More Group Photos

Group Honors and Awards

Kirill Kovnir

Professor

Iowa State University
Faculty Scientist, Ames National Laboratory

ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0003-1152-1912

Professor
Iowa State University (2022-current)
Faculty Scientist
Ames National Laboratory (2017-present)
Associate Professor
Iowa State University (2017-2022)
Associate Professor
UC Davis (2017)
Assistant Professor
UC Davis (2011-2016)

PDF, Florida State University
(2008-2011)
PDF, Fritz-Haber Institute of MPS,
(2007-2008)
PDF, MPI for Chemical Physics of Solids (2005-2007)
Ph.D. Moscow State University (2004)
B.S./M.S. Moscow State University (2001)

Office: 3122 Hach Hall
Lab: 3252, 3272 Hach Hall
E-mail: kovnir@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-3111

Department of Chemistry
Iowa State University
2415 Osborn Drive
Ames, Iowa 50011-1021

CV in pdf format

Google Scholar profile

Funding:

DOE BES

ACS PRF

NSF MRI

NSF DMR

NSF CBET

NSF CHEM

Ames National Laboratory

Iowa State University

Researchers & Graduates

Dr. Eranga Gamage
eranga@iastate.edu
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. 2022, Iowa State University.

Dr. Joseph T. Race
jracea@iastate.edu
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. The Ohio State University (2024)
M.S. The Ohio State University (2021)
B.S. Rochester Institute of Technology (2018)

Gayatri Viswanathan
gayatriv@iastate.edu
Graduate Student, co-advised with Prof. Gordon Miller
B.S. Chemistry, University of Houston (2017)

Seongyoung Kong
sykong@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
M.S. Chemical Engineering, UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (2015)
B.S. Chemistry, Chungnam National University (2012)

Ernesto Soto
esoto20@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
M.S. Chemistry, Illinois State University (2020)
B.S. Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Superior (2017)

Yao Abusa
yabusa@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
B.Sc. Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon (2017)

Andrew Porter
aporter9@iastate.edu
Graduate Student, co-advised with Prof. Aaron Rossini
B.S. Chemistry, University of West Florida (2021)

Muhammad Azhan
mazhan@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
B.S. Chemistry, LUMS, Lahore University of Management Sciences, (2021)

Rubaiat Hasan
mrhasan@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
B.S. Chemistry, University of Dhaka (2017)
M.S. Chemistry, University of Dhaka (2019)

Genevieve Amobi
ngamobi@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
B.C. Chemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria (2020)

Richeal Akese Oppong
raoppong@iastate.edu
Graduate Student, co-advised with Prof. Steve Martin
B.S. Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon (2019)

Iyanu Ojo
oluojo@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
B.S. Chemistry, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Nigeria (2017)
M.S. Chemistry, Western Kentucky University (2022)

Vivek Upadhyay
viveku@iastate.edu
Graduate Student
B.S. Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2016)
M.S. Physical Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2018)

Undergraduate students

We welcome talented, motivated,
and hard-working undergraduates
for exciting research in
materials for energy.

Victoria Kyveryga
vkyveryg@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Emma Ross
emmaross@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Jessica Warner
warnerj@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Joshua Coudeyre
coudeyre@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Grant Lansing
gplans@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Joselyn Chavarria
joselyn7@iastate.edu
ACS SEED Student
Iowa State University

Isabella Freebairn
bfreebai@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Group Alumni

Dr. Jian Wang
jian.wang@wichita.edu
Postdoc/Scientist in Kovnir's group: 2013-2019
Element - Mg.
Current: Assistant Professor, Wichita State University

Dr. Georgiy Akopov
ga212@newark.rutgers.edu
Postdoc & Spedding Fellow in Kovnir's group: 2018-2022
Element - La.
Current: Assistant Professor, Rutgers University – Newark

Dr. Kathy Lee
Ph.D. 2016.
1st Ph.D from the Kovnir Group! Element - Hydrogen.
Currently: Technologist at NASA JPL

Dr. Juli-Anna Dolyniuk (aka Johnson)
Ph.D. 2017. Element - Zn.
Currently: Postdoc at Carnegie Institution of Science

Dr. Joshua Greenfield
Ph.D. 2017. Element - Fe.

