What area of research does your lab focus on?
Our lab, Electroactive Materials Characterization Lab (EMC) focuses on the design and engineering of responsive and living multifunctional material systems that can sense, adapt, and interact with their environment. We develop primarily polymer-based and bioinspired materials with coupled mechanical, electrical, and magnetic functionalities, enabling capabilities such as actuation, sensing, energy harvesting, and energy storage.
At the system level, our work advances the emerging paradigm of living and bioinspired materials, integrating principles from biology, materials science, and engineering to create adaptive, resilient, and sustainable material systems for applications in energy, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing.
How does the interdisciplinary aspect of your research enhance your work and add value to it?
Zoubeida Ounaies: Interdisciplinarity is central to our research. By integrating materials science, mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology, we design multifunctional material systems that can sense, adapt, and respond, capabilities not achievable within a single discipline.
This is strengthened through collaborations across Penn State and with other academic partners in the U.S. and global partners such as the University of Freiburg livMatS Center, as well as industry and national labs. These partnerships bring complementary expertise and perspectives, enabling us to tackle complex challenges and accelerate innovation. Ultimately, this convergent approach expands both the impact and competitiveness of our work in emerging areas like bioinspired materials systems.
Mohammad Hossein Zamani: Our research is inherently interdisciplinary, combining mechanical engineering, materials science, rheology, and machine learning. This combination allows us to tackle problems that would be difficult to solve within a single discipline—for example, linking flow behavior during printing to final magnetic or mechanical performance.
We also collaborate with researchers in computational modeling and data science, as well as experimentalists working on biomaterials and soft matter systems. These collaborations expand both the depth (fundamental understanding) and breadth (applications) of our work.
In addition, connections with industry and external collaborators help ensure that our research is not only scientifically rigorous but also relevant to real-world manufacturing challenges.
Amirhossein Farahani: Our research inherently merges materials science with electrical engineering principles. We use rheometry and dielectric spectroscopy to understand complex fluid dynamics behavior before processing. We then utilize atomic force microscopy to analyze the resulting nanoscale structures and electrical potentials. This cross-pollination allows us to transform basic biopolymers into highly functional, structurally sound electronic components.
Md Abdur Rahman Bin Abdus Salam "Sharif": The interdisciplinary nature of our research greatly strengthens both its depth and impact. By connecting structure, processing, and properties, our work brings together synthesis chemistry, materials characterization, additive manufacturing, and engineering design within a single framework. This allows us to study materials not only from a fundamental perspective, but also in terms of how they can be manufactured and applied in real systems. Collaborations across disciplines, as well as with external universities and industry partners, add further value by providing complementary expertise, advanced tools, and application-driven perspectives that help translate scientific understanding into multifunctional, high-performance materials.
Dante Ribeiro: The research we do is fundamentally interdisciplinary. We combine concepts between mechanical engineering and materials science by designing multifunctional materials systems, such as polymer composites with induced actuation based on their material properties. This mixture of ideas allows for discoveries in unique domains of research and is a great way as an undergraduate to become an experienced researcher.
How does your lab enhance your student's education? Are there any ways that someone might find surprising?
Amirhossein Farahani:
In our lab, students master highly technical, industry-standard characterization tools early on. They are challenged to design independent, multi-step research plans rather than just following protocols. Surprisingly, students discover that our biopolymer training translates directly to the broader tech industry. The rigorous material analysis skills they develop are highly relevant to semiconductor and hardware engineering.
Mohammad Hossein Zamani: The lab provides a highly hands-on and integrative learning environment. Students are not limited to a single role. They gain experience in experimental design, formulation, data analysis, modeling, and even image processing. One aspect that might be surprising is how much emphasis we place on connecting theory to practice. For example, students don’t just learn rheology or transport theory in isolation, but they directly apply it to optimize printing processes and interpret real experimental results. Additionally, students are encouraged to take ownership of projects early on, which helps them develop independent thinking, problem formulation skills, and scientific communication abilities.
