Group

Present Group Members



Caitlin Seed
Ph.D. in Progress
cmseed@ncsu.edu


Samuel Kenny
Ph.D. in progress
sgkenny@ncsu.edu
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Leonardo Mathias Leidens
Visiting scientist, Ph.D. in progress
lmleidens@ucs.br
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Mohamed Abdelmaksoud Bedir, Visiting Scientist
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2001)
Nanotribology of a Vapor Phase Lubricant:
A Quartz Crystal Microbalance Study of Tricresylphosphate (TCP)
Uptake on Iron and Chrome
mkbedir@cu.edu.eg

Group Alumni
Biplav Acharya
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2019)
“Multiscale Friction and Lubrication Studies of Water and Oil based Lubricants in the Presence and Absence of Nanoparticles
First appointment after graduation: Intel, Inc. Portland, OR
bachary@ncsu.edu
Keshav Avva
Undergraduate Researcher
ksavva@ncsu.edu
Resume (PDF)
Ramatoulie Bah
Undergraduate Researcher (2002)
First appointment after graduation: M.S. in progress, Norfolk State University (2005)
toulie_99@yahoo.com
Colin Baker
Postdoctoral Researcher (2005 – 2009)
Present Position: Staff Scientist at Naval Research Laboratory
colin.baker@nrl.navy.mil
Jonathan W. Bender
Postdoctoral Researcher (2001 – 2002)
First appointment after post-doctoral fellowship: Asst. Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina Present Position: Staff Scientist, Afton Corporation, Richmond, VA
C.V. benderjw@engr.sc.edu
Diana Berman
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2012)
Physics of Electrical Current Flow through an Asperity in the Presence and Absence of an Adsorbed Layer
First appointment after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher, Argonne National Lab.
Present Position: Assistant Professor, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
dyanchu@ncsu.edu
Ephraim Bililign
Undergraduate Researcher
bililignes@gmail.com
Brian Borovsky
Postdoctoral Researcher (1998 – 2001)
First appointment after post-doctoral fellowship: Asst. Professor, Physics, Grinnell College
Present Position: Asst. Professor, Physics, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
Troy Bradshaw
Undergraduate Researcher
Present Position: Physics Coder at WebAssign
Andrew Brown
Undergraduate Researcher
Present Position: Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University, Phoenix
adbrown@ncsu.edu
Chris Brown
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2008)

Physics of RF MEMS Switch Contacts
First appointment after graduation: Harvard Business School, MBA Program, Cambridge, MA
Present Position: Senior Associate, Sail Venture Partners, Irvine, CA
Webpage: http://www.sailvc.com/team/christopher-j-brown-phd
dr.chrisjbrown@gmail.com
Joe BrowningJoe L. Browning
Undergraduate Researcher
Ronald ChiarelloRonald P. Chiarello
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1990)

Roughness Characterization of Gold and Silver Surfaces and the Wetting behavior of Physisorbed Films Studied by a Combined Quartz Crystal Microbalance and X-Ray Reflectivity Technique
First appointment after graduation: Argonne National labs, then Stanford University
Present Position: President, C.E.O, founding member and Member of the Board of Directors, Jetalon Solutions, Inc., Pleasant Hill, CA
Webpage: www.jetalon.com/rchiarello.html
ronc@jetalon.com
Mak ChihongMak Chihong
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1996)

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Studies of the Dependance of Atomic Scale Friction on Velocity, Chemical properties and Interfacial Topology
First appointment after graduation: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of New Hampshire
Present Position: Staff Scientist, Linear Manufacturing, LTD., Hong Kong
makchong@yahoo.com
Richard ChromikRichard Chromik
Post Doctoral Researcher (2005 – 2007)
Present Position: Professor and Dept. Chair, McGill University
C.V.
richard.chromik@mcgill.ca
Tonya CoffeyTonya Coffey
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2004)

Nanotribology Fundamentals: Predicting the Viscous Coefficient of Friction
First appointment after graduation and Present Position: Professor, Dept. of Physics, Appalachian State University
Webpage: http://www1.appstate.edu/dept/physics/coffey/index.html
coffeyts@appstate.edu
Steven CorleySteven Corley
Undergraduate Researcher(2012 – 2015)
sdcorley@ncsu.edu
Colin CurtisColin Curtis
Graduate research assistant
ckcurtis@ncsu.edu
Christopher DalyChristopher Daly
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1996)

Phonon Energy Dissipation in the Nanotribology of Rare Gas Films
First appointment after graduation: National Research Council Fellow, US Naval Research Lab., Washington DC
Present Position: Senior Solutions Engineer, Share Point, Hewlett Packard, Boston, MA
Ben DawsonBen Dawson
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2010)

