Lab Members
Research-related interests aside, the primary vision of Dr. Moreno's lab to educate and train its members in the practice of conducting effective research. Therefore, a strong emphasis is placed on the training and mentorship of all students who work in Dr. Moreno's lab, from their background upon joining, their desired learning outcomes on a particular knowledge base or skill set of interest, and future goals upon graduating from Missouri State. That said, the lab nonetheless strives to produce meaningful research outcomes that can be presented and/or published externally, as such success demonstrates effective cooperation within the group.
As electrochemical work is very interdisciplinary in nature, and the lab encompasses both experimental and computational studies, there exist great opportunities for students to be exposed to new opportunities that will enrich their professional profiles and enable them to put to use their skills going forward. Here you can see the diverse range of interests and skills from the current lab members, as of Fall 2024:
Graduate Students:
Pronob Nath
Pronob Deb Nath is a graduate student researcher specializing in the numerical simulation of battery systems with experimental work. With a foundational background in mechanical engineering from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology and current academic pursuit in material science from Missouri State University, his work bridges the gap between physical modeling and computational analysis of energy storage technologies. His research focuses on developing and optimizing multi-scale simulation frameworks to understand the electrochemical and thermal behavior of next-generation battery materials, heating and cooling behavior analysis. By integrating principles from continuum mechanics, thermodynamics, and materials characterization, Pronob aims to contribute to the design of safer, more efficient, and longer-lasting battery systems.
Arko Chaterjee
I’m Arko Chatterjee, a first year Materials Science Masters student. I come from an astro-physics/math background currently working on a CDI (capacitive deionization) project aimed towards effective water treatment and battery applications using flow electrodes. I'm excited to explore and discover more novel ideas geared towards sustainable systems. In my free time I like to play guitar and read.
Undergraduate Students:
Mick Drecker
I'm Mick Drecker, a sophomore double-majoring in mechanical engineering and astrophysics. I am researching the effects of various temperatures on lithium-ion batteries through battery cycling experiments.
Savan Patel
Former Students:
Niklas Landgraf: Niklas graduated with a Master's degree in Materials Science in Spring 2024. He worked on characterizing and quantifying the gasses evolved from a NiZn cell in real time while cycling, co-advised with Dr. David Cornelison. His thesis, titled, "Gas Evolution of a Nickel-Zinc Cell", can be found here.
Oluwaseun (David) Iyodo: David graduated with a non-thesis in Materials Science in Spring 2024. He had worked on experimental cycling and aging of lithium-ion batteries.
Olumide Akinduro: Olu was a graduate student in the Physics and Material Science department. He had a bachelor's in Material Science and Engineering. Olu was working on a Nickel-Zinc battery and will use chitosan gel polymer as an electrolyte. In his free time, He enjoyed playing football and the guitar.
Caleb Osbourn: Caleb had worked in Dr. Moreno's lab as a freshman in 2024-2025, investigating temperature variations for Ni-Zn batteries.
Emily Rapp: Emily graduated in Spring 2025, majoring in Astrophysics, Materials Science and Applied Mathematics. During her time in Dr. Moreno's lab, she had worked on an equivalent circuit model for lithium-ion batteries that incorporates their response to suboptimal temperature conditions. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, reading, and spending quality time with friends.
Stone Simpson: Stone graduated in the MSU/S&T co-op engineering program in Spring 2025, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and had worked on the model of laminar pipe flow for applications in heat transfer.
Hunter Nelson: Hunter graduated from the Physics program at MSU in Spring 2024. Hunter worked in Dr. Moreno's lab during Summer 2023 and continued through Spring 2024 for the senior (PHY 486) project. Hunter worked on the CDI project, examining different compositions of porous electrodes being charged at different voltages over an extended period of time.
Joe Cota: Joe graduated in the MSU/MS&T Engineering Co-op in the Spring of 2025. He was a double major student pursuing a bachelor's in both Mechanical Engineering and Physics. He researched CO2 reduction alongside Dr. Moreno, where we take CO2 and recycle it into a formic acid product to help mitigate greenhouse gases. Some of his hobbies include playing collegiate ultimate frisbee and yoyoing.
Ryan Ellis: Ryan is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering through the MSU/MS&T Engineering Co-op. Ryan studied the effects of cycling currents on lithium-ion coin cell batteries, as well as the effects of temperature on the performance of said batteries. Future goals include internship/employment at a company focused on scientific progress (i.e. clean energy, space exploration, etc.), and possibly a master’s degree in a related field of engineering or physics. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing piano, and exercising.
Gavin Reese: Gavin is currently a Senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Physics. The project that Gavin worked on during Summer 2023 - Spring 2024 is electrochemical reduction of CO2 into formic acid, which can be used for fuel cells and more.
Pablo Skaggs: Pablo graduated in Spring 2024 from the MSU/MS&T Cooperative Engineering program in Mechanical Engineering. During his time in Dr. Moreno's lab, Pablo contributed to various projects, including the nickel-zinc battery project, evaluating the gassing of a lead-acid battery, and design and testing of a thermal flow cell for capacitive deionization (CDI).
Grant Cary: Grant graduated with MS&T's degree in Mechanical Engineering in Spring 2024. During Summer 2023 he worked on the computational analysis of Capacitive Deionization (CDI) systems with the objective of identifying optimal operational parameters for laboratory testing.
Joshua Cox: Joshua graduated in Spring 2023 from the Co-op Engineering Program between MSU and MS&T, in Mechanical Engineering. Joshua worked in Dr. Moreno's lab from Spring 2022 - Spring 2023. He contributed to various projects on CDI, lithium-ion batteries, and the inital development and testing of electrochemical CO2 conversion using the H-cell.
Devon Parker: Devon graduated with MS&T's degree in Mechanical Engineering in Spring 2024. During Summer 2022 - Spring 2023 he worked on capactive deionization experiments to determine adsorption limits at room temperature, and helped to construct and desidn a new thermal CDI cell to evaluate adsorption limits at higher temperatures.
Ana Torres: Ana graduated in Spring 2023 from the Co-op Engineering Program between MSU and MS&T, in Mechanical Engineering. Joshua worked in Dr. Moreno's lab from Spring 2022 - Spring 2023. She worked on the construction and testing of lithium-ion batteries in coin cells to determine the effect of preparation techniques and cycling conditions on their longer-term aging performance.