Kangan Li joined our group as a postdoctoral scholar. He received his PhD in computational mechanics from Duke University in December 2021. His past research focused on an embedded finite element technique called the shifted interface method for simulating problems with complex geometries. Examples include Darcy flow, fluid dynamics, and fracture mechanics. In 2014, he received his BSc in mechanical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His current research focuses on multiscale methods for fracture mechanics of porous materials. He maintains an interest in embedded finite element methods for solid and fluid mechanics.

Nicolás Bueno is a co-advised PhD student with Prof. Luis F. Ayala. Before joining Penn State, he completed a BSc and later a MSc from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, both in petroleum engineering. His past research has focused on the field-scale modeling of enhanced chemical and thermal recovery methods for difficult-to-produce hydrocarbons. His current research is aimed at developing computational models and theories for understanding Ostwald ripening of partially miscible bubbles in porous media with applications to underground hydrogen storage.

Sabit Mahmood Khan joined our group as a PhD student in the Spring of 2022. He completed his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and MSc in Thermal Power and Fluid Engineering from the University of Manchester. Before joining Penn State, he worked as a Lecturer at the department of Mechanical Engineering in the Military Institute of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. His current research focuses primarily on the multiscale modeling of crack nucleation and growth in porous materials. Applications that motivate his research are geologic CO₂ storage, geothermal energy, and energy storage and conversion devices such as batteries and fuel cells.

Tahmid Rakin Siddiqui joined our group as a PhD student in the Fall of 2024. He received his BSc degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and his MSc from the University of Alberta, both in Mechanical Engineering. Before joining Penn State, Tahmid also worked as a part-time lecturer in the Bangladesh University of Textiles. His current research focuses on the computational and experimental quantification of deformation and failure in natural and synthetic porous materials. Applications that motivate his work are subsurface monitoring, civil infrastructure, and materials design.

Ali Zulkar Nayem joined our group as a PhD student in the Fall of 2024. He received his BSc and MSc in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Before joining Penn State, he worked as a software developer for research-oriented companies focusing on wind turbines and microelectronics. His current research aims at the computational modeling of reactive flow and transport in porous media in the context of carbon sequestration.

Md Zahidul Islam Laku joined our group as a PhD student in the Fall of 2024. He completed his BSc in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Before joining Penn State, he was affiliated with the Mathematics and Natural Sciences department at Brac University. His current research focuses on the Ostwald ripening of trapped bubble populations in porous media motivated by underground hydrogen storage and the efficient design of fuel cells and electrolyzers.