Team

Principal Investigator

Publications: Google Scholar

Contact Information:

Address: 336D Olin Hall, 2400 Highland Ave, Nashville, TN 37212

Email: yan.zeng@vanderbilt.edu

Yan Zeng

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University

Current and Previous Academic Experiences:

2026 - present: Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University

2024 - 2026: Assistant Professor, Florida State University

2024 - 2024: Faculty Affiliate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2023 - 2023: Staff Scientist, MSD, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2020 - 2022: Postdoc, MSD, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2015 - 2020: Ph.D., Materials Engineering, McGill University

Editorial Services:

2025 - present: Associate Editor, Cambridge Materials: Energy

2026 - present: Guest Editor, MRS Bulletin

2025 - present: Early Career Advisory Board, Materials Today Energy

Graduate Students

Xiaozhao Liu

Xiaozhao received his master’s degree from South China University of Technology in 2023. He was a graduate student in the Zeng Lab at FSU between 2024 and 2026. Since Fall 2026, Xiaozhao has been pursuing a PhD at the Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) program at Vanderbilt. His research focuses on developing battery materials leveraging lab automation and machine learning.

Elena Scivally

Elena graduated from Stetson University in 2023 with a B.S. degree in chemistry. She is from Winter Park, Florida. She is an avid reader, and her favorite genre is mystery novels. Since 2023, she has been pursuing a PhD degree in Chemistry at FSU working on automation and modeling-accelerated aqueous synthesis of multi-component energy materials.

Alumni

Ashleigh Carroll, Graduate student, 2025 - 2026. Now a PhD student at FSU.

Seth Scoginns, Graduate student, 2024 - 2026. Now a PhD student at FSU.

Brandon Sauval, Graduate student, 2024 - 2026. Now a PhD student at FSU.

Nat Heburn, Graduate student, 2024 - 2026. Now a PhD student at FSU.

Ajay Shaji, Graduate student, 2023 - 2026. Now a PhD student at FSU.

Tong Zhao, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2024 - 2026.

Evelyn McBride, Master student, 2024 - 2025. Thesis "Algorithm-Guided Aqueous Solution-Based Synthesis of Mineral-Inspired Energy Materials". Now at US Air Force.

Jazmin Muñoz, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Khoi Le, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Selma Memet, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Tyson Elliott, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Olivia Norton, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Hayden Hanly Baker, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Malia Lally, Undergraduate, 2025 - 2026.

Warner Ducheine, Undergraduate, 2025.

Kaia Jane, High schooler in the Young Scholars Program, 2025.

Felix Gardner, High schooler in the Young Scholars Program, 2025.

Helina (Binghui) Li, Research Associate, 2025.

Kayla Spinner, Undergraduate, 2024-2025. Now graduate student at Ohio State University.

Zoe Shoplock, High schooler in the Young Scholars Program, 2024.

Josh Kumar, High schooler in the Young Scholars Program, 2024.

Tommy Dixon, High schooler in the Young Scholars Program, 2024.

Emily Zager, Undergraduate, 2024. Now graduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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