Director of the Flexible Research Group
Jonathan B. Hopkins
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, 2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2007
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2005
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Personal Website: www.jonathanbhopkins.com
Current Postdoctoral Researchers
James Simonelli
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering
University of California,
Los Angeles, USA
M.S. Aerospace Engineering
University of California,
Los Angeles, USA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering
University of California,
Irvine, USA
Started: October 2016
Research Topic:
Control of an Array of Micro-mirrors
Lucas A. Shaw
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California,
Santa Barbara, USA
Started: June 2018
Research Topic:
Additive Nanofabrication via Optical Tweezers
Yuanping (Adam) Song
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Started: June 2018
Research Topic:
Anti-Counterfeit Flexure Markers
Current Graduate Researchers
Michael Porter
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of
Technology, USA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California,
Berkeley, USA
Started: September 2015
Research Topic:
Modeling of Optical-tweezers Systems
Samira Chizari
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Khaje Nasir Toosi University of Technology, Iran
Started: October 2015
Research Topic:
Additive Nanofabrication via Optical Tweezers
Samuel Shimohara
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles
Started: August 2017
Research Topic:
Metamaterial Optimization
Rodolfo I. Barranco
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles
Started: October 2017
Research Topic:
Multi-material Two-photon Stereolithography
Ryan Lee
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Santa Barbara
Started: August 2018
Research Topic:
Actively Controlled Architected Materials
Miles P. Lim
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
B.A. Chemistry
Bard College
Started: October 2018
Research Topic:
Actively Controlled Architected Materials
Amin Farzaneh
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of Tehran
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Khaje Nasir Toosi University of Technology, Iran
Started: December 2018
Research Topic:
Mechanical Logic-based Architected Materials
Current Undergraduate Researchers
Pratyush Srivastava, “Control of a Mechanical Neural-network Metamaterial,” Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles, 01/19 to Present
Nikhil Pawar, “Compliant Rolling-contact Metamaterials,” Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles, 06/18 to Present
Ryan Poon, “Actively Controlled Metamaterials that Utilize Phase Changes to Achieve Programmable Stiffness Properties,” Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles, 06/18 to Present
Sydney Austin, “Development of a New Chemistry for Fabricating Microstructures within an Optical-tweezers-based Additive Fabrication Machine,” hosted as a part of the University of California Leadership Excellence Through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) Program, University of California, Los Angeles, 06/17 to Present
Flexible Research Group Alumni
Postdoctoral Researchers and Staff Research Associates
1. Gaurav Singh (Postdoctoral Researcher), 03/14 to 02/15
2. Babak Haghpanah (Staff Research Associate), 02/15 to 04/15
3. Alp Karakoc (Volunteer Postdoctoral Researcher), 04/16 to 08/17
Graduated Ph.D. Students with Theses Published from our Group
1. Lucas A. Shaw, 07/13 to 05/18
2. Yuanping (Adam) Song, 12/13 to 05/18
3. Frederick Sun, 01/14 to 12/17
M.S. Students and other Ph.D. Students that conducted research in our Group
1. Amir Behbahani (Volunteer), 10/13 to 12/13
2. Siyu Chen (Volunteer), 01/14 to 06/14
3. Ryan Budiman (Volunteer), 01/14 to 06/14
4. Peter Dohm, 03/15 to 06/16
5. Ali Hatamizadeh, 09/15 to 03/18
6. James Simonelli, 10/16 to 03/17
7. Wenzhong Yan, 11/16 to 10/17
8. Talmage Jones, 09/16 to 06/18
Visiting Students and Scholars
1. Arnoud Delissen (Visiting Student from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands), 05/15 to 09/15
2. Erwin Mulder (Visiting Student from University of Twente in the Netherlands), 07/17 to 10/17
Volunteer Undergraduate Researchers
1. Spencer White, 10/13 to 04/16
2. Conner Sharpe, 10/13 to 06/15
3. Alexander Phinney, 02/14 to 05/14
4. Mitchell Barnes-Wallace, 04/14 to 10/14
5. Chuyang Cai, 06/14 to 07/14
6. Ziran Gu, 06/14 to 08/14
7. Travis Iiyama, 06/14 to 09/14
8. Brian Louie, 06/14 to 09/14
9. Rayshaun Preston (CEED), 10/14 to 12/14
10. Max Vela (CEED), 10/14 to 12/14
11. Eloy Torres (CEED), 10/14 to 12/14
12. Noor Eltawil, 10/14 to 12/14
13. Johannes Henriksson, 01/15 to 05/15
14. Edgar Lopez (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
15. Sydney Austin (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
16. Josue Castillo (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
17. Samuel Carrell (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
18. Kevin Christensen, 10/15 to 06/16
19. Matthew Turk, 01/16 to 12/16
19. David Parker, 07/16 to 08/16
20. Michael Jedynak, 08/16 to 03/17
21. Matthew Dotson, 03/17 to 05/18
Summer High School Students
1. Jaselinne Garcia (HSSRP), 06/14 to 08/14
2. Estefania Lahera (HSSRP), 06/14 to 08/14
3. Samir Kamnani (HSSRP), 06/15 to 08/15
4. Daniel Pikula (HSSRP), 06/15 to 08/15
5. Kenneth Tochihara (HSSRP), 06/17 to 08/17
6. Victor Saldana (HSSRP), 06/17 to 08/17