Meet our team!

He is working on amino acid and guanidine-based polymer Direct Air Capture (DAC) sorbents. He is trying to commercialize activated carbon-potassium carbonate-based DAC sorbents. Outside the lab, he loves playing the piano and is an awesome cook.

Kacie investigates the chemistry and transport physics of moisture-swing sorbents for direct air capture (DAC). After encountering limits with conventional kinetic models, she developed numerical simulations to clarify when model fitting fails to represent physical behavior and is now building a physically grounded model of moisture-swing dynamics.

Lindsey’s dissertation examined integration of low-grade waste heat within DAC processes, specifically focusing on feasibility within data. She now focuses on scaling and instrumentation for DAC at ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. Originally from Colorado, she came to Arizona for her Ph.D. and enjoys hiking with her dog (weather permitting) and playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Ani investigates degradation mechanisms in sorbents used for moisture-swing direct air capture (DAC). She worked as an environmental and quality engineer at Marathon Petroleum Company, the California Air Resources Board, and Biosense Webster after her undergraduate studies. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, scuba diving, hiking, swimming, kickboxing, weightlifting, playing with her puppy, and reading horror stories.

Deepak works on the synthesis and characterization of novel polymer-based sorbents for efficient direct air CO₂ capture supported by NSF. He studied Poly sulfone nanofiltration membranes for wastewater treatment during his undergraduate studies. Outside the lab, he enjoys dancing, badminton, squash, movies, and rewatching Friends.

Mitesh works to develop new tools for sorbent heat management, regeneration pathways, and process optimization Autothermal Direct Air Capture and Moisture Swing processes. He focuses on the design, construction, and modelling of experimental systems that probe adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics to understand CO₂/H₂O adsorption -desorption, energy efficiency, and system performance under realistic conditions. Beyond the lab, he enjoys dancing, gaming, camping, and driving.

Romina’s research is focused on stimuli-responsive polymer nanocomposites. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at ASU. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, researching, and skating.

Anusha develops and evaluates the performance of poly(zwitterionic) thermo-responsive hydrogels for atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) and direct air carbon capture. Outside research, she enjoys reading, hiking, and board games.

Saheed’s research focuses on ocean carbon capture and treatment of hypersaline waters using chemically modified Poly sulfone membranes, with a focus on material innovation and electroactive integration to boost CO₂ removal and overall performance.

Shahanaz develops emulsion-templated polyHIPEs—porous polymer networks designed for efficient adsorption of CO₂ from ambient air. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading, traveling, and experimenting in the kitchen.

Marcellinus designs systems-level water management in direct air capture technologies. He enjoys dancing, reading thought-provoking books, playing video games, and watching action films.

Ramesh improves chemically modified Polysulfone membranes for treating hypersaline waters and investigates microstructure performance relationships in sorbents for gas separations, including direct air capture. Outside research, he enjoys cricket, films, Carnatic music, and cooking.

He is designing amino acid-based sorbents for Direct Air Capture (DAC) and optimizing both lifetime and energy input for regeneration of DAC sorbents. He loves watching movies, reading novels, playing billiards and video games especially Diablo 4 and Pillars of Eternity 2.

She is working with composite materials (carbon nanotubes) and cross-linked polymers to enhance material properties and performance. She investigates structure property relationship to optimize material properties. Outside the lab, she is passionate about writing and photography. As a published author, she has written poetry and short stories in her free time, expressing my perception and experiences. She loves watching sunsets and capturing moments in nature on camera, designing the ideal perspectives and angles to recreate a lived moment.