Faculty and Staff Contributors

James Chagdes, Director

James Chagdes, as director of the center, will assist in proposal development to external agencies, and is an expert in biomechanics as well as haptics.

Michael Bailey-Van Kuren

B.S., Industrial Engineering, Purdue University
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Jason Berberich

Assistant Professor of Chemical and Paper Engineering, Miami University, 2012 - present
Institute Scientist, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Univ. of Pittsburgh, 2002- 2003
Research Associate, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Univ. of Pittsburgh, 2001-2002

Olga Brezhneva

Associate Professor
Department of Mathematics
Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences

Giancarlo Corti

Giancarlo is a mechanical engineer with a solid track record in product manufacturing and process development, design and construction of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and physical vapor deposition (PVD) systems, including their control and automation. My research interests and present work include nanotechnology and development of equipment, prototypes, procedures and products to transfer scientific breakthroughs into industrial applications. I have conducted research in areas of micro and nano electromechanical systems (MEMS, NEMS), sensors, continuous flow reactors, composite material and hydrogen storage by a hierarchical deposition and engineering of nanomaterials to tailor them for specific applications. I also have over 10 years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate students in both class and laboratory environments.

Lei Kerr

Professor, Miami University, 2014-present
Associate Professor, Miami University, 2010-2014
Assistant Professor, Miami University, 2004 - 2010
Graduate Research Internship, National Renewable Energy Lab, 2002
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Florida, 1998-2003

Fazeel Khan

For the past few years, I have largely been responsible for the undergraduate and graduate level courses in the area of materials science and engineering. The content of these courses is designed to instill an appreciation and understanding of the myriad applications of materials in our environment, ranging from rubber used in tires to advanced alloys in high temperature applications. The inclusion of lab based activities animates seemingly theoretical concepts and bridges the progression of knowledge into subsequent MME courses. Teaching these courses is particularly enjoyable because my research interests lie in the area of material property characterization, dealing specifically with how biocompatible polymers respond in prosthetic joints. I have also been the advisor to the SAE Baja team for several years. In addition to the competitive spirit which this competition engenders within the students, it also serves to create skills in experimentation and analyses using the various facilities of the EM Lab.

Jennifer Kinney

Jennifer M. Kinney, Ph.D., Interim Chair of the Department of Sociology and Gerontology, is a Professor of Gerontology and a Research Fellow at the Scripps Gerontology Center. Dr. Kinney is on the executive committee and chairs the Publications Committee of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). She is also a board member of the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education (OAGE). Dr. Kinney is co-chair of Miami's Summer Reading Program Committee. Her research focuses on technological and other interventions to help families care for their older relatives, quality of life for people with dementia, and the evaluation of arts-based interventions for individuals with dementia.

Jeong-Hoi Koo

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering; Virginia Tech, 2003.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, South Dakota State University, 1999.
B.Eng., Mechanical Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea, 1998.

DJ Rao

Dr. Dhananjai (DJ) Rao earned a B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Madras, India in 1996; a M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. Dr. Dhananjai (DJ) Rao earned a B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Madras, India in 1996; a M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2003) in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Vaskar Raychoudhury

Ph.D., Computer Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 2010
M.S. - Information Technology, IIT Kharagpur. 2006
B.S. - Information Technology, University of Kalyani. 2003

John Richter

John is an Assistant Clinical Instructor for the Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering department. He earned his Master's of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Dayton and has extensive experience in the private sector.

Justin Saul

Postdoctoral Training: University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering. September, 2005 – August, 2007.
Ph.D. - Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University. January, 2006.
B.S. - Chemical Engineering, Purdue University. May, 1999. With Honors.

Jinjuan She

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University

Kumar Singh

I enjoy teaching and working with the students. I love to play racquet sports (badminton and racquetball), so drag me to the court if you find me sitting idle in my office. My research focuses primarily on inverse eigenvalue problems in multidisciplinary applications, which emphasize design, analysis, and control of the engineering structures that are purely based upon available dynamic data and vibration spectrum. My current research interests are (a) Development of robust and optimal Aeroservoelastic (ASE) control for next generation aircraft and sensor craft design (supported by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory), (b) studying the influence of time delay in active vibration control, (c) design of active/passive control and structural modification for rotordynamic applications (industrial collaboration with SIEMENS, GE) and, (d) dynamic characterization and control design for viscoelastic and smart materials.

Leonard Smart

What happens when the perceptual information obtained does not support action or actions that the organism is familiar with? My research involves examining the consequences of disrupting the perception-action cycle on participants’ ability to successfully regulate their behavior. In particular, I am interested in how functional relationships between perception and action are regained (adaptation) and the cost of not being able to do so (motion sickness). My research bridges interests in motor control, perception, and Human Factors.

Jessica Sparks

Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University. 2007
M.S. - Anatomy, The Ohio State University. 2007
B.S. - Pre-Medicine and Philosophy, University of Notre Dame. 1999

Mark Walsh

A Professor in Kinesiology, Nutrition and Health, Dr. Walsh’s interests include topics in the area sport biomechanics. More specifically Balance and postural sway characteristics of healthy, fatigued and injured athletes as well as the mechanics of running and jumping as it relates to performance and injury. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomechanics and Sport Orthopedics from the German Sport University of Cologne, Germany

Kushal Neupane

Mechanical Engineering

Master's student and a graduate teaching assistant at Miami University 

Augmenting Reality for Color Vision Enhancement

• Caroline Danzi, Computer Science, Senior
• Christopher Schipper, Computer Science, Junior
• Tri Nong, Computer Science, Sophomore

3D Printed Anatomical Models for Healthcare Training

• Louis Krieger, Chemical Engineering, Junior
• Alex Demers, Biomedical Engineering, Sophomore

Assistive Navigation Device for the Visually Impaired 

• Rasika Rane, Electrical Engineering and Journalism, Junior
• Austin Jenkins, Computer Engineering, Sophomore
• Mitchell Everett, Computer Engineering, Sophomore

Design of Controller for Medical Devices

• Rob Sutliff, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Senior

Assistive Technology and Active Learning

• Andrew Quintana, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Junior

Design of a Walking Cane

• Joao P. Freire, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Senior

Haptic Feedback for Assistive Devices

• Amlaan Shakeel, Electrical Engineering, Graduate Student