Faculty and Staff

The Physics and Engineering department prides itself on the quality of its teaching, while also providing numerous opportunities for one-on-one interaction with a diverse group of faculty. Our goal and commitment is to prepare you to be competitive in the 21st-century workplace.

Sagar Bhandari

Email: sagar.bhandari@sru.edu

Dr. Sagar Bhandari joined SRU in Fall 2019 and is an Assistant Professor in Physics. He received his PhD in Applied Physics in "Imaging Electron Flow in Graphene" from Harvard University in 2015. He received his B.S. in Physics and Electrical Engineering from Trinity College in 2009. His research focuses on imaging local electronic states in quantum materials and devices that enable new types of applications in electronics and photonics. This involves using different scanning probe techniques such as scanning capacitance microscopy, scanning gate microscopy to study electronic properties of quantum materials. He runs the "Quantum Lab" at Slippery Rock and is looking to recruit undergraduate students (from freshmen to seniors) to develop scanning probe tools and make quantum devices. Outside of research, he enjoys anything outdoors such as tennis, running, hiking and skiing.

Louis Christensen

Dr. Louis Christensen joined SRU in fall 2022 as an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to SRU he earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University in 2016 before earning his M.S. and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2020, and 2022 respectively. While at Ohio State he worked in the Gas Turbine Laboratory studying gas turbine cooling at engine corrected conditions using high-speed infrared thermography and transient conjugate heat transfer simulations.WHen not walking his poodle Freyja, Dr. Christensen also develops and active learning tools, such as Brayton Cycle Compare & Solve, to help teach engineering concepts.

Dr. Christensen’s research interests include internal convective heat transfer, applications of infrared thermography, and engineering education pedagogy emphasizing creativity education. Interested students are welcome to join Dr. Christensen’s research team.

You can reach Dr. Christensen at louis.christensen@sru.edu.

Christopher Gioia

Dr. Chris Gioia joined SRU in Fall 2021 and is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University in 2013 and 2016, respectively. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University in 2011. Dr. Gioia also worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, WV, where he researched waste heat recuperators in Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles from 2016-2017.

Before coming to SRU Dr. Gioia worked as a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer at Astrobotic Technology in Pittsburgh, PA. There he was responsible for performing simulations on propulsion system performance and mission trajectories based on launch date. Dr. Gioia also worked as a Control Systems Engineer at L3-Harris, where he worked on internal R&D and directed energy projects. He is also an Engineering Duty Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, a volunteer firefighter, EMT, and a team member of the Allegheny County HAZMAT Red Team.

Dr. Gioia's research interests include control systems, computer vision, mechatronics, cyber-physical systems and robotics. He is currently a member of the American Institue of Aeronautics (AIAA), Astronautics American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Institue of Navigation (ION).

Sajad A. Hamidi

Dr. Sajad A. Hamidi joined SRU as an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering. He worked as a professional engineer for many years and taught at different universities prior to SRU. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher and Instructor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Dr. Hamidi joined IUP as a one of the coordinators of the first engineering program in 2016.

Dr. Hamidi's research interests have focused on environmental fluid mechanics, physical oceanography, biogeochemical modeling in Great Lakes, water resources engineering, sustainability, environmental engineering, and anthropogenic influences on natural waters. The multi-disciplinary nature of his research creates a rich learning environment for students, and he believes in involving undergraduate students in his research. Dr. Hamidi taught a variety of courses in civil and environmental engineering from introductory to design courses. He also served as an adviser for undergraduate and graduate students. As a licensed professional engineer with many years of engineering experience, and a member of board of directors of American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), Pittsburgh section, Dr. Hamidi brings real-world examples to his classes to motivate student to think critically and improve their problem-solving skills.

Athula Herat

Email: athula.herat@sru.edu
Office: 208D Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2490

Dr. Athula Herat joined SRU in Fall of 2004 and is currently an Associate Professor of Physics and the department chairperson. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from University of Colombo in Sri Lanka and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics from the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Herat is passionate about teaching and research. He employs a student-centered, active-learning teaching style in the classroom. He teaches both the introductory algebra- and calculus -based physics courses as well as several upper-division courses that include Computational Physics, Quantum Mechanics, and Mathematical Methods of Physics. His research specialty is computational physics. His research agenda focuses on the application of physical models and simulation techniques to material science, biological systems, and medical applications.

