Group Announcements
Announcements within the Olvera de la Cruz group
American Philosophical Society Induction
Nov 15, 2024 | Philadelphia, PA
Prof. Olvera was inducted as a member of the American Philosophical Society at the November 2024 General Meeting in Philadelphia. Congratulations!
Congratulations Hector!
Oct 14, 2024 | Evanston, il
Our graduate student, Hector Manuel Lopez de la Cerda Rios, successfully presented his thesis defense on October 14, 2024. Great work, Hector!
Congratulations Yang!
Sep 16, 2024 | Evanston, il
Our graduate student, Yang Li, successfully presented his thesis defense on September 16, 2024. Congrats, Yang!
Annual Kayaking Trip
July 11, 2024 | Evanston, il
Some of our lab members went to the Northwestern Sailing Center for their annual kayaking/paddleboarding group outing.
Congratulations Dingwen!
June 11, 2024 | Evanston, il
Our graduate student, Dingwen Qian, successfully presented his thesis defense on June 11th, 2024.
Well done, Dingwen!
Solar Eclipse 2024 with the Olvera Group
April 8, 2024 | Evanston, il
Some of our group members came out to see the solar eclipse. Super cool!
Thank you Ali and Cristina!
March 27, 2024 | Evanston, il
Professor Olvera hosted a dinner party for Ali and Cristina to thank them for their work. Ali successfully defended her thesis on March 25th, and Cristina was visiting us from Italy and had been working with us since October of 2023. Ali was such a pillar for our group and it is bittersweet to see her go, but we wish her the best. Cristina did amazing work with us and we were so happy to have been able to host her here in Evanston. Thank you both for everything, we will miss you dearly!
Hello new members, goodbye departing members
February 21, 2024 | Evanston, il
The Olvera Group took a group lunch at Mt. Everest Restaurant to welcome new members, Chuting, Vipin, Isaac, Sullivan, and Eden (who unfortunately couldn't make it, we missed you!). The group is also bidding farewell to Turash, who will be starting a new postdoc position at Johns Hopkins University, and Tiffany, who will be moving back to her hometown, working remotely for the group for the time being. Welcome to the new members and thank you Turash for your hard work!
Congratulations Professor Olvera!
October 23, 2023 | Evanston, il
Professor Olvera was selected to be the 2023/2024 Mulliken Lecturer at University of Chicago this fall. To honor the memory of Robert S. Mulliken, an exemplary scientist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemisty, this named lectureship is presented every other year by a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to chemistry. Professor Olvera had the honor of presenting a lecture this year and received the Robert S. Mulliken Award.
Congrats Yange Lin!
July 17, 2023 | Evanston, il
Yange presented his thesis defense on July 17th and has graduated from the group.
We're proud of you, Yange! Congrats!
Curt's Graduation Ceremony
June 12, 2023 | Evanston, il
Congrats Curt!
Joey's Thesis Defense
June 2, 2023 | Evanston, il
Joey has successfully presented his Thesis Defense and will be joining Argonne National Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Congrats Joey!
Hector at the Hilliard Symposium
May 18, 2023 | Evanston, IL
The MSE Hilliard Symposium is an annual capstone event highlighting the original research of senior graduate students. It helps to encourage communication between the department and the representatives of companies that support our work. Hector presented at this year's Hilliard Symposium.
Good work, Hector!
Congrats Curt!
May 12, 2023 | Evanston, IL
Curt has successfully presented his Thesis Defense and will be joining UChicago on the CCTCh Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
Great work, Curt, and good luck with your future endeavors!
Thank you, Alexandre!
Mar 31, 2023 | Evanston, IL
Professor Alexandre P. dos Santos visited us from Brazil and collaborated with the group at the beginning of 2023. We thank him for his hard work and wish him the best! Hopefully we will all meet again soon!
Congrats to Jeremy Wang!
Mar 1, 2023 | Evanston, IL
Our graduate student, Jeremy Wang, successfully presented his Thesis Defense on March 1, 2023. Please join us in congratulating him on this great achievement, and for accepting a position with the National Research Counsil Research Associateship Program.
We'll miss you Jeremy!
Award Winning Poster Presentation by Hector
Feb 27, 2023 | Evanston, IL
Our graduate student, Hector Lopez-Rios, won the "Outstanding Poster Presentation" award at the 2023 Gordon Research Conference on Complex Active and Adaptive Material Systems.
Congratulations to Hector!
