Team

Professor McBride received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, her MS in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to joining UPenn as an assistant professor in 2024, she worked at Princeton University as a Presidential Postdoctoral fellow. Her research interests lie at the intersection of water chemistry, transport phenomena, and interfacial engineering. She is passionate about water and sustainability and maintains involvement in sustainability, advocacy, and education projects outside of her research. Her other interests include microgravity research, water technologies for low-resource environments, patterning phenomena and using art for science communications. She is the recipient of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics Milton van Dyke Award, the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Orr-Reynolds Distinguished Service Award, the Meredith Kamm Memorial Award for excellence in graduate studies, and a Mistletoe Research Fellowship.

Gregory is a postdoctoral researcher who holds a B.S. in biochemistry, an M.S. in chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His doctoral research focused on the dynamic switching of interfacial phenomena for heat transfer and water management. Greg's research interests include wettability, nanomaterials, thermal systems, and heat transfer, with a strong passion for combating the global water crisis and improving worldwide water quality. He was awarded a Fulbright research fellowship in Poland, where he developed fog water harvesters using responsive electrospun membranes. Greg has teaching experience as a TA for general chemistry, mechanical systems lab, and thermodynamics, and has worked as a quality control scientist in FDA-regulated pharmaceutical labs. He is the recipient of the Founders Award for Excellence, the William R. Osgood Fellowship in mechanical engineering, and the Paul Ander Award for Academic Excellence.

Derek Ho is a postdoctoral fellow with a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also completed dual Ph.D. minors in Soil Science and Life Science Communication. He currently serves as a Visiting Research Professor at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in the Department of Biogeochemistry, where his research focuses on the occurrence, transformation, and detection of microplastics across diverse environmental matrices. Dr. Ho also serves as the Young Professional Chair of the Emerging Contaminants Community within the Water Environment Federation (WEF), where he supports professional engagement and leadership development in the water sector. He was recently nominated to represent the Penn for the Frontiers Planet Prize.A former sailor and Coast Guard officer, Derek is deeply passionate about water security and is dedicated to developing technologies for identifying and remediating microplastics in the environment. His doctoral research uniquely combined his love for photography with environmental chemistry, focusing on creating AI-assisted tools for the detection and identification of microplastics using fluorescence imaging with Nile Red staining. Believing in the importance of communicating science beyond the laboratory, Derek has collaborated with Sea Grant to develop educational kits, including an interactive tabletop activity called “Plastic Panic!” designed to teach K–12 students about microplastics in wastewater treatment plants. Currently, 23 of these kits are circulating throughout the Great Lakes states. For his master’s research, Derek investigated improving biogas yield through the application of the white rot fungus C. subvermispora on dairy manure.Beyond the lab, Derek engages with the community through his handle “Dr. Microplastics", and his website (https://plasticfreepals.org/) where he shares insights into his complex relationship with plastics, highlighting both his educational initiatives and personal reflections on this pressing environmental issue.

Younes is a postdoctoral fellow with expertise in hydrometallurgy, mineral processing, and sustainable resource recovery. He holds a Ph.D. in Energy and Mineral Engineering from Penn State, an M.S. in Mineral Engineering from New Mexico Tech, and both M.S. and B.S. in Mining Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic). During his Ph.D., he developed a chemical-less process for the selective separation and purification of critical transition metals from acid mine drainage. With over five years of experience in mining, metallurgy, and mineral processing, Younes has focused on innovative solutions for sustainable processing of low-grade ores and secondary resources, including acid mine drainage, sludge, and electronic waste. He is the recipient of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) Ph.D. Fellowship Grant, Penn State Alumni Association Dissertation Award, and the Outstanding Energy and Mineral Engineering Graduate Student Award. Active in professional organizations such as SME and IMPC, he has served in leadership roles, including the SME Young Leaders Committee and as a representative of the Mineral Processing Division (MPD), in addition to chairing technical sessions, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and collaborating with industry. With a strong foundation in research, teaching, and service, he is committed to advancing environmentally responsible and conservation-driven solutions in hydrometallurgy and mineral processing, particularly through scalable technologies that recover critical minerals from secondary resources while reducing the environmental footprint of extraction.

