fudan University, China
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Junsi is working on examining semiconductor passivation techniques via in-situ Raman spectroscopy and using electrodeposition to make functional semiconductor materials.
wen wen
B.S., Peking University, China, 2008
M.S., Arizona State University
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Wen is interested in the synthesis of novel nanomaterials and their use in solar energy applications.
Betsy Brown
B.S., University of Wisconsin La Crosse, 2011
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Betsy is working on developing new reactions for chemically modifying semiconductor electrode interfaces.
Eli Fahrenkrug
B.S., The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, 2011
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Eli is developing new strategies for semiconductor electrodeposition.
Sudarat Lee
B.S., Purdue University,West Lafayette,IN, 2012
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Susu is working on synthesizing and characterizing II-IV-V2 ternary chalcopyrite nanowires. She is also interested in exploring the potential of these nanowires in photoelectrochemical application.
Tim Zhang
B.S., Duke University,Durham,NC, 2012
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Tim is interested in synthesizing single crystalline nanowires from microelectrodes.
Luyao Ma
B.S., Nanjing University, China
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Luyao is working on nanosized pattern fabrication using natural lithography, and using the pattern for bench-top electrodeposition of crystalline semiconductor on low melting temperature metal cathode.
George 'Nik' Hargenrader
B.S., Lake Superior State University,Sault Ste,Marie,MI 2008
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
kevin hagedorn
B.S. Chemistry, Univ. of Michigan, 2005 B.S. Biochemistry, Univ. of Michigan, 2005 Ph.D. Chemistry, Univ. of Michigan, 2010
American Chemical Society, Member Alpha Chi Sigma, Member
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Kevin is currently a researcher at IMRA America, Inc.
Merck Index Award, 2005 James B. Angell Scholar, 2003
michelle chitambar
B.A. in Physics, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, 2008, B.A. in Political Science, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, 2008 Ph.D. Applied Physics, Univ. of Michigan, 2012
Michelle is currently a researcher at Spider 9 Dynamic Energy Systems.
Office of Science Graduate Fellow, U. S. Department of Energy Graham Doctoral Fellow, Univ. Michigan Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute
Shichen Lian
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Shichen is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry. His research interests include developing novel materials for semiconductor applications.
Elizabeth Keenan
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Elizabeth is involved in Alpha Chi Sigma and Salto Dance Company. Her research includes growing microporous coordination polymers on functionalized surfaces.Elizabeth is currently a graduate student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Scott Su
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Scott is pursuing a BSE from the college of engineering. He is working on advanced electrodeposition methods.
Jessie Rafson
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jessica is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry Research at the University of Southern California. She is working on finding an electrochemical route to making InSb quantum dots.
azhar carim
acarim at umich.edu
B.S. Chemistry, University of Michigan, 2011
Azhar received a B.S. Chem. degree in May, 2011. During his tenure at UM, he studied electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy (ECALE), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and electrosynthesis/electrocatalysis. He is currently a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology.
Roger B. Vanko Memorial Award, 2011 James E. Harris Scholarship, 2010 James B. Angell Scholar, 2009 American Chemical Society Analytical Chemistry Award, 2009 Seyhan N. Ege Fellowship, 2009
lingbo zhang
Lingbo is currently pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry Department at Tsinghua University, China. She spent her 2011 summer in Michigan as a US/China REU Exchange Program student, focusing on semiconductor nanoparticle synthesis and characterization.
colin forgacs
B.S. Physics, University of Michigan, 2009
Colin obtained a M.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Oregon. He is currently a diffusion process engineering intern at Fairchild Semicondcutor in Portland, ME.
sean collins
B.S. Chemistry, University of Michigan, 2012
B.M. Piano Performance, University of Michigan, 2012
Sean's research interests include Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) imaging and characterization of nano- and nano-structured materials. He is currently a graduate student at the University of Cambridge.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, 2011-2012 Microscopy Society of America Undergraduate Research Scholarship Smeaton Memorial Award, 2011 James B. Angell Scholar, 2009-2011
Ketian Zhang
B.S. Chemistry, Peking University, China 2014
Ketian completed a summer research program through the U.S. to China Summer Undergraduate Research Exchange Program He studied interfacial chemistry at semiconductor surfaces using SERS.
jesse maddock
Jesse is pursuing a B.S.E. Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Electrical Engineering (Dec. 2012). His research interests include optoelectronics, intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs), and characterization of semiconductors.
our team
Teaching Statement
Figure 1. a) Bad teaching. b) Effective teaching
My scientific training has strongly shaped my teaching philosophy. I view the process of learning a new concept as intrinsically an 'uphill' reaction (Figure 1). Specifically, the process of education is akin to a student making the transition from the 'ground' state of unawareness to a higher state of comprehension. To learn, the student must supply the driving force while the teacher should be the catalyst for the transformation. Good teaching minimizes the barrier(s) such as misconceptions, disjointed concepts, and lack of context that prevent a student from understanding an idea. A good teacher presents a student with a clear, direct pathway for comprehension. A good teacher makes sure the student's drive to learn is used efficiently. Most importantly, a good teacher remains active throughout the whole process.
From the start of my career as an independent faculty member in 2008, my teaching efforts in the chemical sciences have followed this philosophy, i.e. all have been designed to make science more relatable, foster an interest in further study, and/or generate excitement about my group's research area (semiconductor electrochemistry). In the classes I teach, I like to make connections between core concepts and everyday life. I think teaching concepts in physical sciences without discussing either how the initial discoveries were made or the humanity of science is dull. pH meters can be a drag to learn until you find out that they were originally invented to check the 'tastiness' of lemon juice, they made their inventor a billionaire (and an incredibly important philanthropist), and the profits made from pH meters supplied the money to seed the creation of 'Silicon Valley'. In the lab I run, I think that graduate students need to become independent thinkers to be competitive for high quality post-graduate careers. I feel the process of mentoring a junior researcher is the best way for a developing scientist to gauge their own 'lab' hands, communication skills, managerial capacity, and time management abilities. In this way, I like to foster opportunities for my graduate students to mentor undergraduate and high school students.