Dr. Katherine Woo
Ph.D. 2018. Element - B.
Currently: Systems Engineer at Applied Materials

Dr. Bryan Owens-Baird
Ph.D. 2019. Element - Sb.
Currently: Process Engineer at Progeny Systems

Dr. Justin Mark
Ph.D. 2019. Element - Li.
Currently: Senior R&D Engineer, Crystal IS

Shannon Lee
Ph.D. 2021. Element - P.
Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow at PNNL

Dr. Colin Harmer
Ph.D. 2021. Element - N.
Currently: Business Development Specialist with Early Charm Ventures

Philip Yox
Ph.D. 2022. Element - As.
Current: Postdoc at Colorado School of Mines

Eranga Gamage
Ph.D. 2022. Element - Se.
Current: Postdoctoral Fellow

Arka Sarkar
Ph.D. 2024. Element - Cu.
Curent: R&D engineer, Intel

Dr. Dinesh Amarasinghe
Currently: Postdoctoral Researcher at Purdue University
PDF, Iowa State University (2020-2021)
Ph.D. Chemistry, Wayne State University (2020)

Joyce Pham
B.S. 2012 UC Davis
Ph.D. 2017 Iowa State University
Currently: Assistant professor at CSU San Bernardino
1st undergraduate from Kovnir Group to get Ph.D!

Chongin Pak
B.S. 2013 UC Davis
Ph.D. 2018 Florida State University
Currently: Applied Superconductivity Center, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Maverick Bellard
Undergraduate Student

Joe Mazzetti
Currently: UCLA graduate Student

Joel Chacko
SULI Undergraduate Student
University of Pennsylvania

Joshua Chang
Undergraduate Student

Jeane Gladys Lo
Undergraduate Student

David Gray
B.S. 2016

Michael Chen
B.S. 2015

Nhon (Ryan) Tran
B.S. 2014 UC Davis

Sarah Synnestvedt
B.S. 2014 UC Davis
Currently: Graduate student
Oregon State University

James Fulmer
B.S. 2012 UC Davis
Currently: Texas Department of Public Safety

Utsav Kumar Dey
M.S. 2021 Iowa State University

Group Alumni

Nethmi Hewage
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University
Currently: Graduate Student, Columbia

India Cavazos
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Samuel Hegland
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Daniel Hollinger
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Weijian Liang
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Seth Pistek
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Mariana Milano-Benitez
mariana4@iastate.edu
Undergraduate Student
Pellissippi State Community College
SULI Summer Student
Iowa State University & Ames Laboratory

Luke Lewandowski
Graduate Student
B.S. Chemistry, University of South Dakota (2021)

Jackson Voyles
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University

Juyeon Won
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University
Currently: Graduate Student,
UIUC

Brennan McBride
B.S. 2019 Iowa State University
Currently: Graduate Student,
Colorado State University

Zhengyang Ye
B.S. 2019 Iowa State University
Currently: Graduate Student,
Wichita State University

Bingheng Ji
B.S. 2019 Iowa State University
Currently: Graduate Student,
Wichita State University

Benjamin Sanders
Undergraduate Student
Iowa State University
Currently: Specialist, HACH

Scott Grzybowski
B.S. 2019 Iowa State University
Currently: Graduate Student,
University of Iowa

Shannon Heinrich
NSF REU 2016

Kristin Cooke
Currrently: Graduate Student at Western Carolina University

Nezhueyotl Izquierdo
Currrently: Graduate Student at The University of Minnesota

Maximiliano De La Higuera
Macias

Graduate student at McGill University

Andrei V. Olenev
Postdoctoral Research Associate
UC Davis 2012
Currently: SineTh XRD company

Emmanuel Vo
Undergraduate Student

Sonika Sidher
B.S. 2012 UC Davis

Katharina Snyder
Postdoctoral Researcher
Currently: California Energy Comission

Matthew Cheung
Undergraduate Student

Alexander Coffman
Undergraduate Student
UC Davis

Phong Phan
B.S. 2014 UC Davis

Amina Akter Elora

High Schoolers

Magally Ramirez
magally@iastate.edu
ACS SEED Student

Colin Unger
colindunger@yahoo.com
Undergraduate student at UCSB

Nishad Maskara
Currently: Undergraduate student
Caltech

George Geng
Irvington High School Student
Currently: Undergraduate student
UC Berkeley

Hamza Raniwala
Currently: Undergraduate student
Caltech

Chang Hwan Kwak
Currently: Undergraduate student
UC Berkeley

Ali Keyani
Pioneer High School Student