Lab Alumni
Sharonda LeBlanc
Currently faculty member NC State
Postdoctoral Scholar at UNC-CH
BS in Chemistry, UNC-Charlotte
Ph.D. in Nanoscale Science, UNC-Charlotte
Favorite food: Seafood
Favorite sport: Track and Field
Andrew Hensley
Currently graduate student at Berkeley
Undergraduate Physics Major at NCSU
Favorite video game: Victoria 2
Favorite TV show: Louie
Favorite food: quesadillas
Favorite instrument: theremin
Ed Chan
Currently graduate student at Ga Tech
Undergraduate Physics Major at NCSU
Ruoyi Qiu
Currently, postdoc at Stanford University, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Ph.D in physics from NCSU in 2012
BS in Optical Information Science & Technology at Sun Yat-sen (Zhongshan) University, China 2007
Favorite course: Optics
Favorite soccer player: Robert Pires
Favorite movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite food: Mashed Potato
John Sakon
Currently, postdoc at Penn after postdoc at NYU in the Suzuki Lab in the Center for Neural Science
Ph.D in physics from NCSU in 2011
BS in physics from the College of William and Mary, 2005
Favorite physics course: I don’t really like physics courses
Favorite non-physics course: The Shape of Things w/ Dr. Manos
Favorite sport: baseball
Favorite Physicist: Dr. Keith Weninger
Favorite Movies: Gattaca, Good Will Hunting, The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite Philosopher: Hobbes
Favorite Website: www.indiestreetcred.com
Elizabeth Sacho
Postdoctoral Scholar at NCSU 2011-2014
BS in Chemistry, Illinois Wesleyan
Ph.D. in Chemistry, U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Postdoctoral Scholar, U. of Washington
Favorite Beer brewery: New Glaurus
Favorite Sports: Football, Roller Derby
Favorite Fiber: Alpaca
Favorite Ralph Wiggam quote: I bent my wookie
Yue Yang
Physics grad student in group NCSU 2013-2014
MS in Theoretical Physics at Fudan University 2013
BS in Physics at Fudan University 2010
Favorite hobby: Photography
Favorite soccer team: Germany
Favorite movie: Forest Gump
Favorite sport: Swimming
Dongfang Liu
Assistant Professor, (Link to webpage) , Baylor College of Medicine, 2012-???
Research Fellow, Harvard University School of Medicine, 2011-2012
Research Scientist, NIH, National Institute of allergy and Infectious Disease, 2005-2011
Regular visitor in our lab – 2011 and beyond?
Ucheor Brandon Choi
Currently – Faculty member, Biochemistry, West Virginia University
Postdoc, Stanford University, 2013 – 2020
Postdoc, Stony Brook University, 2009 – 2013
PhD in physics from NCSU 2009
BS in mathematics and physics from UNC-Greensboro, 2003
transferred from Dong-a University, Korea (department of international trades) as a sophomore
Favorite Physics course: Graduate E&M
Favorite course: English 101
Favorite Sports: tennis and soccer
Favorite soccer player: J.S. Park (#13 Manchester United)
Favorite car: Porsche
Favorite Channel: ESPN Classic
Laura Wessels
Assistant Professor of Physics, (Link to webpage) , Xavier University
Visiting Assistant Prof. at Univeristy of Mary Washington, Dept. of Physics, 2009 – 2012
PhD in physics from NCSU 2009
MS in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, 1999
BS in mathematics and physics from University of Mary Washington, 1996
Physics graduate student at the University of Arkansas 1996-1997
Software Engineer with TRW and Raytheon E-Systems 1997-1998
Professor in CIS at Strayer University, 1999-present
Favorite physics course: Quantum Mechanics
Favorite non-physics course: Public Speaking
Favorite sport: Hockey
Favorite Athlete: Cal Ripken Jr.
Mary Williard Elting
Currently, Faculty member, NC State University
Postdoc, University of California – San Francisco 2012-???