Dr. Herat's research focuses on the application of physical models and simulation techniques to material science, biological systems, and medical applications. He is currently working on a cross-disciplinary medical imaging research project. This investigation focuses on fMRI neuroimaging analysis to investigate brain activation in different cohorts of individuals. Dr. Herat frequently seeks to involve student research assistants in his research project. He often has research grant money to pay student stipends.

Robabeh Jazaei

Email: robabeh.jazaei@sru.edu   Phtoto of Robabeh Jazaei
Office: 104H Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2170
Website: https://robabehjazaei.com/

Dr. Jazaei joined SRU as an assistant professor of Civil Engineering. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She worked as a professional engineer and project manager for many residential and commercial buildings while she was working on her M.S. degree in Structural Engineering at the Tehran Azad University. She received her Bachelor of Science from the Shahrood University of Technology in 2002.

Dr. Jazaei taught a variety of courses in both civil and mechanical engineering from introductory to design courses. She also served as an adviser for senior design projects and research teams. Dr. Jazaei’s extensive industrial background provides her students with an industrial approach to be prepared for an engineering career. Her student-centered pedagogy has a significant emphasis on project-based learning to foster students’ technical excellence and collaborative work experience.

Dr. Jazaei’s research interests have focused on broad range of experimental material characterization and computational simulation of advanced materials subject to statics and dynamics loading conditions. The overarching emphasis in Dr. Jazaie’s work has been to develop composites with multifunctional nanomaterials to improve composites’ failure mechanism for structural health monitoring as well as energy absorption enhancement. The multidisciplinary nature of Dr. Jazaei’s research creates a rich learning environment to involve several fields in engineering and science. She enjoys involving students who have a strong desire to learn about advanced materials characterization, failure and fracture mechanics, image processing (SEM), and computational modeling (FEM).

Dr. Jazaei is a voting member of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 241-A01 (The Application and Implementation of Nano-Engineered Concrete, member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME).

Mohammad Kazemi

Mohammad Kazemi
Email: Mo.Kazemi@sru.edu
Office: 104C Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.4958

Dr. Kazemi is a faculty of petroleum and natural gas engineering. He received his bachelor degree in petroleum engineering from the Petroleum University of Technology in Iran, in 2008, the M.S. in petroleum engineering from University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2011. He has a Ph.D. degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from West Virginia University. In 2017, he joined the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, as a postdoctoral researcher and joined SRU in Fall 2018. His current research interests include application of molecular simulations and advanced machine learning techniques to petroleum engineering problems. He has done research on flow of multicomponent gas mixtures in organic nanopores of shale using molecular simulations. He also used molecular simulations and deep machine learning techniques to predict phase behavior of petroleum mixtures. Dr. Kazemi currently have few undergraduate students doing research with him.

Viacheslau Kudrashou

Viacheslau "Slava" Kudrashou
Email: Viacheslau.Kudrashou@sru.edu
Office: 104F Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2328

Dr. Viacheslau Kudrashou joined SRU in Fall 2019 and is currently an Assistant Professor in Petroleum Engineering.

Dr. Kudrashou received his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 2012 from Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas. He also received his Master's in 2015 and Ph.D. in 2018, both in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. In the course of his graduate research, Viacheslau managed a laboratory working on advanced characterization methods, specializing in XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy), ICP-OES (Inductive Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry), and XRF (X-ray Fluorescence). He initiated multiple industrial collaboration projects and received funding for research proposals in (1) stimulation of SAGD (Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage) wells; and (2) density and viscosity optimization for hydraulic fracturing gel.

Viacheslau is passionate about teaching and instructional design. He is teaching introductory engineering courses, upper petroleum engineering core courses and design courses. Dr. Kudrashou creates project-based courses that include lectures, discussions, hands-on problem solving, and interactive practical exercises to enhance leaning and create student-centered atmosphere in his classroom.