Zoubeida Ounaies: Our lab enhances students’ education by combining rigorous research training with interdisciplinary and collaborative learning. Students work across materials, mechanics, chemistry, and other areas, developing both deep technical expertise and the ability to think beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
A distinctive aspect of our lab is the strong emphasis on a collaborative, team-based environment. Students are not working in isolation; they actively engage in shared problem-solving, cross-project learning, and collective idea generation. They are also exposed early to peer mentoring, taking on roles that support and guide other students, which strengthens both their technical and leadership skills.
In addition, students benefit from a global research environment, engaging with international collaborators and perspectives that broaden their experience and prepare them to operate in an increasingly interconnected research landscape.
Dante Ribeiro: As a student in the lab, a surprising enhancement I have experienced from doing research is the connection between the topics studied in classes and the research I do. I find myself going through notes from classes occasionally to assist in my research, which is a great example of Penn State’s excellence in research and in student learning.
From the Students
How has the experience working in this lab helped with your education?
Mohammad Hossein Zamani: Working in this lab has significantly strengthened my ability to bridge theory to real world problem solutions. I’ve developed and validated machine learning models to predict material behavior from processing conditions, which deepened my understanding of both the underlying physics and data-driven approaches. At the same time, my work on 3D printing of magnetoactive elastomers has given me hands-on experience with rheology, process optimization, and material characterization. This combination has also improved my ability to translate complex results into real world problem solutions, including. Beyond technical skills, one of the most valuable benefits of this lab has been learning how to work effectively as part of a team. Our lab operates with multiple projects running in parallel toward a common goal, and being part of this environment has helped me develop strong communication and collaboration skills—whether it’s aligning efforts across different projects, sharing ideas, or supporting others while progressing my own work. Overall, this experience has helped me grow both as an independent researcher and as a reliable team member, which is essential for tackling complex engineering problems.
Amirhossein Farahani: Working in EMC lab completely bridges the gap between theoretical coursework and physical execution. For example, I learned how to systematically formulate and troubleshoot complex PEO and CNC composites from scratch. The lab culture is designed to teach the strategic side of academia, such as navigating the rigorous manuscript preparation and submission process. This targeted mentorship provides a clear roadmap where the students get challenged during their education and then need to develop their skills to ensure their work is published.
Dante Ribeiro: Working in EMCLab has supplemented my knowledge of materials physical responses, through the study of actuated materials. In addition, it gave me a great environment to learn responsibility outside of coursework through our lab meetings and individual presentations on our current research progress.
Kelly Brownstead: Working in the EMC lab has guided me in learning so many new skills. I have gained experience in both technical and professional skills like 3D printing, viscometry testing, composition testing, presenting, collaboration, and more. I have loved my experience in this lab not only for the expertise I have developed but for the community that this lab has built. Everyone wants the best for one another and is there to assist in other members learning wherever they can. It truly feels like a mini family and the support I feel from my fellow lab members and PI is truly impactful to my experience here at Penn State.
Sharif: Working in this lab has strengthened my ability to connect fundamental materials research with practical engineering applications. My work on PVDF–nanothread composites has helped me understand how processing influences structure and how that structure controls the electrical, mechanical, and thermal behavior of multifunctional materials. In parallel, my work on swirl-driven 3D printing has given me hands-on experience in advanced manufacturing, process optimization, and flow-controlled material design. Together, these projects have improved my ability to approach engineering problems from both a fundamental and application-oriented perspective while also strengthening my skills in collaboration, communication, and independent research.
How do you engage with industry, and create connections and collaborations? What are the benefits for both sides - your research and for the company?
We engage with industry through collaborative projects, internships, and research discussions focused on real manufacturing challenges. For example, industry partners are often interested in improving process reliability, material performance, or scaling up new technologies—areas where our modeling and experimental capabilities can provide insight.
For us, these collaborations ensure that our research remains practically relevant and impact-driven. For industry, the benefit is access to advanced tools, new methodologies (such as ML-guided design), and fundamental understanding that can accelerate innovation.
These partnerships often lead to a mutually beneficial cycle: industry provides real-world problems and constraints, while we provide novel solutions and deeper scientific understanding.
