Bryce joined the group in Fall 2018 as a PhD student in Mechanical engineering. After completing his BS in 2016 at Kansas State University, he worked for two years in the flare combustion industry as a project engineer. His current research focuses on aerospace thermal protection systems, particularly ablation at hypersonic leading edges. Bryce’s other interests include spacecraft thermal management and mission design, propulsion systems, and high-temperature materials. In his free time, he enjoys learning languages, scuba diving, and watching Kansas City sports teams win championships. [brycejboyer@g.ucla.edu]

Min Jong Kil joined the NTRG in Fall 2021 as a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. He received his MS in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA in 2021. He received his B.S. from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SNUST) (under Prof. Jihwan An) and from Northumbria University in 2020, where he worked on atomic layer deposition, solid oxide fuel cells, and catalysts. He worked at Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) (under Dr. Hyeongkeun Kim), on atomic layer deposition, EUV pellicle, and supercapacitors. In NTRG, he is working on solar-thermal graphite synthesis of the heat spreader and thermal interface materials for electronics cooling. Especially, he is working on thermally enhanced organic substrates for GaN power amplifiers for SRC project. Also, he is working on developing thermal properties measurements (thermal diffusivity and thermal interface resistance). (Google Scholar, LinkedIn, ResearchGate) [hjkz3514@g.ucla.edu]

Naaren joined the NTRG team in Fall 2023 as a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. He received his MS in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA in 2023. He finished his undergraduate at NIT, Trichy, India. His undergraduate research (under Prof. Suresh Sivan) involved the utilization of solid-liquid phase change material for energy storage applications.  After his undergraduate, he worked as a research assistant at IIT Roorkee, India (Under Prof. Ankit Bansal) in analyzing the effect of radiation heat transfer in nucleate boiling under microgravity conditions.  As part of his master’s research, he worked on analyzing the effect of pool boiling curve of water under different gravities (Earth, Mars, and Moon). His current research focus involves utilizing two-phase cooling technologies for electronics cooling and data center cooling applications. Some of his other interests involves playing Cricket and Table Tennis. (Linkedin) [msnaaren2330@ucla.edu]

Yanda Wang joined the NTRG in Fall 2023 as a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. He received his B.S. in Energy and Power Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 2023, where he gained experience in molecular dynamic simulation and studied green hydrogen production technology from biomass based on machine learning. In NTRG, his research currently focuses on solar−thermal production of graphitic carbon and hydrogen via methane decomposition, including construction of thermochemical model and investigation on the molecule scale. In the spare time, he is a fan of Hegel and enjoys visiting all famous sites in the CA region. (Linkedin) [yandawang926@g.ucla.edu]

Rafael Maldonado Comas is from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He joined NTRG in Fall 2023 as a MS student in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Mass and Heat Transfer. He received his B.E. degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in design from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2019. Prior to his graduate study, Rafael worked for Honeywell Aerospace as thermal analyst / project engineer for heat exchangers and as an R&D engineer for thermal management systems, the latter of which is on-going. Within NTRG, he is working on high-temperature supercritical CO2 heat exchanger optimization and testing. Rafael is passionate about energy systems, renewable and sustainable energy, heat exchangers, and heat transfer. In the future, he hopes to contribute to zero-carbon emission transportation and power via improvements to thermal management systems. Outside of research, Rafael likes playing basketball, watching sports, playing board games, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. [rafamcpr9@g.ucla.edu]

Ben joined the NTRG team in Winter 2024 as a MS student in Electrical Engineering. He received his bachelors in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. His undergraduate research (under Prof. Sam Emaminejad) centered on a magnetically actuated digital microfluidic platform for automated, accessible, and adaptable molecular diagnostics (“The Ferrobotic Platform”). Currently, he is exploring his research interests in semiconductor packaging, focusing on hybrid bonding and two-phase cooling technologies. Apart from academic life, he enjoys fish keeping, traveling, and golfing. (Linkedin) [byang164@ucla.edu]

Sean Maguire is a third year mechanical engineering major at UCLA. His current work as a member of the FlashPoint Cooling team at NTRG focuses on modeling and simulating transient two-phase cooling for electronic applications. Additionally, Sean is a member of Bruin Racing Baja at UCLA working within the ECVT subteam to design and manufacture the team’s transmission system for the Baja SAE competition. Outside of Academics Sean enjoys playing guitar, intramural soccer, and snowboarding.

Snigdha Prakash is a third -year undergraduate in mechanical engineering from Simi Valley, CA. She joined the solar processing team in Winter 2024, where she is assisting in the translation of the solar methane decomposition technology from the lab to the field. Prior to joining the NTRG, she interned at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Flight Systems Engineer for the GRACE-C mission and was an undergraduate researcher at the UCR bMech lab, where she studied pulmonary biomechanics. She hopes to work in industry in the future in the fields of energy and materials engineering. Snigdha is also a passionate student of Indian Classical music which she has been learning for the last 11 years and in her free time enjoys running, hiking, and learning new languages. (Linkedin) [sprak011@g.ucla.edu]

Joanne is currently a second year mechanical engineering student from Connecticut. At UCLA, she is involved in the hydrogen team in Bruin Supermileage, working on designing and manufacturing a hydrogen fuel cell for a hydrogen powered car. She is also involved on X1’s surgical robotic team, where she is helping manufacture parts as well as assembly. In NTRG, she is currently in the solar processing team. In her free time, Joanne enjoys crocheting, thrifting, being in nature, and exploring everything LA has to offer. (Linkedin) [jjunaedi10@g.ucla.edu]

My name is Gabriel Centeno, I’m a first-year mechanical engineer and I’m working under Zachary Wong’s supervision to research OHP (oscillating Heat Pipes) and their construction, as well as applications. Currently, we’re working on designing a cooling mechanism for an infrared camera that will observe the heat distribution of an OHP in a vacuum. Some of my interests include thermodynamics, manufacturing, and automotive engineering. Outside of the lab, I love to play volleyball and ping pong, read science fiction books, and consider myself a cinephile as well as a music lover. (Linkedin) [gabrielcenteno@g.ucla.edu]