Aparna Venugopal

Aparna is a PhD student in the Nanoscale Function Group at UCD. She did her MSc in Physics with a specialization in Materials Science from CHRIST University, India, where her thesis focused on developing an energy-harvesting device using 2D materials. Before joining NFG, she worked as a Research Assistant at Virginia Tech India. Her current research focuses on the fabrication of efficient triboelectric nanogenerators and advanced characterization using AFM techniques.

Pei He

Pei He is an MSc Marketing student at UCD Smurfit Business School. She is currently working as the Outreach and Communication Intern at AFM Lab, where she supports the lab's outreach activities and social media content creation.

Alyona Yedelkina

Alyona joined UCD as a PhD student in the School of Physics in September 2022 under the supervision of Antonio Benedetto and Brian Rodriguez. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers of increasing complexity and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other complementary techniques. She was originally supported by a UCD School of Physics scholarship and is now on an Irish Research Council Fellowship.

Aidan O'Dowling

Aidan is a surgical trainee who graduated from medicine in UCC in 2017. He is currently undertaking an MD investigating the biomechanics of the pancreatic cancer microenvironment under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Thorpe and Brian Rodriguez.

Lima Zhou

Lima graduated with a Master's in Materials Science from the University of Augsburg, Germany, focusing on domain (wall) engineering, using broadband dielectric spectroscopy and various modes of AFM. He joined the UCD School of Physics as a PhD student in September 2023 under the supervision of Brian Rodriguez. His project, funded by the Irish Research Council, addresses the question of whether the presence of ionic species can change the size of ferroelectric domains using (liquid) AFM, aiming at the exciting research direction of ferroelastic-ferroelectrics for artificial muscles.

Nawal Ashraf

Nawal graduated from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China) with a Master’s degree in Nanoscience and Technology in 2022 and subsequently worked as a graduate researcher at National Center for Physics (Islamabad, Pakistan) and at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia).

Throughout her academic career, Nawal has received several prestigious international fellowships, including the Belt and Road Scholarship, ANSO Fellowship, KAUST Fellowship, SIRAT Fellowship, and IRC Fellowship.

Nawal joined the Nanoscale Function Group in 2024 as a PhD student and is currently working on AFM nanofabrication of functional ferroelectric materials for a wide range of applications.

Yevhen Brych

Yev joined the Nanoscale function group at the beginning of 2024 during his Nanotechnology Masters at UCD. Prior to this, he completed his Bachelor in Physics and Biomedical Sciences at DCU in 2023, where he worked on prototyping sustainable 3D printed Microwell plates.

Current Research Interests
All things AFM, with a focus on electrical modes. As well as developing a pre-existing but unimplemented Scanning Microwave Impedance Microscopy (sMIM) mode for the AFMs in the Nanoscale Function group lab.

Michelle Nadine

Michelle is a third-year undergraduate student at TU Dublin, where she studies Physics with Medical Physics and Bioengineering. As part of her placement at the Nanoscale Function Lab, she works on the development of Lego AFM and DIY AFM systems, with a focus on outreach initiatives. Her work is dedicated to introducing nanoscience and technology to students and the wider public through engaging, hands-on activities and interactive sessions. Michelle is passionate about refining these outreach tools to make Atomic Force Microscopy more accessible, reliable, and enjoyable, helping to spark curiosity and inspire interest in science across diverse audiences.

Ronan Brennan

Ronan is graduate of University College Dublin, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Theoretical Physics in 2024 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Nanotechnology. Within NFG, his work is centered on Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), where he applies advanced measurement techniques to investigate the mechanical properties of biological systems. His current research focuses on stiffness measurements of pancreatic cancer cells and tissues, contributing to a deeper understanding of disease mechanics at the nanoscale. Through AFM-based analysis, he aims to generate insights that could support improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in cancer research.