Research Mentors

There are many opportunities for Keystone scholars to get hands-on experience with research-grade instruments working side-by-side with faculty in the lab. Mentors available to work with Keystone scholars include:

  • Danielle Chirdon (Assistant Professor, Chemistry) will work with students to synthesize transition metal complexes. Her lab has interests in photochemistry, electrochemistry, catalysis, and solar fuels. Contact: DChirdon@wcupa.edu
  • Abbie Ganas (Assistant Professor, Chemistry) will work with students to synthesize and characterize novel materials, such as cellulose aerogels, for application in water purification technology. Contact: aganas@wcupa.edu
  • Kimberly Mullane (Assistant Professor, Chemistry) will work with students on photochemistry of inorganic and organometallic complexes for in photoredox catalysis and metal separations. Contact: kmullane@wcupa.edu
  • Thomas Kwiatkowski (Assistant Professor, Chemistry) will work with students to study the impact of phthalates, found in electronic cigarettes, on male reproductive health. Contact: TKwiatkowski@wcupa.edu
  • Brandon Mitchell (Professor, Physics & Engineering) will work with research students on the dynamics of energy transfer in rare earth doped semiconductor and nanoparticle systems. Contact: bmitchell@wcupa.edu
  • Anil Kandalam (Professor, Physics & Engineering) will work with students to perform computations that determine the electronic structure and magnetic properties of nanoclusters, nanoparticles, and cluster-surface interactions. Contact: akandalam@wcupa.edu
  • Nicole Ramo (Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering) will work with students  in the areas of biomechanics, Soft-tissue mechanics, viscoelastic modeling, and engineering education. Contact: nramo@wcupa.edu
  • Marc Gagne (Professor, Earth and Space Sciences) will work with students to study X-ray emission from stars. Students in his research group analyze data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and perform 3D magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of the magnetized winds on these massive stars. Contact: mgagne@wcupa.edu
  • Lui Cui (Associate Professor, Computer Science) will work with students in the areas of dynamic spectrum access and related policies including spectrum right, spectrum trading, decision and risks analysis in spectrum sharing, and security issues in spectrum sensing. Contact: lcui@wcupa.edu
  • Jessica Sullivan-Brown (Associate Professor, Biology) will work with students to study the roles of folic acid metabolism in neural tube development. Contact: jsullivan@wcupa.edu
  • Kim Johnson (Associate Professor, Mathematics) will work with students in the areas of proportional reasoning and math education. Contact: kjohnson2@wcupa.edu
  • Barbara Swartz (Assistant Professor, Mathematics) will work with students in the area of teacher learning and math education. Contact: bswartz@wcupa.edu
  • Shawn Pfeil (Associate Professor, Physics & Engineering) will work with students in the area of biophysics. Contact: spfeil@wcupa.edu