Tribo-induced temperature rise and melting at a single asperity sliding contact
First appointment after graduation: Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Shock Physics, Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA
Present Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of South Florida Physics Department, Orlando, FL
C.V. ben.dawson@wsu.edu
Angela DayoAngela J. Dayo
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1998)

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measurements of Electronic Contributions to Sliding Friction
First appointment after graduation: Freelance computer programmer
Present Position: Freelance writer
joydayo@yahoo.com
Zachary FredricksZachary Fredricks
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2006)
Quartz Crystal Microbalance Studies of Magnetic Mechanisms of Atomic-scale Friction.
First appointment after graduation: Freelance computer programmer
Present Position: CEO of Craftworld Designs, LLC
zfredri@ncsu.edu
CraftworldDesigns.com
Laura GoodmanLaura Goodman
Undergraduate Researcher
lhgoodma@ncsu.edu
Matthew HighlandMatthew Highland
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2006)

Superconductivity Dependent Friction
First appointment after graduation: Postdoctoral Researcher, University Urbana-Champaign, IL, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Present Position: Staff Scientist, Argonne National Laboratories
C.V.
Adam HookAdam Hook
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2011)
The Physics of Vapor Phase Lubricaton of MEMS
First appointment after graduation: Instructor and Postdoctoral Researcher, North Carolina State Unversity Physics Department
C.V. dahook@unity.ncsu.edu
Allyson HutchinsonAllyson Hutchinson
Undergraduate Researcher (2002, 2004)
Present Position: Undergraduate Student, North Carolina State University
Cherno JayeCherno Jaye
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2006)

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Studies of Atomic Scale Friction of Krypton on Graphene
First appointment after graduation: NIST Postdoctoral Researcher, Brookhaven National Lab., Brookhaven, NY
Present Position: NIST Associate Ceramics Synchrotron Methods Group
C.V. Webpage: http://www.nist.gov/mml/ceramics/synchrotron_methods/cherno-jaye.cfm
cjaye@bnl.gov
Hari KancharlapalliHari Kancharlapalli
Webmaster (2012)
Present Position: Software Engineer at Riverbed Technology
hpkancha@ncsu.edu
Ben KellerBen Keller
Undergraduate Researcher(2011-2014)
bwkeller@ncsu.edu
Afsaneh KetabiAfsaneh Ketabi
M.S., North Carolina State University (2009)

aketabi@unity.ncsu.edu
Kurt KetolaKurt Ketola
Postdoctoral Researcher (1998)
Present Position: Principal Multi-Disciplinary Engineer, Raytheon Electronics
Andrew LarsonAndrew Larson
Undergrad Researcher (2008 – 2009)
First position after graduation: Tube Lab Technician, Troxler Electronic Laboratories
Present Position: Laboratory Supervisor, Troxler Electronic Laboratories

andrew_larson@hotmail.com
Sang Min LeeSang Min Lee
Post Doctoral Researcher (2004 – 2005)
Present Position: Applied Materials, Inc, San Jose, CA
C.V.
Dustin LeiningerDustin Leininger
Undergraduate Researcher
daleinin@ncsu.edu
Zijian LiuZijian Liu
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2016)
 Atomic scale friction and lubrication of carbon based materials in aqueous environments
zliu13@ncsu.edu
Iyam LynchIyam Lynch
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2011)
Friction and Sliding of Polystyrene Micro Particles in the Presence and Absence of Capillary Adhesion
Present Position: Principal physicist, Corinthian Opthalmic, Boone, NC
iilynch@ncsu.edu
Brian MasonBrian Mason
Postdoctoral Researcher (1998 – 2000)
Present Position: Design Engineer, Stanford Research Systems
bmason@thinksrs.com
Alex MayerAlex Mayer
Undergraduate Researcher (1999 – 2001)
First Position after graduation: Graduate Student, Applied Physics, Cornell University
acm35@cornell.edu
Brian McCannBrian MaCann
Undergraduate Researcher (2013 – 2015)
bjmccann@ncsu.edu
Klaus MeckeKlaus Mecke
Postdoctoral Researcher (1994 – 1995)
Present Position: University of Wuppertal, Germany
Brendan MillerBrendan Miller
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2009)

Diffusion of Physisorbed Layers and their Connection to MEMS Effectiveness
First position after graduation: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Present Position: Technical Staff Tribologist, Chevron Corporation, San Fransisco, CA
bpmiller@unity.ncsu.edu
Megan MillerMegan Miller
Undergraduate Researcher (2000 – 2001)
First position after graduation: Graduate Student, Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
mamille5@unity.ncsu.edu
Worakarn NeeyakornWorakarn Neeyakorn
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2006)