Applied Physics graduate student at Stanford Univ. 2006-2012
BS in physics from NCSU 2006
Winner of the Garner Goldwater Scholarship, 2005, NSF graduate fellowship 2005
Favorite Musical Instrument: Piano
Favorite Technological Device: iPod
Favorite Shoes: Birkenstocks
Gongbo Wang
Currently working for Dupont China
Postdoc U. Texas – Galveston, 2008 – 2009
PhD in BioChemical Molecular Structures from NCSU 2008
BS in biological science from Fudan University in Shanghai, China 2003
Born in Shenyang, China
Favorite Course: Microbiology (but honestly I hate course work)
Favorite Foods: Hamburgers & Pizza
Favorite Sports: Basketball, Swimming, Jogging
Favorite Athlete: Yao Ming
Wor Thongthai
MS in Physics from NCSU 2008
Favorite physics course: Electricity and Magnetism
Favorite non-physics course: Advanced Calculus
Favorite Movie: Independence Day
Favorite sport: Soccer
Favorite animal: cat
Favorite Peice of Lab Equipment: Pipet
Favorite Athlete: Peter Schmeichel
David Murray
Postdoc at NIH
Biophysics grad student at UVA 2005-present
BS in physics at NCSU 2005
Favorite Physics course: Quantum Mechanics
Favorite course: Partial Differential Equations
Favorite Sports: Hockey, Running and non-US Football
Favorite Athlete: Lance Armstrong
Favorite Car: 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra
Favorite TV Show: The Daily Show with John Stewart
Guilhem Ribeill
NCSU Undergraduate Student 2005-2009
Physics Grad student, Univ. of Wisc – Madison
Favorite class: PY203 Modern Physics
Favorite food: Eggplant Parmesan
Favorite sport: Fencing
Favorite nanocrystalline film surface: diamond
Colleen Lanz
Physics grad student at NCSU 2010-2012; currently in physics education research
BS in Physics and Math, Canisius College, 2008
MS in Applied Math, Va. Tech., 2010
Favorite website: Reddit.com
Favorite instrument: piano
Favorite thing to do on a Wed. night: Bar trivia
Favorite band: Radiohead
Favorite team: Buffalo Sabres
Na Zhang
Postdoctoral Scholar 2010
Ph.D. Chemistry, UNC-Chapel Hill
BS University of Science and Technology of China, 2003
Favorite sport: Badminton
Favorite food: Sea food
Favorite movie: Inception
Favorite career: Modeling (too hard to make come true, so I became a scientist)
Favorite man: My fiance
Trevor Anderson
BS in physics from NCSU in 2007
MS in physics from NCSU in 2009
Favorite Singer: John Sakon
Favorite anime character I’ve never heard of: Genkai
Favorite cell provider: Verizon
Favorite hairstyle: unkempt
Favorite gender: androgynous
Favorite Movie: Crouching Tigger Hidden Woozle
Dominic Scimeca
Favorite Movies: Crash, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Favorite Musical instrument: guitar
Favorite Hobby: web design
Favorite Animal: puppy
Favorite Sport: tennis
Favorite Band: Dave Matthews Band
Favorite people: Small People
Eric Lownes
Favorite course: Modern Algebra
Favorite meal: salmon
Favorite Sport: water skiing
Favorite Car: BMW
Favorite Movie: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Favorite Hobbies: playing piano and writing music
Mo Bell
Favorite Car: Maserati
Favorite Food: lasanga
Favorite Hobby: cooking
Favorite Animal: cat
Favorite Hangout: Irish Pubs
Favorite Stupid Hat: Dr. Suess hat
Kris Vorren
UNCA physics & math undergrad 2004-present
Favorite physics course: Electromagnetism
Favorite non-physics course: Vector Calculus
Favorite ice cream: Anything from Marble Slab
Favorite sport (to participate in): Swimming
Favorite Movie: Golden Eye
Favorite Video Game: Counterstrike
Chris Moncsko
Favorite hand: right
Favorite milk: skim
Favorite food: Fettucine Alfredo
Favorite night-time snuggly toy: Carebears
Favorite anime character: Rurouni Kenshin
Favorite Physicist: Nikola Tesla
Josh Schipper
NCSU Doctoral Student 2007-present in Biochemistry
BS from Grand Valley State University, Michigan
Favorite video game: Halo
Favorite hobby: photography
Favorite movie: Shawshank Redemption, and The Game
Favorite band: “Eddie From Ohio”
Favorite food: Italian, greek, french
Favorite subjects: Biochemistry, Physics, and Philosophy
Least favorite subjects: History
Heath Tilley
NCSU Undergraduate physics major
Favorite past time: Billiards
Favorite book: Physics for Poets
Favorite movie: Paprika
Favorite video game: Final Fantasy Tactics
Favorite food: Ramen
Favorite beverage: Blue moon
David Wyatt
Undergraduate Biochemistry Major NCSU
Favorite Band: The Beatles
Favorite TV show: Weeds
Favorite Sport: Disc golf
Favorite Form of transportation: Longboard
Favorite Beatles Movie: Yellow Submarine
Favorite Class: Principles of Biochemistry
Nathaniel Sorenson
NCSU undergraduate Student 2007-2011
Favorite sport: baseball
Favorite dynasty: Red sox
Favorite band: Pearl Jam
Favorite movie: Shawshank Redemption
Favorite car: Porshe Boxter