Members
Principal Investigator (PI)
Postdoc, MSE: Stanford University
PhD, Chemistry: Purdue University
BS, Chemistry: Wofford College
Aristide Gumyusenge
Merton C. Flemings (1951) Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
Postdoctoral Scholars
Dr. Sanket Samal
Sanket was born in Rourkela, India, where he attended his high school at D.A.V Public School. After completion, he attended National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) in Bhubaneswar, India, for his integrated master’s degree (M. Sc.) in Chemistry. He then moved to the University of Southern California (USC) to pursue a Ph. D. in Chemistry with Prof. Barry C. Thompson. During his Ph. D. studies, he focused on the design and synthesis of electroactive conjugated and non-conjugated polymers for photovoltaic and battery applications. Sanket’s main research interest lies in polymer designing and synthesis for opto-electronic and bio-electronic applications.
Graduate Students
Heejung Roh
Heejung is a graduate student at MIT in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Program in Polymer and Soft Matter (PPSM). Prior to MIT, she received a B.A. in Industrial management and engineering/Materials science and engineering from POSTECH, South Korea, with a one term study abroad at HKUST. Her research interests are on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), materials design and synthesis, and applications.
Camille Cunin
Camille is a Ph.D. student in the Program in Polymer and Soft Matter (PPSM) and in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. After receiving her B.S. in Engineering from École Centrale de Marseille in France, she completed a M.S. in Bioengineering and Nanotechnologies at École Centrale de Lyon and a M.S. in Medical Imaging, Signals and Systems at Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. During her master’s thesis in the Department of Bioelectronics at École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, Camille worked on designing a novel strategy for encapsulating and micropatterning mechanically flexible optical neural probes. Fascinated by devices capable of interfacing the brain and mimicking its function, she joined the OMSE lab to design, process, and characterize organic materials for neuromorphic computing and bio-inspired electronic devices. Outside the lab, Camille loves travelling, hiking, climbing, dancing, and DJing.
Geon Gug Yang
Geon Gug is a visiting graduate student from KAIST (South Korea) in Department of Materials Science and Engineering with Prof. Sang Ouk Kim. During his Ph.D. studies at KAIST, he focused on morphology control of functional materials using block copolymer self-assembly. During his time in OMSE Lab, Geon Gug is interested in studying the impact of morphology engineering on the environmental (thermal, chemical, mechanical) stability of conjugated polymers in transistor (OFET, OECT) devices.
Rebecca Meacham
Rebecca is a PhD student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Program in Polymers and Soft Matter. Previously, Rebecca attended Clarkson University where she earned a BS in Chemical Engineering with minors in Chemistry and Materials Science and completed an honors thesis on dynamic covalent chemistry in polymers. Her research interests are in monomer design, polymer synthesis, and molecular self-assembly in polymer systems.
Undergraduate Students
Come join our interdisciplinary research on organic semiconductors!
Please email Aristide a brief statement on your research interests to discuss open positions in the group!
MIT undergraduates should check the Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) website for the available positions.
Non-MIT undergraduates are encouraged to apply to summer programs available at MIT (e.g. Center for Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) REU, MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP), Amgen Scholars). Upon admission, you can choose OMSE Lab for your summer research!
Beyond the lab
Previous Research Mentees
Dung Tran, 2016-Present, PhD Candidate at Purdue University
Kaelon A. Jenkins, 2017-Present, PhD Candidate at Purdue University
Zhifan Ke, 2018-Present, Graduate Student at Purdue University
Huihong Jiang, 2019-2020, Graduate Student at Zhejiang University
Brandon Jang, 2018-2019, MS, Purdue University, ChemE
Hongyi Zhang, 2015-2017, Currently Graduate Student at UChicago, IME
Teaching
2016-2017: Organic Chemistry I & II, Teaching Assistant, Purdue University
2015-2016: General Chemistry I & II, Teaching Assistant, Purdue University
2014-2015: French Tutor, Wofford College
2014: Chemistry Tutor, Wofford College
Diversity and Inclusion
Throughout my research journey, I have strived to ensure that the field of materials science can continue to be more diverse and inclusive. Thus far my approach has been to promote engagement in positive conversations, self education, and education of colleagues on historical origins of socio-economical disparities especially in America. Currently, I am a member and advocate of:
2020-Present: DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), a campus-wide initiative for making positive change especially in the research community at Stanford University
2017-Present: DTA (Diversity Transformation Award), a chemistry department diversity initiative to help facilitate communication between prospective minority students and current graduate students at Purdue University.
Community Involvement
As a native of Rwanda, I spent several hours when I was younger walking to and from water wells and had to carry water home every day. Since it was a necessity, I never had to think twice on whether the time I spent on this inconvenient task could have been used for my education and career development. It was either thirst or reading time, the choice was obvious. To this day, many children still have to walk miles and spend hours to get water, and oftentimes, dirty water!
This year, I initiated a project, Water2All, with the aim to find affordable ways to provide clean and running water in rural areas of Rwanda, starting with Kamonyi district. Thus far, I have raised enough funds through donations and personal efforts to build a water well that now provides clean water to over 50 households in Kamonyi!
BookSmart Rwanda
I now aim to establish a platform for these children who no longer have to walk and wait in line for water to turn the water fetching times into reading and talent development times, an opportunity that I never had growing up. My ultimate goal is to establish youth centers, where younger children can gather to read, play, and be mentored. Currently, I aim to use the help from my parents, retired educators, to offer guidance and mentorship to young children starting in Kamonyi.