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.
Post Graduate Researchers
Sujan Shrestha
Sujan earned his B.S. and M.S. in physics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and completed his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Kentucky in December 2023. His graduate and initial postdoctoral research with Professor Ambrose Seo focused on the magnetic properties of large spin-orbit coupled 5d transition metal oxide thin films. Sujan began his second postdoctoral research at UM as a sponsored Imec affiliate. At UM, his research concentrates on thin film magnetoelectric composites for logic and memory devices. In his free time, Sujan enjoys watching movies, listening to music, and travelling.
Shashi Pandey
Shashi earned both his B.S. and M.S. in physics from Tribhuvan University in Nepal and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Jian Liu. His Ph.D. research focused on studying the effects of external perturbations, such as strain, in spin-orbit coupled antiferromagnetic materials using transport measurements, X-ray scattering, and free energy modeling. At Prof. John Heron’s group at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Shashi studies the synthesis of ferroelectric films, conducts dielectric measurements on fabricated test structures, and calculates the superparaelectric state. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, cricket, board games, hiking, and listening to music.
Graduate Researchers
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 Loh (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.
Yujia (Emma) Yang
Emma earned her B.S. in Physics and Electrical Engineering at University of Texas at Austin . Her previous background is in device fabrication of self-rolled-up capacitors using a strain-induced membrane. Joining the University of Michigan in 2023, she will work on ferroelectric device fabrication and characterization. During her free time, Emma enjoys cooking and playing music.
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.
Karina Calhoun
Bio: Karina earned her B.A in Physics as well as a minor in computer science from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Joining UM in the fall of 2024, she is currently pursuing a PhD in Applied Physics. Her research will focus on materials for next generation computation. Apart from work, she enjoys reading, music, and spending time with friends.
Jacob Fernandez
Jacob received his B.S. in Physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His previous background is in the fabrication and measurement of graphene heterostructures at ultralow temperatures. He joined the group in 2025 and will work on performing time-resolved transport measurements of TMDs. In his free time, Jacob enjoys practicing bassoon, reading, and playing board games.
Undergraduate Researchers
Lab Alumni
Matt Webb (Ph.D. 2025)
Micron Technology
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
Andrew Danbury (2024)
Pursuing doctorate at MIT
Manasi Londhe (2024)
Joined Dr. Marquis’ lab