
GROUP

About the Team

Siddha Pimputkar
Assistant Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN)
P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
Lehigh University
Coordinates
Whitaker Hall 456
Sinclair 205B
Sinclair 305
Contact
Phone: +1 (610) 758 4231
Fax: +1 (610) 758 4244
Email: siddha at lehigh edu
Education
- Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A. (2012–2016)
- Ph.D. in Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A. (2012)
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, U.S.A. (2006)
Appointments
- Assistant Professor, Lehigh University, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering (08/2016 — present)
Honors and Awards
- P.C. Rossin Assistant Professorship, Lehigh (2019-2021):
“awarded to the most outstanding junior faculty in the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science who demonstrate high potential for establishing a successful academic career at Lehigh through the integration of teaching and research.” - Outstanding Researcher — Scientific Achievement Award, SSLEEC/UCSB (2015)
- Outstanding Graduate Student — Scientific Achievement Award, SSLEEC/UCSB (2011)
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow (2007)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Graduate Research Fellow (2006)
Sessions, Workshops, and Conferences Organized
- Chair: International Workshop on Bulk Nitride Semiconductors (IWBNS-XI), Bethlehem (2020)
- Co-Chair: International Workshop on Bulk Nitride Semiconductors (IWBNS-X), Finland (2017)
- Technical Program Committee Member:
- SPIE Optics and Photonics (Wide Bandgap Session) (2019)
- IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC): Displays and Lighting (DISL) (2018, 2019)
- International Workshop on Nitrides (IWN), Orlando, FL, U.S.A. (2016)
- Organizer: 1st Ammonothermal Crystal Growth Summer School, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A. (2016)
Professional Service
- Co-editor Special Issue in Journal of Crystal Growth: Proceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Bulk Nitride Semiconductors
- Journal Reviewer: Applied Physics Letters, Chemical Engineering Communications, Chemistry of Materials, Inorganic Chemistry, Inorganics, Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of Crystal Growth, Optics Express, Physica Status Solidi B
Teaching
Graduate Students

Florian Metzger
Ph.D. Student
Education:
- B. Sc. Chemical and Biological Engineering (2015), FAU Erlangen-Nurnberg (Germany)
- M. Sc. Chemical and Biological Engineering (2017), FAU Erlangen-Nurnberg (Germany)
Research Interests:
- Semiconductor materials (nitrides)
- Crystal growth
- Self-assembling of nanomaterials
- 3D-printing
Fun things in life: Hiking, biking, traveling and let’s not forget the cake baking!
Team member: 2017—Present

Pedram Yousefian
Ph.D. Student
Education:
- B. Sc. Materials Engineering (2014), Isfahan University of Technology (Iran)
- M. Sc. Mechanical Engineering (2017), University of North Florida (USA)
Research Interests:
- Electronic & Magnetic Materials
- Solidification and Crystal Growth
- Materials Processing & Additive Manufacturing
CV: View
Team member: 2017—Present

Jacob Dooley
Ph.D. Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Engineering (2019), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Electronic Materials
- Crystal Growth
Team member: 2019—Present
Undergraduate Students

Jillian Cowles
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2020 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
- Minor in Music
Team member: 2018—Present

Quot Al Nabhani
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2020 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
Team member: 2018—Present

Tri Nguyen
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2021 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Electronic Materials
- Advanced Materials
- Materials Characterization
- Single Crystal Growth
An interesting fact about myself: I won the National Chess Champions Trophy 2015 in New Zealand.
Team member: 2018—Present

Evan Willmarth
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Mechanical Engineering (2021 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Mechanical Systems
- CFD Modeling
- ANSYS
Team member: 2017—Present

Julio Martinez-Cuin
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Electrical Engineering (2021 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Circuits
- Programming
Team member: 2019—Present

Sebastian Galdamez
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Electrical Engineering (2021 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Circuits
- Programming
Team member: 2019—Present
Research Fellows
Alumni

Saskia Schimmel
Post-Doctoral Student
Education:
- B.Sc. Materials Science and Engineering (2010), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
- M.Sc. Materials Science and Engineering (2012), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
- Ph.D. Engineering (2018), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
Research Interests:
- Wide bandgap semiconductors
- Crystal growth at high T / high P
- PVT and ammonothermal growth
- Development of X-ray based in situ monitoring methods for ammonothermal processes
Team member: 2018—2019
Moved on to: Post-doc in Amano’s Lab at Nagoya University

Chris Mascetti
Master’s Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2018), Lehigh University (USA)
- M.Eng. Materials Science and Engineering (2019), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Electronic Materials
- Bulk growth of GaN
Fun things in life: Cross country running
Team member: 2017—2019

Vincent Rienzi
Master’s Student
Education:
- M.Eng. Materials Science and Engineering (2019), Lehigh University (USA)
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2018), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Electronic Materials
- Optoelectronic devices
- Thin film growth
- Ammonothermal growth
Fun things life: Frisbee!!
Team member: 2017—2019
Moved on to: Grad Life at UCSB

Bryan Caruso
Master’s Student
Education:
- M.Eng. Materials Science and Engineering (2020 exp.), Lehigh University (USA)
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2019), Lehigh University (USA)
Research Interests:
- Engineering
Team member: 2019

Derek Hu
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2019), Lehigh University (USA)
- Minor in Philosophy
Team member: 2018—2019

Molly Hwang
Undergraduate Student
Education:
- B.S. Materials Science and Engineering (2019), Lehigh University (USA)
- Minor in Mechanics of Materials
- Nanotechnology
Team member: 2018—2019