


All materials – even aluminum and titanium, both of which are commonly used to fabricate nanosatellites – perform differently under different conditions.

Students accepted into the Science Graduate Student Research Program work on projects that address critical energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges at national and international scales.While the average temperature on a typical April day in Tucson is about 81 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures on Mars average about minus 81 degrees. “My goal is to continue a professional career as an engineer in a manufacturing company,” she said, “where I can create innovations that will benefit our community and the world.” She has also published five research papers. She came to UB with six years of research and industrial lab experience, including two years in manufacturing companies. “The collaboration at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will allow me to gain access to unique computational capabilities and expertise,” said Rassouli, who lives in Glen Head, New York. Working with the support of her advisor Michel Dupuis, PhD, professor of research in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UB, Rassouli completed fundamental parts of her PhD project using UB’s computational resources. The program provides supplemental funds to students as they conduct part of their thesis research at a host DOE site. The Department of Energy (DOE) selected the successful applicants for the Office of Science Graduate Student Research program based on merit review by external scientific experts. Her research focuses on electron transfer in photoelectrochemical cells, which are used to convert solar energy into clean fuels such as hydrogen and oxygen. “Among all the available sustainable sources, solar energy is the largest exploitable energy resource that is abundantly available from sunlight,” said Rassouli. Rassouli, who is pursuing her doctorate in chemical engineering, intends to further her work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory this fall. – Lili Rassouli, a PhD candidate at the University at Buffalo, was among just 87 graduate students recently selected from applicants across the United States to conduct research at a Department of Energy (DOE) facility.
