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2015 Young Investigator Award Recipients


To learn a little more about these Young Investigator Program (YIP) recipients, visit the YIP Class of 2015 Facebook page.

Dr. Joseph Bardin, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Proposal Title: Superconducting Nanowire Quantum Samplers

Dr. Danielle Bassett, University of Pennsylvania
Proposal Title: Cognitive Computations; A Network Perspective

Dr. Simone Baumann-Pickering, University of California, San Diego
Proposal Title: Using Passive and Active Acoustics to Examine Relationships of Cetacean and Prey Densities

Dr. Michael Bell, University of Hawaii
Proposal Title: Improved Physical Parameterizations for Tropical Cyclone Prediction

Dr. Emma Brunskill, Carnegie Mellon University
Proposal Title: Better Reinforcement Learning with Online Representation Discovery and Sample Efficient Learning

Dr. Luis Campos, Columbia University in the City of New York
Proposal Title: Development of Singlet Fission Materials for Third-Generation Solar Cells

Dr. Yuejie Chi, Ohio State University
Proposal Title: Inverse Methods for High-dimensional Multi-modal Data

Dr. Matei Ciocarlie, Columbia University in the City of New York
Proposal Title: Collaborative Dexterous Manipulation; Mechanisms and Interfaces

Dr. Morris Cohen, Georgia Institute of Technology
Proposal Title: Very-Short Antennas via Ionized Plasmas for Efficient Radiation (VAIPER)

Dr. Aaron Cramer, University of Kentucky
Proposal Title: Market-Based Control of Shipboard Engineering Plants

Dr. Emily Fox, University of Washington
Proposal Title: Streaming Inference for Dependent Data: Making Inferences on-the-fly from Large Complex Data Sources

Dr. Mohammad Hafezi, University of Maryland College Park
Proposal Title: Quantum Transport of Photons in Nanostructures

Dr. Niels Holten-Andersen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Proposal Title: Using Bio-Inspired Material Crosslink Dynamics to Engineer Energy-Dissipative Polymer Mechanics

Dr. Taylor Hughes, University of Illinois
Proposal Title: Topological Crystalline Phases of Matter; Electromagnetic Properties, Interactions, and New Directions

Dr. Christine Ikeda, University of New Orleans
Proposal Title: Hull Deflections Due to Hydrodynamic Loading on High-speed Planing Craft

Dr. Sinan Keten, Northwestern University
Proposal Title: A Materials Genome Approach to Understanding Biofilm Mechanics

Dr. Lu Li, University of Michigan
Proposal Title: Correlated Topological Materials

Dr. Nanshu Lu, University of Texas at Austin
Proposal Title: Multiparametric Epidermal Physiological Sensing System (MEPSS)

Dr. Stephen Lynch, Pennsylvania State University
Proposal Title: Effect of Incoming Flow Disturbances on Junction Flow Dynamics and Heat Transfer

Dr. Nina Mahmoudian, Michigan Technological University
Proposal Title: Toward Undersea Persistence

Dr. Ali Mani, Stanford University
Proposal Title: Understanding Air-Film Breakup under Liquid Impacts Using Direct Numerical Simulations

Dr. Jason Marden, University of Colorado
Proposal Title: Inherent Trade-offs in Multi-agent Coordination

Dr. Sara Mednick, University of California
Proposal Title: Heart Rate Variability during Daytime Naps as a Predictor of Memory Consolidation in Healthy, Well-Rested Adults

Dr. Majid Minary-Jolandan, University of Texas at Dallas
Proposal Title: Towards Advanced Nanoscale Additive Manufacturing (AM) of Metals; A Fundamental Theoretical, Multi-Physics Simulation and in situ Electron Microscopy Approach

Dr. Austin Minnich, California Institute of Technology
Proposal Title: Investigation of the Atomistic Mechanisms Governing Heat Conduction in Polymers

Dr. Jelani Nelson, Harvard University
Proposal Title: Randomized Dimensionality Reduction Methods for Machine Learning

Dr. Evan Reed, Stanford University
Proposal Title: Phase Change and van der Waals Engineering in Two-Dimensional Materials

Dr. Walid Saad, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Proposal Title: Towards Optimized Machine-to-Machine Communications in Tactical Wireless Networks

Dr. Themistoklis Sapsis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Proposal Title: A Probabilistic Framework for the Reduced-Order Modeling of Rare Events in Water Waves and Mechanical Systems

Dr. Hyodae Seo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Proposal Title: Dynamics, Impacts, and Predictability of Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean

Dr. Emily Shroyer, Oregon State University
Proposal Title: Strong Three-Dimensionality in Nonlinear Internal Waves; Implications for Spatial Coherency, Energy Distribution, and Mass Transport

Dr. Yonas Tadesse, University of Texas at Dallas
Proposal Title: Musculoskeletal System Design, Fabrication and Modeling for Robotic Systems

Dr. Tadd Truscott, Utah State University
Proposal Title: Natural Swarms and Crowds; Observation and Modeling

Dr. Harris Wang, Columbia University in the City of New York
Proposal Title: A Foundational Synthetic Biology Toolbox for Engineering Human Gut Microbiota towards Enhancing Warfighter Capabilities

Dr. Fengnian Xia, Yale University
Proposal Title: Transforming Nanoelectronics using Black Phosphorus

Dr. Fuzhong Zhang, Washington University
Proposal Title: Bio-Directed Synthesis of Structurally-Defined Protein Materials