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Lucas A

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Expertise

Chemical Engineering, drug delivery, nanotechnology, chemistry, physics, materials science, computer science, machine learning applied to chemistry and engineering problems

Bio

I am a PhD student at MIT studying chemical engineering. My past research experience includes designing inhalable nanoparticles to improve drug transport to the lungs, simulating fluid flow through novel 3-D printed structures using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), simulating nanoparticle interactions for drug delivery, and applying machine learning tools towards materials sciecnce. I love playing and watching sports, especially soccer, basketball, and football! I am also a huge movie buff and I read a lot of non-fiction books. A couple of fun facts: (1) I have been in a plane crash and (2) I have met the President of the United States.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Using machine learning to predict molecular and material properties

In this project, a student will use machine learning to model and predict the properties of molecules and materials. For example, machine learning could be used to predict solubility of certain chemicals, which is vital for drug discovery. They could also use machine learning to predict battery electrolyte performance.

Literature Review on Types of Drug Delivery Routes of Administration

In this project, a student would research the different routes of drug administration, including oral, nasal, parental, intramuscular, intravenous, and more. The advantages, drawbacks, and strategies for delivering different types of drugs via these routes will be reviewed and summarized in the final article. The student will identify future directions that could improve the viability of different delivery routes.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

In this project, a student will use open-source parallelized cloud computing software (SimScale) to simulate fluid dynamics in a relevant engineering or science application that is of interest to the student. They will research the cutting-edge of fluid dynamics simulations, and design a simulation to answer an open question about a fluid flow application.

Coding skills

python, MATLAB, C++, Java

Teaching experience

I have had extensive experience tutoring high school and undergraduate students in STEM courses, as well as formal mentorship experience through programs with Engineers Without Borders and other student organizations.

Credentials

Work experience

Department of Energy (2021 - Current)
Computational Science Graduate Research Fellow
Merck (2020 - 2020)
Pharmaceutical Sciences Intern

Education

University of Delaware
BSE Bachelor of Science in Engineering
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Chemical Engineering

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