2026 KNI SURF-the-WAVE Fellows
Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Home Institution: Yale University
Class Level: Rising Junior
Majors: Chemistry (Intensive) and Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies
Favorite Hobbies and Interests: I love singing and performing, in styles ranging from opera to choir to musical theater or jazz. In my free time, I also enjoy reading, cooking, and hiking.
WAVE Research Project: "Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy for Investigating the Growth of Molecular Additive Layers on Copper for CO2 Reduction"
I will be researching the thickness and growth function of electrolyte cation layers in copper cells. These cells, designed to reduce CO2 into energy rich multicarbon compounds, use molecular additives to help obtain desired products. The additives accumulate in a layer in the copper electrode through an unexplored deposition process, which will be investigated primarily through Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) spectroscopy.
Mentor: Harry A. Atwater
Co-Mentor: Ellis Spickermann
Post-college plans or goals: After graduating from college, I currently hope to pursue a PhD in materials science or a similar field.
Jessica Slaughter
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Home Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Class Level: Rising Senior
Major: Computer Engineering
Favorite Hobbies and Interests: In my free time, I enjoy staying active by playing pickleball and tennis, as well as relaxing through crocheting and watercolor painting.
WAVE Research Project: "Wearable Sweat Sensor for Inflammatory Response Assessment"
Decompression sickness is difficult to assess in real time because current testing relies on invasive blood analysis or symptom-based diagnosis. This project develops a wearable sweat biosensor that uses electrochemical sensing techniques to non-invasively detect inflammatory biomarkers associated with decompression stress. This technology could provide divers with real-time warning of harmful inflammatory responses and improve monitoring for decompression-related injuries in remote or high-risk environments.
Mentor: Wei Gao
Co-Mentor: Jeonghee Yeom
Post-college plans or goals: I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Medical Engineering focused on biomedical devices and biosensor systems. My long-term goal is to develop innovative technologies that improve healthcare accessibility, early diagnostics, and patient health outcomes globally.
Jiri Kataman-Kustwan
Hometown: Glenview, IL
Home Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Class Level: Rising Senior
Major: Physics, Computer Science and Astronomy
Favorite Hobbies and Interests: I enjoy reading a variety of books in my free time, and I attempt to explore new areas by biking whenever I can.
WAVE Research Project: "Strain-Engineering Excitons in MoS2/Graphene Heterostructure"
This project aims to develop a scalable platform for controlling excitonic properties in two-dimensional (2D) materials by integrating nanopatterned strain engineering, direct PECVD graphene growth, and MoS2 heterostructure fabrication. It combines experimental methods (growing graphene directly on nanopatterned substrates and transferring monolayer MoS2) with computational simulations (using LAMMPS and tight-binding models) to investigate how strain fields affect the electronic structure and optical response of MoS2/graphene heterostructures. The ultimate goal is to enable precise, control of excitonic behavior for advanced optoelectronic and quantum photonic applications.
Mentor: Nai-Chang Yeh
Co-mentors: Wen-Hao Chang and Jen-Te Chang
Post-college plans or goals: I plan to apply to PhD programs in condensed matter physics this coming fall, with the goal of pursuing a research career in academia.
Lizzie Seward
Hometown: Arlington, MA (just outside of Boston
Home Institution: Yale University
Class Level: Rising Senior
Major: Physics (Intensive) and Humanities with a focus on scientific ethics
Favorite Hobbies and Interests: Outside of the lab, I am an avid musician and while I primarily play the saxophone, I also play the clarinet, guitar, and piano. My love of music has also manifested in a love of seeking out live music, and I often go to jazz clubs and festivals.
WAVE Research Project: "Mid-IR Integrated OPOs for Spectroscopy"
Optical Parametric Oscillators take advantage of the nonlinear properties of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLiN) to provide coherent radiation in spectral regions that are difficult to access with conventional laser. This is especially useful for mid-IR gas sensing. My particular project aims to use a fabricated OPO for mid-IR spectroscopy.
Mentor: Alireza Marandi
Co-Mentor: Selina Zhou
Post-college plans or goals: After college I plan to apply for graduate school in applied physics and materials science.
Nimisha Sivaraman
Hometown: Palo Alto, CA
Home Institution: University of California Berkeley
Class Level: Rising Senior
Major: Engineering Physics
Favorite Hobbies and Interests: I love watching and playing sports including tennis, volleyball, and basketball! I also enjoy cooking, baking, and most importantly eating good food.
WAVE Research Project: "Magnetic Coupling of a Superconducting Microwave Resonator to Yb3+:CaWO4"
The aim of this project is to design a new superconducting microwave resonator to strongly couple to Yb3+ ions in CaWO4. The ultimate goal is to explore and advance quantum memory for microwave qubits and optical-to-microwave transducers.
Mentor: Andrei Faraon
Co-Mentor: Chengyi Luo
Post-college plans or goals: I plan on studying quantum devices in grad school and hope to impact the field of quantum computing in the future!