Professor Shubham Vyas
Camille and Henry Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellow (2012-2014)
Ph.D., Chemistry (2011), THE Ohio State University
M.S., Physical Chemistry (2005), IIT Bombay India
B.S., Physics & Chemistry & Mathematics (2003), MLSU India
Current VRL Members
Stephen Nixon
Ph.d. student, applied chemistry, colorado school of mines
B.S., Chemistry (2022), Colorado Mesa University
Steven is a Colorado local who obtained his B.S. in chemistry and minor in applied mathematics at Colorado Mesa University. After doing ozone sensor calibration research under Dr. James Ayers and graduating from college, he interned at the National Renewable Energy Lab, where he obtained thermal properties for desiccants. He is currently pursuing his PhD in computational chemistry under Dr. Shubham Vyas, where he studies the complexation and solvation of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as radical stability. In his free time, Steven enjoys fencing, chess, videogames, and baking.
ISAAC SPACKMAN
Ph.d. student, applied chemistry, colorado school of mines
B.S., mechanical engineering (2022), calvin university
Moving from a small hay farm in Central Oregon to Grand Rapids MI, Isaac graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Calvin University in 2022. Outside of analyzing combustion engines and designing robots, his primary research experience has been in battery materials for both electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage. In the Vyas lab, Isaac is leveraging experimental design and computational modeling to explore degradation mechanisms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Outside of the lab, Isaac enjoys climbing, playing jazz trombone, and trying to garden in a new climate.
MICHAEL DOOLEY
PH.D. STUDENT, APPLIED CHEMISTRY, COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
B.S. CHEMISTRY (2017), UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER
M.S. CHEMSITRY (2019), UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
Michael Ryan Dooley, an accomplished researcher, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder, graduating Cum Laude for work on the Atmospheric Chemistry of Alpha-Beta Keto Acids. Subsequently, Michael earned a Master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of California San Diego, specializing in physical and environmental chemistry. A recipient of the prestigious ORISE fellowship, Michael contributed significantly to ocean acidification research at the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Narragansett, Rhode Island, developing novel analytical chemistry methods and contributing to instrumentation development. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Colorado School of Mines, Michael focuses on the fate and transport of PFAS in the atmosphere. Michael’s future endeavors involve the development of predictive models for environmental chemistry and computational studies examining fundamental processes governing the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants.
MEAGAN CROWLEY
M.S. STUDENT, APPLIED CHEMISTRY, COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
B.S. PHYSICS (2018), UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
Meagan received her B.S. in Physics from UMass Boston in 2018 and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in chemistry from Colorado School of Mines. As a researcher at NREL and a joint member of the Vyas and Pak research groups at Mines, Meagan focuses on developing coarse grained molecular dynamics models for carbohydrate biopolymers with applications to renewable energy and sustainable materials. She also specializes in scientific programming and microstructural characterization of materials using X-ray computed tomography. Outside of her research, Meagan is passionate about nature, art, music, and her dog.
aaron ajeti
Ph.d. Candidate, applied chemistry, colorado school of mines
B.S., Chemistry (2021), Boise state university
Aaron is a first-generation college student and was born and raised in Twin Falls, ID. After high school he worked for many years as a travelling surgical technologist where he would assist in various surgeries in places ranging from Alaska to Columbia. These experiences left Aaron inspired to pursue a higher education at Boise State University (BSU) where he was initially a pre-med student. However, his freshmen chemistry classes and following life events inspired him to change his focus to chemistry where he could tackle environmental concerns. Aaron graduated from BSU, spring 2021, with his B.S. in chemistry before starting graduate school at Colorado School of Mines. Today Aaron performs research in the molecular dynamics of fluoropolymer combustion within plastic bonded explosives to simulate the potential PFAS products formed. Outside of research Aaron is passionate about music (death metal and jazz), guitar, cooking, hiking, and mountain biking.
Hanna Tetu
PH.D. Student, Applied Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines
B.S., Chemistry (2019), State university of new york – College of Environmental science and forestry
Hanna received her B.S. in chemistry at SUNY-ESF in 2019 and now is pursuing her PhD here at Mines. As a part of the Vyas group, Hanna is focused on probing the mechanisms by which per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are oxidized by environmentally relevant radicals both computationally and experimentally. Outside of research, Hanna enjoys camping, hiking, climbing, and cooking and baking (especially bread).
Undergraduate Researchers
VRL Group Members
Outreach Activites
Teaching
Teaching