Principal Investigator
Robert and Jill Peterson Associate Professor
Alison C. Dunn returned to UF in January 2024 after launching her faculty career at the University of Illinois (UIUC).
Graduate Students
Researcher and M.S. Graduate
Abrar started in the Bio/Materials Tribology Laboratory in January 2024. He is studying how surface texture from fracture events affects surface friction of soft materials.
Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. student
Nabin earned his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Miami (Ohio), and he started Ph.D. work in August 2024 at UF. He is working on understanding how friction controls conformal mechanical latches.
Graduate Research Assistant and M.S. Student
Tommy Eggers
Tommy started his graduate work in August 2024, and is working on theory and experiments of mechanics of metallic composite interfaces.
Undergraduate Students – always recruiting!
Adam Hamdan
Undergrad Researcher
Adam started in the Bio/Materials Tribology Laboratory in January 2024.
Alexander Gordillo Jimenez
Undergrad Researcher
Alexander started in August 2024.
Sebastian Herrero Casteigts
Undergrad Researcher
Sebastian started in January 2025.
Gabriela Whitmer
Undergrad Researcher
Gabriela started in January 2025.
Alumni
Md Mahmudul Hasan
Ph.D. 2024 “Gradient-stiffness Hydrogel Surface Layers Control Contact Mechanics and Adhesion”
Rahat Mahmud Khan
M.S. 2023 “Design and performance evaluation of railway sleeper baseplate hold-down system for timber sleeper elastic fasteners”
Nabila Ali
M.S. 2023 “Surface morphology of hydrogels and silicones correlates with conditions of controlled fracture.”
Nabila is pursuing her Ph.D. with Prof. Marie-Agathe Charpagne at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Nusrat Chowdhury
M.S. 2023 “Structural property relation in improving chemically and physically crosslinked hydrogel surface properties”
Christopher Johnson
Ph.D. 2022 “Tribological properties of gradient-density hydrogel surfaces.”
Chris is a research engineer at a U.S. national lab.
Yaswanth Sai Jetti
M.S. 2021 “Numerical and experimental investigation of shakedown in evolving non-Hertzian rolling contact”
Shabnam Bonyadi
Ph.D. 2020 “Wear mechanisms of chemically crosslinked hydrogels under mild abrasion.”
Shab is currently in medical school.
Jiho Kim
Ph.D. 2020 “Complex fluid lubrication mechanics of polyacrylamide surfaces.”
Lihua Wei
M.S. 2019 “Beetle exoskeletal structure and surfaces determine specialized functions: Two case studies”
Hao Fu
M.S. 2019 “A study of sliding wear behavior of heat-treated 1060 steel with pure rolling pre-conditioning”
Prabhakaran Balasubramanian
M.S. 2018 “Design and fabrication of a twin disc tribometer and a study of wear and friction of hardened 1060 steel under combined rolling and sliding”
Michael Atten
M.S. 2018 “Surface mechanics of polyacrylamide hydrogels following wear”
Enrique Chavez Villalobos
M.S. 2016 “Surface friction and bulk properties of cortical gray and white matter in LE/Blu Gill rats”
Erik Reale
M.S. 2016 “Polyacrylamide hydrogel friction controlled by time-dependent surface energy due to poroelastic relaxation.”