Dr. Kudrashou's research interests include application of chemical and thermal treatment methods for enhanced oil recovery and well stimulation. He is currently working on topics of formation damage, chemical compatibility, and fluid optimization for hydraulic fracturing.

Viacheslau is an active member of SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers). He is involved in work with other professional organizations, such as IADC (International Association of Drilling Contractors), and AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists). He received awards and recognition for his contribution as a technical reviewer, translator, editor, and educator.

Outside of teaching and research, he enjoys outdoor recreational activities, such as camping, kayaking and fishing.

Shah Limon

Email: shah.limon@sru.edu
Office: 104E Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2326

Dr. Shah Limon joined SRU in FALL of 2019 as an Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering in the Department of Physics & Engineering. Before joining SRU, Shah was teaching courses in Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering at North Dakota State University. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in 2018 from North Dakota State University. He also received his Masters in Industrial Engineering & Management in 2014 and Graduate Certification in Statistics in 2013. Before joining to the graduate school, Shah worked two years in the automotive and oil & gas industries. Also, during the graduate study, he has been closely worked with several electronic and heavy equipment manufacturing industries.

Shah is passionate about teaching and application-oriented research. His class involves student participation in terms of hands-on activities, case study discussion, guest lecture, and industrial facility visit. He teaches introductory engineering courses, quality engineering, reliability engineering, human factor engineering, engineering data evaluation, engineering economy, and other upper-level industrial engineering courses. Shah's research interest includes but not limited to reliability assessment, product testing, process improvement, failure analysis, warranty forecasting, stochastic degradation modeling, accelerated test design, Bayesian inference, machine learning, ergonomic work design, industrial safety, and product usability. He frequently involved undergraduate students in his research activities. Shah is currently a member of IISE.

Krishna Mukherjee

Email: krishna.mukherjee@sru.edu
Office: 208E Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2858

Dr. Mukherjee received her Ph. D. in Astrophysics from the University of Pittsburgh. Her main research area is Gravitational Lensing, however in the last few years she has become interested in Exoplanets as well as Astrobiology. Teaching is her passion and she enjoys teaching both major and non-major courses. She encourages her students to go beyond the confines of the classroom and explore the many research opportunities that both the university and her department has to offer. As a result, many of her students have received student grants to perform research on Solar Blinds, the Efficiency of Solar Panels, Organic Light Emitting Diodes, Hybrid Bicycles, Drones and Astrophotography with Fish-eye lens. She also teaches two honors courses in which her students have routinely presented at the SRU Research Symposium on topics ranging from Water in the Solar System, Dark Energy, and Dwarf Galaxies to Gamma Ray Bursts. In her spare time, Dr. Mukherjee loves to watch the Big Bang Theory!

Iuri Santos

Dr. Louis Christensen

Dr. Iuri Santos earned his B.S in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic School of Pernambuco, Brazil, in 2011. He earned his MSCE in 2017 and Ph.D. in 2022 in Civil and Environmental Engineering from West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. His expertise is in Geotechnical Engineering and laboratory testing of soils. During his research at WVU, he performed seepage and slope stability modeling for coal reclamation and Acid Mine Drainage mitigation. His research helped implement the geomorphic landform design into coal reclamation in the Appalachian region. His current research is in the production, flocculation, filtration, and dewatering of Rare Earth Elements concentrate generated from Acid Mine Drainage. He believes that as Civil Engineers, we can improve society and help the environment. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineering and the American Society of Reclamation Sciences. Dr. Santos enjoys fishing, skiing, hiking, and playing volleyball during his free time.

Ben Shaevitz

Email: ben.shaevitz@sru.edu
Office: 208B Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2519

Dr. Ben A. Shaevitz is in his 26th year at SRU and is a Professor of Physics and former Chairperson. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana in 1983 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania in 1989. Dr. Shaevitz's research specialty is pedagogy, the science of teaching. He teaches both the introductory algebra- and calculus -based courses as well as the upper-division Advanced and Optics laboratories. Dr. Shaevitz enjoys outdoor recreation in his free time and is an avid sailor and mountaineer. In addition he operates an organic produce farm with his wife Lori.

