Principal Investigator

Sapna Sarupria

she/her

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Co-chair, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Other affiliations:

Chair, Computational Molecular Science and Engineering Forum(CoMSEF), AIChE
Vice Chair, Theory Subdivision of Physical Chemistry Division, ACS
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

Post-doctoral experience:

2009 - 2011:Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, NJ

Education:

2009 - PhD, Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Insitute, NY
2004 - MS, Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, TX

Steven Hall

he/him

PhD student, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Steven received a BS degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering from Clemson University, 2018. His current research aims to develop and extract useful information from rare event simulations, as well as probe clathrate hydrate nucleation and inhibition. He transferred to the University of Minnesota in Fall 2021.

Varun Gopal

he/him

PhD student, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Varun graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2017 with a BS degree in chemical engineering. He subsequently worked as a process engineer for Graphic Packaging International at a paper mill in Augusta, GA for 1.5 years. He began graduate school at Clemson in the fall of 2019. He transferred to the University of Minnesota in Fall 2021.

Porhouy Minh

she/her

PhD student, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Porhouy (PH) received her B.A. in Chemistry (Biochemistry Concentration) from St. Catherine University in Spring of 2021. Within the SAMPEL lab, PH will be investigating nucleation mechanisms of LJ and salt systems via advanced sampling methods. In her free time, she enjoys watching funny (ex: Modern Family) or crime TV shows (ex: Blacklist); while occasionally, goes on hikes too.

Jonathan Zajac

he/him

PhD student, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Jonathan graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In the SAMPEL lab, he will be studying molecular features of excipients and their impact on virus stability.

Naomi Trampe

she/her

PhD student, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Naomi received her B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Spring 2021. In the SAMPEL lab, she will be studying diffusion through porous membranes. She spends her free time reading, going on runs, and playing with her cats.

Praveen Muralikrishnan

he/him

PhD student, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Praveen received his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) in 2021. In the SAMPEL lab, he will be studying the effects of excipients on the thermostability of viruses in vaccines through simulations. Praveen is an avid follower of football (soccer), enjoys traveling and hanging out with his friends in his free time.

Leqian (Tim) Tan

he/him

PhD student, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Tim graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2023 Fall with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. In the SAMPEL lab, he will focus on studying molecular dynamics simulations using different sampling schemes. In his free time, he likes to read novels, watch anime and learn about laptop hardware.

Harry Winston Sullivan

he/him

PhD student, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota

Bio:

Winston graduated from the University of Utah in Fall 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computational Physics. As a member of the SAMPEL lab, he will focus on integrating machine learning with statistical mechanics and molecular dynamics. In his free time, he enjoys writing, exploring math and physics, and diving deep into analytical problems.