Nature Inspired Fluids & Elasticity lab
Jean-François Louf
Principal Investigator, CV
Jean-François is an Assistant Professor at Auburn University in the Chemical Engineering department. He did both his undergraduate and graduate work in France (Nice - Lyon - Marseille). Later on, he worked as a postdoc at Virginia Tech with Sunny Jung, at CNRS Grenoble (France) with Philippe Marmottant, at the Technical University of Denmark with Kaare H. Jensen, and at Princeton University with Sujit S. Datta.
Jean-François is French and, as a result, loves red wine (be careful! he's picky) and food. He also loves thrills and doesn't hesitate to go very high to sky dive/hike the highest mountains, or also very deep to scuba dive in the seven seas.
Pablo Illing
Postdoctoral Associate
Pablo is a postdoctoral researcher at Auburn University in the Chemical Engineering department. He did his undergraduate work at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina. He worked on his Ph.D. in Emory University, in the US, with Dr. Eric Weeks researching soft amorphous materials and granular flows.
Pablo is an Argentinian, and as such there’s nothing more he enjoys than having a good meal with friends, talking about nothing for hours. He likes doing group and contact sports, and enjoys sparring with friends, or having a friendly football 5 match.
Tori Phillips
Graduate student
Tori Phillips is a graduate student in chemical engineering at Auburn University. She graduated with her bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in spring of 2021. She has a particular interest in materials engineering and botany. She enjoys seeking answers to many different “why” questions and feels that curiosity is very important to research.
Tori is often found on the weekends hanging out with her elderly dog Maggie while tackling new art projects. She has a vast collection of houseplants that fill all corners of her apartment. She loves visiting new places, especially if she is able to come home with a good story from her adventure. In her free time, she loves planning fun outings with her friends, trying new restaurants, and searching the clearance sections at stores for good deals.
Joshua Green
Graduate student
Joshua is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University and plans to graduate in 2023. Joshua enjoys working problems and finds interest in the medical field. He has worked in compounding pharmacy for six years and is a member of the Auburn Chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society.
Joshua grew up in north Alabama living on the river he enjoys fishing and swimming. In his free time likes to read, as well as spend time with friends playing pickleball or racquetball. Joshua also enjoys hiking and gardening.
Nicolas Ulrich
Graduate student
Nicolas is a graduate student in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University. He has Co-op experience as a Process Engineer at Argos Cement LLC. He is also currently working part-time at a startup called Automation Media Group.
Nicolas is from Athens, AL and grew up spending most of his time in the outdoors. These days camping, hiking, working on his car, reading and playing soccer are his favorite hobbies.
Ryan Duerr
Undergraduate student
Ryan Duerr is an undergraduate student in chemical engineering at Auburn University and is planning to graduate in 2026. He is also currently taking his prerequisite classes for medical school. He is interested in biological applications of chemical engineering and its applications in the medical field.
In his recreational time, Ryan enjoys music production, audio engineering, and anything else he can apply his creativity to. He also enjoys watching sports, mainly college football.
Alexis Florit
Undergraduate student
Alexis is an undergraduate student majoring in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University, with plans to graduate in 2027. She loves research and has an interest in Process Engineering with hopes to integrate the two to develop new techniques and applications for Chemical Engineering. She loves problem solving and working to create something from scratch and carries this passion into all her work.
Alexis grew up moving around, and has lived in 7 different cities, including Santiago, Chile, Montreal, and Fairfax, VA right outside DC. She loves to travel and completed her Business Minor abroad during Summer 2024 which gave her the opportunity to travel all over Europe. In Auburn, she loves swimming, running, and going on hikes with her friends.
Tofayel Ahammad Ovee
Graduate student
Tofayel is a graduate student (Phd) of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University. He had 09 years of industrial Experience with different organisations. He worked for Chevron Corporation as Operations Specialist (oil & gas), for Krisenergy Ltd. as control Room Specialist (oil & gas), lead acid battery manufacturering and polymer processing industry. He completed his bachelor in chemical engineering and polymer science from Shahjalal University of Science and technology, Bangladesh. During his bachelor he did his research with wastewater characterization.