Interfacial Slippage and Friction Studies on Material of Interest to Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
First position after graduation: Faculty member, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok, Thailand
Present Position: Lecturer and head of the physics department at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok, Thailand
C.V.
George PalasantzasGeorge Palasantzas
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1994)

X-Ray reflectivity and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of Kinetic Roughening of Silver Films
First Position after graduation: Postdoctoral research scientist, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Present Position: Associate Professor at Univ. Of Groningen Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Groningen, The Netherlands
Webpage: http://www.rug.nl/staff/g.palasantzas/index
Liming PanLiming Pan
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2011)
Tribo-induced Melting/Softening Transitions at Sliding Tungsten/Gold-Nickel Asperity Contacts
First position after graduation: Financial Data analyst, PNC Bank, Raleigh, NC
Present Position: Second Vice President, Credit Policy, Northern Trust Company
lpan@ncsu.edu
Vania PanellaVania Panella
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1992)

Adsorption Isotherms as Characterization of Self-affine
Tyler PardueTyler Pardue
Undergraduate Researcher
tnpardue@ncsu.edu
Resume (PDF)
Omar ParkerOmar Parker
Undergraduate Researcher (2004 – 2005)
Present Position: Ph.D. in Progress, Medical Physics, East Carolina University
Jennifer PattonJennifer Patton
Undergraduate Researcher (2005)
Jonathan PikeJonathan Pike
Research Technician and Webmaster
japike@ncsu.edu
Daryl PurcellDaryl Purcell
Undergraduate Researcher (2001)
First Position after graduation: Graduate Student, Optical Science and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
C.V. darylpurcell@hotmail.com
Michael RoseMichael Rose
Undergraduate Researcher (1996 – 1998)
First position after graduation: Assistant Staff Member, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Advanced Imaging Group
Rebecca RosenfeldRebecca Rosenfeld
Undergraduate Researcher
Chris ShumakeChris Shumake
Undergraduate Researcher (2004)
David SolinaDavid Solina
M.S Northeastern University (1991)

Present Position: RAID Performance Manager, CTG Adaptec Inc.
Keeley StevensKeeley Stevens
Graduate Research Assistant
keeley_stevens@ncsu.edu
Binita ThapaBinita Thapa
High School Intern (academic year 2017-18)
bthapa025@gmail.com
Nimel TheodoreNimel Theodore
Postdoctoral Researcher
ntheodo@unity.ncsu.edu
Silvina TomassoneSilvina Tomassone
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1998)

Present Position: Professor, Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University
Website: http://sol.rutgers.edu/staff/silvina.html
silvina@sol.rutgers.edu
Manju VarmaManju R. Varma
M.S., North Carolina State University (2003)

Vapor Phase Lubrication of MicroElectro Mechanical Systems
First position after graduation and Present Position: Circuit Design Engineer, QTC Processor Solutions, Qualcomm
C.V. mvarma@qualcomm.com
Brian VlastakisBrian Vlastakis
Undergraduate Researcher
First Position after graduation: Physics Ph.D. Candidate at Yale University
bmvlasta@ncsu.edu
Lucas WagnerLucas Wagner
Undergraduate Researcher (1999 – 2001)
Present Position: Graduate Student, Computational Physics, North Carolina State University
C.V.
Matt WalkerMatt Walker
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2009)

Impact of Stringently Controlled Vacuum Environments and in situ Plasma Cleaning on Contact Resistance of Au and Ru Based Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Switches
First job after graduation and Present Postion: Staff scientist in nanoscale technologies, Northrop Grumman, Baltimore, MD
mjwalke2@unity.ncsu.edu
Eric WattsEric Watts
Ph.D., Northeastern University (1989)

Interfacial viscosity at the Boundary of Nitrogen and Krypton with Gold and Silver Surfaces
First job after graduation: Staff scientist, Rockwell International, Space Shuttle program
Present Position: Chief Engineer, GPS IIF Satellites, Boeing Corporation, El Segundo, CA
eric.t.watts@boeing.com
Noah WeissmanNoah Weissman
Undergraduate Researcher
Present Position: Undergraduate Student, North Carolina State University
nlweissm@ncsu.edu
Steve WinderSteve Winder
Ph.D., North Carolina State University (2003)
Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measrements of Sliding Friction of Inert Gas Films on Lead, Copper, Nickel, and Graphene Surfaces
First appointment after graduation: Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of South Carolina C.V. Website: http://stevewinder.name
smwinder@yahoo.com
Andrew WrightAndrew Wright
Undergraduate Researcher (2016 – 2017)
alwrigh4@ncsu.edu