Alumni

Benzhong |Robin| Zhao (email) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University. Robin's background is in civil & environmental engineering, specializing in multiphase flow in porous media with applications to low-carbon energy systems. He earned his BASc from the University of Waterloo, SM and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked on the fluid mechanics of geological carbon dioxide sequestration. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto, where he worked on developing more efficient electrochemical devices for renewable energy storage.

Ashkan Irannezhad is a PhD student in the lab. Ashkan obtained his Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tehran in 2015. He then completed a Master's program at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) in 2018, where he worked on nano-structured surfaces with specified wetting properties. During his Master’s studies, Ashkan worked as a project leader in the SNE research center at the University of Tehran and co-founded a knowledge-based start-up to develop new laboratory devices for measuring surface wetting properties.

Mahtab Masouminia is a PhD student in the lab. Mahtab finished her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Tehran (2015) in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Multiphase Flow. Then, she obtained her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology (2019) in CFD and Fluid Solid Interaction. Mahtab worked as a research assistant in the SNE research center at the University of Tehran on the numerical and experimental investigation of the effect of surface treatment on the deformation of a droplet during injection.

Negar Shahsavar is a PhD student in the lab. She obtained he Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering at Sharif University of Technology (2014). She finished her Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering at Shiraz University (2017). She worked on a novel environmental friendly emulsified solvent to mitigate asphaltene precipitation and deposition which is one of the major concerns in petroleum industry. After recognizing the adverse effect of oil and gas industry on climate change and ground water, she decided to start her research in Environment field to develop more efficient processes in resource extraction, CO2 sequestration, and groundwater remediation.

Mohamed El-Morsy is a PhD student co-supervised with Dr. Wael El-Dakhakhni. Mohamed finished his Bachelor’s degree (2016) and Master’s degree (2019) in structural engineering at Cairo University. His Master’s research work focused on the application of artificial intelligence (e.g., deep convolutional neural networks) to the identification and detection of concrete cracks. Besides his research, Mohamed’s passion for knowledge and technology led him to co-found TEDx Cairo University. Currently, his research aims to integrate machine learning in various civil engineering applications.  

Endi Hajdari is an undergraduate student at McMaster University and is in the process of obtaining a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering and Society, as well as a concurrent B.Sc. in Mathematical Science. Her current research interests lie in the areas of fluid mechanics, mathematical modelling, and sustainability. She is looking forward to being actively involved in research that has a positive impact on society in both social and environmental contexts.

Ruby Yee is a fourth-year undergraduate thesis student. She is completing her B.Sc. in Honours Integrated Science (Physics Concentration). Ruby hopes to combine her interests in scientific research with her passion for the outdoors by studying current issues relating to climate change. Her current project in the Zhao Lab involves characterizing and modelling gravity-induced fingering patterns of water infiltrating into dry soil.

Marisa Caluori in an undergraduate student at McMaster University in her final year of obtaining her Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Minor in Business. As Marisa has explored various aspects of civil engineering and volunteering initiatives, she has seen the implications of climate change and has found a passion for solving this devastating issue. Marisa hopes to help find solutions to restore and preserve the environment and help create a more sustainable, greener world.

Katelyn Wylie is an undergraduate student at McMaster University, in the process of obtaining her Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering and Society. Katelyn is passionate about solving the problem of climate change, and fascinated by technologies related to renewable energy sources. She aspires to work in engineering to develop a more sustainable society.