He was involved with Chevron Diversity and inclusion committee during his job. He loves traveling, swimming, and cricket, movie, TV series.
Katie Sorensen
Undergraduate student
Katie Sorensen is an undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering at Auburn University, where she plans to graduate in May 2027. She has a strong interest in applying Chemical Engineering principles to solve complex problems, particularly in optimizing processes and enhancing efficiencies. Problem-solving is what first drew her to engineering, and she looks forward to continuing to develop these skills throughout her studies and research.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Katie spent much of her time growing up swimming for and coaching the local swim team. Now in Auburn, she enjoys learning new music on her guitar and spending time with friends during her free time.
Joshua Lake
Undergraduate student
Joshua is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University with a minor in Business and plans to graduate in 2027. Joshua enjoys combining the knowledge and skills he has developed in his engineering courses to solve problems and formulate innovative solutions to research matters. In addition to research, Joshua is an engineering co-op student and works for Colonial Pipeline Co.
Joshua grew up in Auburn, AL, and enjoys spending time outdoors when not in the classroom or laboratory. Joshua also likes spending time with his family, who all live in Auburn, reading, and spending time with his dog.
Molly Smith
Undergraduate student
Molly Smith is an undergraduate student in chemical engineering at Auburn University. She has experience working in the School of Pharmacy lab, in a chemical plant at Eastman, and performing Principal Component Analysis under Dr. Kieslich. She enjoys working alongside engineering students from multiple majors through Engineers Without Borders and has gone to Bolivia twice. She has a core belief that engineering technology should be reliable, accessible, and efficient.
When not studying, she enjoys reading, going to the gym, crossword puzzles, and word games. Outdoors she loves hunting ,hiking and soccer, but also doesn’t mind spending a sunny day in a hammock. Molly also has an extensive collection of books and National Geographic magazines, which sparked her curiosity to pursue engineering.
Mason Miller
Undergraduate student
Mason Miller is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University, with an anticipated graduation date of 2027. In addition to his engineering coursework and business minor, he is completing the prerequisite requirements for medical school. His academic interests lie in the intersection of chemical engineering and biomedical science, with a particular focus on its applications in medicine.
Mason is from Gadsden, Alabama, where he spent most of his time growing up outdoors and playing sports. In his free time, Mason loves to coach youth baseball and spend time with his family and friends.
Jeffe Clare Old
Undergraduate student
Jeffe Clare Old is a dedicated chemical engineering student at Auburn University, set to graduate in 2027. She actively seeks out new opportunities and knowledge, both in her academic pursuits and personal life.
Beyond her studies, Jeffe Clare is an avid runner and yoga practitioner. She enjoys cooking (mindful of her many allergies) and cherishes time spent with friends. Her free time also includes playing with her beloved 10-pound dog, Frenchie.
Evelyn Squires
Undergraduate student
Evelyn Squires is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University and is planning to graduate in 2028. Evelyn is also pursuing a French language minor. She has experience working in Dr. Russel Mailen’s Polymer and Material Research Lab studying self-folding origami and shape memory polymers. Evelyn enjoys the problem solving aspect of engineering and is excited to continue learning about the principles of chemistry.
Evelyn grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and enjoys playing golf, baking, and reading in her free time. Evelyn also loves traveling and spending time with her friends whenever she can.
Past members
Setareh Heidari - grad student
Taylor Sorell - undergrad student
Molly McNair - undergrad student
Jebril Toumi - intern student
Jacob Thornton - undergrad student
Jay Griggs - undergrad student
Fiona Gambin - intern student
Samantha Banas - intern student
Kevin Label - intern student
Colin Lainey - intern student
Eloise Khouzamy - high school student
Shankar P. Kharal - postdoctoral associate
Tori McDermott - undergrad student
Clay Williams - undergrad student
Will Johnson - undergrad student
Bennett Milton - undergrad student
Ethan Wavra - undergraduate student
Isabella Perez - undergrad student
Gavin Johnson - undergrad student
Mari Miles Dempsey - undergrad student
Yunseo Ha - high school student
Carson Williams - undergrad student