John Heron, Associate Professor
Contact Phone: 734-763-6914
Address:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Room 2030 H.H. Dow
2300 Hayward St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Email: [email protected]
Biography
John studied Physics as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a graduate student he was awarded the NDSEG graduate fellowship and worked in the thin film complex oxide group of Professor Ramamoorthy Ramesh at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2013 John was awarded Ross N. Tucker Memorial Award. After earning his masters (2011) and doctoral (2013) degrees from the University of California Berkeley he began postdoctoral research at Cornell University under the co-mentorship of Professors Darrell Schlom and Dan Ralph.
John joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as an Assistant Professor in Winter 2016.
Graduate Researchers
Matt Webb
Matt earned a B.A. & an M.Sci. in Natural Sciences specializing in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge, UK, in 2020. For his master’s degree, Matt spent a year working on the growth and characterization of oxide materials for RRAM devices. Joining UM in 2020, Matt’s research will focus on the growth and characterization of high entropy oxides, as well as simulation of these materials using DFT calculations. He is co-advised by Prof. Emmanouil Kioupakis, MSE. Outside of the lab, Matt enjoys going for long walks, playing guitar, Disney movies and looking at pictures of dogs on the internet.
Tony Chiang
Tony earned a B.S. degree in Physics at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan. He joined UM in 2019. His research focuses on materials growth and characterization for next generation magnetic devices. Tony enjoys skateboarding, photography, watching movies and dramas in his free time.
Pat Kezer
Pat Kezer graduated from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) in June 2017 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. While at Cal Poly, Pat gained work experience at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a Summer intern. After graduating, he worked as a product engineer at Micron Technologies for one and a half years before resuming his education. Currently, his research is primarily focused on the Spin Hall Effect and Spin Transport. In his free time Pat enjoys rock climbing, reading, watching movies, learning, and most of all, cooking.
Avery-Ryan Ansbro
Avery earned her B.S. degree in Nanoscale Science as well as a minor in Mathematics from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, NY, in 2021. She has background in microscopy based materials and biological characterization, hydrothermal, and ion beam synthesis. Arriving to UM in 2021, her research will focus on the growth and characterization of high entropy oxides. Outside of academia, Avery tends to enjoy hiking, creating art, and hoarding plants.
Ruth Oliver
Ruth earned her B.S.E. and M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at Arizona State University. During her master’s degree, she fabricated magnetic tunnel junctions with two-dimensional materials. Joining the University of Michigan in 2022, Ruth’s research interest lies in the application of novel materials within device heterostructures. When not working, Ruth enjoys spending time with her husband and friends, running, hiking, and baking.
Yi Liang
Yi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering at Fudan University in China and an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. Her previous research experiences span from protein polysaccharides to two-dimensional materials. Joining UM in 2023, she will work on ferromagnetic thin film synthesis and device fabrication. During spare time, she enjoys swimming, painting and watching TV shows.
Yu Zheng
Yu obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Israel Institute of Technology in Guangdong and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. During his undergraduate studies, he was exposed to Raman spectroscopy and two-dimensional materials. He joined the University of Michigan in 2023, focusing on the synthesis of semiconductor thin films. In his free time, he enjoys playing badminton and watching movies.
Siddhesh Yeram
Siddesh earned his B.Tech. in Materials Science and Metallurgy from IIT Bombay, India, in 2024. During his undergraduate studies, he worked on optimization and characterization of superconducting NbTiN thin films for fabrication of SNSPD. He joined UM in 2024, and his research focus will be growth and characterization of ferroelectric materials, as well as simulation of these materials using COMSOL. In his free time, he enjoys playing strategy, fantasy, and RPG games, solving puzzles, and walking.
Undergraduate Researchers
Manasi Londhe
Manasi is currently an undergraduate student studying Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. She is from Flemington, NJ. Her current work focuses on high entropy oxide characterization and thin film growth. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music, spending time with friends, rock tumbling and being in nature.
Javier Sais
Javier is currently an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Science and Engineering in Materials Science Engineering at the University of Michigan. He is from Gahanna, OH. His work focuses on thin-film growth and characterization of metal oxide semiconductors for ultra-wide bandgap applications. He enjoys writing, music, and playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends.
Micah Gendich
Micah grew up in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, with a focus in metal and ceramic material characterization. He enjoys kayaking, weight lifting, and studying the world map.
Lab Alumni
Sieun Chae (Ph.D. 2022)
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Oregon State University
Peter Meisenheimer (Ph.D. 2021)
Post-doctoral researcher, Ramesh lab, Dept of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
Nguyen Vu (Ph.D. 2021)
ALD process and characterization engineer, EMD electronics
Steve Novakov (Ph.D. 2021)
Senior device engineer, Thin film startup
Master of Engineering Graduates
Ben Justus (2023)
AMD
Joshua Lee (2023)
TSMC
Tzu-Yu Ou (2023)
Applied Materials
Bachelor of Engineering Graduates
Andy Danbury (2024)
Pursuing doctorate at MIT