Rebecca Jiuhe Shi is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an NSF NRT Climate-CARE Fellow, a program that supports interdisciplinary training in climate-focused research and professional development. Her research lies at the intersection of interfacial science, crystallization phenomena, and microfluidic systems, with an emphasis on sustainable materials and environmentally relevant processes. Before joining Penn, Rebecca received her M.S. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University, where she worked on critical mineral recovery and carbon mineralization. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science & Engineering from a dual-degree program between Beijing Jiaotong University and Lancaster University. Outside the lab, Rebecca is passionate about music and traveling. She is a singer and a piano player and has explored over 15 countries and 80 cities worldwide. Also, she loves going back to China to visit family and friends in her hometown, Harbin, which according to her, has some of the most beautiful ice & snow sculptures in the world!

Parham Koochak joined the McBride Lab in the spring of 2025 as a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. He received his B.Sc. in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Iran, and his M.Sc. in Materials Engineering from Aalto University in Finland. During his master’s studies, Parham worked on surface engineering projects involving vapor-phase surface functionalization techniques, self-assembled monolayers, and nanoparticle-based super liquid-repellent coatings, focusing on their interfacial phenomena. His current research investigates surface and bulk nanobubbles and their applications in water remediation and antifouling surfaces . Outside the lab, Parham enjoys Persian classical music and literature, cooking, hiking and camping.

Rehan Kumar is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. His academic excellence and commitment to innovation have earned him highest honors in his undergraduate studies, and he continues to drive progress in the field of mechanical engineering. With his strong background in thermal systems and heat transfer equipment design, Rehan developed a novel water cum air-cooled condenser for tropical climates that harvests water from the evaporator, resulting in a 5% increase in electrical efficiency. He explores heat transfer associated with salt crystal formation from evaporation of saline droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces in the McBride Lab. Currently, he is expanding his expertise in micro- and nano-fabrication techniques at the Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility, mastering various etching and deposition tools to create diverse micro- and nano-textures with tailored surface morphologies and wetting properties, further enhancing his research capabilities. Proficient in a range of computer-aided engineering tools, Rehan is driven to innovate sustainable solutions for real-world challenges.

Murphy is a first-year Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. They hold a B.S. in Physics from West Chester University. In their undergraduate studies, Murphy worked in a soft matter physics lab where they researched the diffusion of micrometer-sized particles in small confined spaces. They also participated in university activities as the President and founder of WCU’s Underrepresented Genders in Physics club, and as Vice President of the Society of Physics Students. At Penn, they are excited to explore the intersection of soft matter physics and interfacial science. In their free time, Murphy likes to hang out with their cats, do yoga, and garden.

Brian joined the McBride Lab in fall 2025, where his research focuses on understanding interfacial phenomena for water treatment and resource recovery applications. Prior to coming to Penn, Brian earned dual BSE degrees in Nano Science & Engineering and in Energy & Environmental Engineering at Yonsei University in South Korea, and an MS in Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University. His past research includes fabricating of reverse osmosis membranes for improved desalination and water treatment, and his master's thesis centered on direct lithium extraction from brine using green, thermoresponsive switchable solvents. He also worked at one of the largest lithium-ion battery plants for electric vehicles in the world, where he was involved in a wide variety of processes that transformed critical metals into key consumer products. Outside the lab, Brian likes staying active by running, hiking, exploring the great outdoors, and playing racquet sports. He also enjoys the pursuit of becoming more fluent in foreign languages, having formerly worked as both a military and technical interpreter.