Jheng-Wun Su

Email: jheng-wun.su@sru.edu
Office: 104 J Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.4336

Dr. Jheng-Wun Su joined SRU in Fall 2020 and is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Before joining SRU, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in University of Missouri. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from University of Missouri in 2019. He earned his M.S. degree in Manufacturing technology at National Taipei University of Technology in 2007. Before studying in University of Missouri, Dr. Su has four years of industrial experience developing automation systems for measuring the photoelectric property of display and production line troubleshooting. Dr. Su’s research interest includes 3D/4D printing, programmable active materials, mechatronics, instrumentation, and robotics enabled inspection system. Dr. Su is actively seeking students to do undergraduate research.

Xindi Sun

Email: xindi.sun@sru.edu
Office: 104J Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.4681

Dr. Sun joined SRU in Spring 2020 and is currently an Assistant Professor in Petroleum Engineering

Dr. Sun received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering in 2013 and 2018, respectively, from Missouri University of Science and Technology. In 2019, she joined the Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Department, Missouri University of Science and Technology, as a postdoctoral fellow. Sun’s graduate research interests include CO ₂-enhanced oil recovery (EOR), conformance control, nanogel treatments. As a postdoctoral researcher, she has done research on unconventional reservoir petrophysical property analysis, CO ₂ EOR and chemical EOR.

Dr. Sun’s current research interests include conformance control using hydrogels, unconventional reservoir characterization, chemical/gas EOR, and reservoir simulation. She is actively seeking students to do undergraduate research.

Dr. Sun is an active member of SPE and a technical reviewer for several top journals (SPE Journal, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Energy & Fuel, etc.). She is also a member of AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers).

Manuel Valera

Email: manuel.valera@sru.edu
Office: 208C Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2524

Dr. Manuel Valera joined SRU in Fall of 2008 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Physics. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Valera teaches calculus-based physics courses as well as several upper-division courses that include Statics, Dynamics, Computational Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Optics and Statistical Physics. Dr. Valera is always innovating his teaching style and has a strong interest in the use of technology in teaching physics. Dr. Valera's research specialty is computational physics. His research agenda focuses on the application of physical models and simulation techniques to material science, biological systems, and medical applications. His current research is in colloidal structures under electric fields.

Xinchao Wei

Xinchao "Steven" Wei
Email: Xinchao.wei@sru.edu
Office: 208G Vincent Science Center
Phone: 724.738.2427
Website

Dr. Xinchao "Steven" Wei joined SRU in Fall of 2017 and is currently a Professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering. Before joining SRU, He was Program Coordinator of Civil Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, in 2005. He is also a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the state of West Virginia.

Dr. Wei believes engineering students need to acquire the sound fundamental knowledge and solid professional skills. They should be trained to identify, analyze, and evaluate a wide range of engineering problems in their profession, through logic and critical thinking. To enhance his teaching effectiveness, He employs a variety of teaching methods such as visual demonstrations, hands-on activities, project-based learning, design projects, guest lectures, and plant visits in his classes. He teaches introductory engineering courses, engineering science courses, upper civil/environmental engineering core courses and design courses. Dr. Wei's research is in the area of water quality and environmental chemistry, water and wastewater treatment, nanoparticles and their application in environmental engineering, solid and hazardous waste treatment, and environmental sustainability. He has led multiple funded research projects sponsored by different funding agencies. He is currently working on development of innovative treatment technologies to remove a variety of contaminants from water and wastewater. He enjoys involving undergraduate students in his research endeavors.

Jun Zhang

Email: jun.zhang@sru.edu

Dr. Zhang joined SRU in Spring 2019 as an Associate Professor in Industrial and System Engineering. Before joining SRU, he was an Assistant Professor at Gannon University. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, in 2011. He worked as a postdoctoral research in the Department of Public Health Science at Loyola University Chicago from 2011 to 2013. He also worked in different industries for several years.

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on social network analysis, optimization, modeling and simulation in healthcare. He has been done research on systems modeling on prevention of adolescent obesity using social network analysis and computer simulation. He also used data analysis, optimization and simulation to help healthcare organizations to improve quality and efficiency. Dr. Zhang is currently working with students on research. He is a senior member of IISE.

Physics and Engineering

Faculty and Staff

Physics and Engineering

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