Daniel P. Shoemaker
Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Racheff Faculty Fellow
Affiliate, Department of Physics
Affiliate, Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST)
1017 Materials Research Laboratory
dpshoema@illinois.edu
Postdoc, Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory
PhD 2010, Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara
BS 2006, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois
Postdoctoral Researchers
Eslam Elbakry, 2025-
PhD: Chemistry, U. Alabama
eslammae@illinois.edu
PhD: Chemistry, U. Alabama
eslammae@illinois.edu
We are always recruiting postdoc candidates with expertise in synthesis, characterization, or computation. Prospective candidates should email Prof. Shoemaker with a CV and include the word “adamantine” in the subject line. Candidates should also check out the targeted named postdoctoral fellowships at Illinois (e.g. IQUIST).
PhD Students
Emma Pappas, 2022-
BS: Mathematics and Physics, McGill
epappas3@illinois.edu
BS: Mathematics and Physics, McGill
epappas3@illinois.edu
Xierong Qian, 2023-
BS: Polymer Chemistry, USTC
xierong2@illinois.edu
BS: Polymer Chemistry, USTC
xierong2@illinois.edu
Jack D’Amelio, 2024-
BS: Chemistry, U. Central Washington
damelio2@illinois.edu
BS: Chemistry, U. Central Washington
damelio2@illinois.edu
Evan Hutson, 2024- (with Goldschmidt Group)
BS: Biochemistry, Illinois Wesleyan
ehutson2@illinois.edu
BS: Biochemistry, Illinois Wesleyan
ehutson2@illinois.edu
Johan Gonzalez, 2025-
BS: Physics, Lewis University
johang2@illinois.edu
BS: Physics, Lewis University
johang2@illinois.edu
We are always recruiting stellar PhD and MS students who are interested in inorganic synthesis, characterization, and modeling. Please email Daniel upon submission of your application to the Illinois MatSE Department and put the word “quartzitic” in the subject line.
Undergraduates
Darren Co, Pomona College – Chemistry and Physics
Maddie Conrad, Illinois – Physics
Gabriel Dennis, Wilbur Wright College – Electrical Engineering
Francis Gerick, Wilbur Wright College – MatSE
Nick Kwentus, Illinois – MatSE
Pon Pingkarawat, Illinois – MatSE
Maddie Conrad, Illinois – Physics
Gabriel Dennis, Wilbur Wright College – Electrical Engineering
Francis Gerick, Wilbur Wright College – MatSE
Nick Kwentus, Illinois – MatSE
Pon Pingkarawat, Illinois – MatSE
We strive to provide independent, high-impact projects for undergraduates. Interested students must enroll in MSE 396 or 397 (Intro to Research) and devote 6+ hours per week in the lab. If you have completed MSE 201 and are starting your sophomore year you are probably ready to join. Email Prof. Shoemaker to indicate your interest and put the word “micaceous” in the subject line.
Alumni
| Postdocs: | (placement after the group) |
| 2018 Soumitra S. Sulekar | Tesla |
| PhD: | |
| 2025 Juyeon Won | Lam Research |
| 2024 Zachary W. Riedel | Los Alamos National Laboratory (Postdoc) |
| 2023 Kejian (Oscar) Qu | College of Idaho (Physics) |
| 2023 Mebatsion (Meba) S. Gebre | ASM International NV |
| 2021 Chengxi Zhao | |
| 2021 Manohar Karigerasi | Applied Materials |
| 2020 Shannon E. Murray | Sandia National Laboratory |
| 2019 Zhelong Jiang | SLAC |
| 2019 Ankita Bhutani | Intel |
| 2018 Rebecca D. McAuliffe | Materion |
| 2018 Elizabeth A. Pogue | Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory |
| MS: | |
| 2026 Lucca Figari | |
| 2023 Jacob A. Christensen | Teledyne |
| 2023 Yun-Hsuan (Jack) Ling | |
| 2023 Salil A. Paranjape | Cornell – Materials |
| 2022 Michael Coppedge | |
| 2021 Rithika Manchikatla | TSMC |
| 2021 Sai Venkata Gayathri Ayyagiri | Penn State – Materials |
| 2019 Prashant Singh Baghel | TMEIC |
| 2018 Shuai Li | |
| 2018 Jingwen Yu | BASF |
| 2017 Benjamin S. Hulbert | Illinois – MatSE |
| 2016 Insung Han | Michigan – Materials |
| 2016 Arun Ramanathan | Georgia Tech – Materials |
| BS: | (home institution) |
| Rebecca Banner | Skidmore – Chemistry |
| Andrew Baumgartner | UW Lacrosse – Chemistry |
| Piush Behera | Illinois – MatSE |
| Scott Berens | Minnesota – CEMS |
| Andrew Boomer | Oregon – Physics |
| Allen X. Guo | Illinois – MatSE |
| Ashley Hemmingway | Illinois – Aero |
| Kayla L. Huang | Illinois – MatSE |
| Charlotte J. Israel | Illinois – MatSE |
| Tyler J. Jensen | Illinois – MatSE |
| Frank P. Kelly | Illinois – MatSE |
| Yongsung Kim | Illinois – Physics |
| Vedant Khanna | Illinois – MatSE |
| Bao H. Lam | Illinois – MatSE |
| Josh Leeman | Illinois – MatSE |
| Sarah M. Longworth | Missouri State – Chemistry |
| Yiyue Luo | Illinois – MatSE |
| Daniel Matatov | Illinois – MatSE |
| Akhila Mattapalli | Illinois – MatSE |
| Christopher A. Miller | Illinois – MatSE |
| Jade Ocampo | Wilbur Wright College – Mechanical Engineering |
| Bonian Pan | Illinois – MatSE |
| Carmen C. Paquette | Illinois Tech – Materials |
| Jordan Pierce | Murray State – Chemistry |
| Jai Sharma | Illinois – MatSE |
| Rangarajan (Nitin) Thiruvengadam | Illinois – MatSE |
| Shunxin Tu | Illinois – MatSE |
| Julia L. Zuo | Illinois – MatSE |