Mary Hannah is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an NSF NRT Soft Autonomous Experimentation (Soft AE) Fellow, which supports her research on autonomously simulating microplastics through microfluidic devices for future detection and remediation. Her work is driven by sustainability and environmental impact, with a particular focus on developing scalable, standardized tools for large-scale microplastic detection, an area that is currently lacking consistent and widely applicable methodologies. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee while conducting undergraduate research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where she worked on membrane-based carbon capture technologies. This strong foundation in sustainable process engineering and separation science, continues to inform her doctoral research at the intersection of microfluidics, autonomous experimentation, and environmental remediation. She aims to continue pursuing sustainability-driven research that can accelerate the development and deployment of green engineering solutions to address pressing environmental challenges.

Nick Aiello is a Ph.D. student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his undergraduate studies, Nick worked with various labs to improve the efficiency of sustainable solutions for our energy grid, including perovskite solar cells, Carbon Dioxide redox flow batteries, and polymer membranes for gas separations. He was also the Captain of MIT's baseball team, President of his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa, and a counselor for MIT's Camp Kesem chapter. After his time as an undergraduate, he three years in the plastics industry working with ExxonMobil. At ExxonMobil, Nick also served as a Safety Team Lead and United Way Co-Chair for the BTEC site. At Penn, he is excited to explore the use of fluorinated hydrogels and fluorinated surfactants for the selective recovery of Lithium ions from waste water. During his free time, Nick enjoys staying active, watching sports, traveling, cooking, and spending time with his friends and family.

Abdelkrim Harti is a first-year Master’s student in Energy and Environmental Engineering at INSA Lyon, France, with a strong background in transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and heat transfer.As a research intern in the McBride Lab, Abdelkrim focuses on developing shape-shifting switchable materials for sustainable water treatment applications. His work involves hands-on experimentation with nanoengineered surfaces to achieve reversible anti-fouling properties through interfacial crystallization.Abdelkrim is driven by the application of scientific principles to create sustainable environmental solutions. Outside of the laboratory, he is an avid sports enthusiast who enjoys playing football, basketball, and tennis, as well as spending time with friends.

Rithika Ramkumar is a junior studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a minor in Data Science and is dually getting her masters in Chemical and Biomolecular engineering. She is interested in renewable energy and resource recovery technologies. Beyond academics and lab work, she loves to try new restaurants in Philly, go for runs, and read.

Cooper Loveless is junior studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and pursuing a master's degree in Energy and Sustainability Engineering. His research interests include renewable energy and wastewater recovery from oil production. Outside of the lab, Cooper enjoys running, baking, and going to farmers markets on the weekend.

Crosby Collins is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics with a concentration in Energy, Fluids, and Thermal Systems. He is interested in evaporation and droplet behavior on phase-change materials and is passionate about renewable energy. Outside of the lab, he likes to play guitar, write songs, and cook new recipes.

Daylia Lian is a sophomore studying chemistry. Her research interests include renewable energy, sustainable materials, and sustainable solutions in water. In her free time, she loves to bake, cook, and explore different restaurants.

Michelle Lin is an undergraduate junior studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a concentration in Energy and the Environment. Her research interests include water remediation, microplastic quantification and recovery, and carbon capture techniques. Outside of research, Michelle enjoys baking, pottery, and exploring cafes.

Ngaatendwe Manyika is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics with a concentration in Energy, Fluids, and Thermal Systems. She is also simultaneously pursing a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics with a concentration in Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, and Energy. She is interested in the design and fabrication of systems that help model fluid mechanics phenomena and is involved in renewable energy and sustainability programs around campus. Her work involves designing a bench top open-channel flume for laboratory demonstrations in a water channel including PIV, flow visualization and sedimentation experiments. Outside of the lab she plays soccer, the guitar and loves to rock climb indoors.

Rena Kaplan is an undergraduate in her second year studying Mechanical Engineering. She is excited to spend her summer through the PURM program studying the fundamental physics of nanobubbles and foam fractionation. Outside of the lab, Rena enjoys playing electric guitar, drawing, and biking.