Celebrating Dr. Hang Yuan's graduation
June 11, 2023 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations Hang!
Olvera Group 2022
April 21, 2022 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations Hang!
Olvera Group Party 2021
June 10, 2021 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations Hang!
Chase Brisbois wins the 2020 IIN Outstanding Researcher Award
Sep 30, 2020 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations, Chase! The winners will be recognized at the 2020 IIN Virtual Symposium on Thursday, October 29th.
Congratulations to Dr. Boran Ma
Nov 12, 2019 | Evanston, IL
Boran successfully defended her thesis on November 6th and will start her postdoctoral position with Prof. Cate Brinson at Duke University in January 2020. Congrats, Boran!
Professor Olvera de la Cruz at the "Nano Assembly 2040" workshop in Shanghai, China
Aug 6, 2019 | Evanston, IL
Prof. Olvera de la Cruz presented her talk titled "Self-assembly surprises in functionalized nanoparticles/colloids" on August 3, 2019 at the Grand Kempinski Hotel in Shanghai, China. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together leading academics from across the world to outline the future challenges and discoveries in hierarchical nanostructures and provide the roadmap to funding agencies and scientists interested in this area.
CCTSM co-hosts Distinguished Lecturer Professor Alfons van Blaaderen
July 5, 2019 | Evanston, IL
The Center for Computation and Theory of Soft Materials (CCTSM) co-hosted Prof. van Blaaderen as he presented his talk titled, "Surprises in the self-assembly of particles in spherical confinement" which describes his groups efforts to develop methodologies to structure matter at multiple length scales by Self-Assembly (SA).
Boran Ma wins the ACS Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation Award
June 20, 2019 | Evanston, IL
Boran won this award for her oral presentation on "Molecular Engineering of Interphases in Polymeric Materials”. Well done, Boran!
Happy Holidays from the Olvera group!
Dec 18, 2018 | Evanston, IL
We're wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Graduate student, Boran Ma, runs in the Chicago Marathon
oct 8, 2018 | Evanston, IL
Boran ran in the Chicago Marathon to raise money for Girls on the Run! She finished the race in 4:30:30 and raised $1,351 for the non-profit organization, that aims to inspire girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Well done Boran!
Olvera Group Summer BBQ
Aug 20, 2018 | Evanston, IL
On Aug 18th, the Olvera Group held a BBQ on the lakefront for past and present group members, as well as their extended families, to celebrate the successes of the past year!
Congratulations to Dr. Honghao Li
Aug 14, 2018 | Evanston, IL
Honghao successfully defended his thesis on August 9th and will start his Software Engineer position at Google in Mountain View, CA in the Fall. Congratulations, Honghao!
Congratulations to Dr. Martin Girard
July 11, 2018 | Evanston, IL
Martin successfully defended his thesis on July 10th and will start his postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, in Mainz, Germany in September. Congratulations, Martin!
Prof Olvera presents to members of Congress
July 10, 2018 | Evanston, IL
Prof Olvera presented to members of Congress the role that federally funded basic energy science has played in advancing technology over the past 40 years. Basic research and scientific facilities sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) have played a critical role over the past 40 years. In a presentation to members of Congress, Prof. Olvera de la Cruz and other scientists discussed the critical role basic science has played in the development of a wide range of present-day technologies. A report titled, A Remarkable Return on Investment in Fundamental Research, released by the Basic Energy Science Advisory Committee, of which Prof. Olvera de la Cruz is a member, explores the connections between DOE-sponsored fundamental research in fields such as physics, materials science, and chemistry and the present-day technologies in information and other fields that pervade our lives. The critical role of DOE in these technological advances ranges from LED lighting and smartphone communications to more efficient internal combustion engines and lighter vehicles.
Congrats to our Grads!
June 25, 2018 | Evanston, IL
Two of our graduate students, Ha-Kyung Kwon and Saijie Pan, celebrated their graduation at Northwestern's 160th Commencement ceremony on June 22nd. Congratulations, Ha-Kyung and Saijie!
Prof Olvera presents the BOSE-125 Distinguished Lecture in Kolkata, India
Jan 5, 2018 | Evanston, IL
Prof. Olvera gave a talk titled "Controlling Nanoparticle Assembly" on Jan 3rd, 2018, at the S. N. Bose Nationl Center for Basic Sciences in Kolkata, India to celebrate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Professor Satyendra Nath Bose.
Congratulations Dr. Shuangping Liu!
Dec 11, 2017 | Evanston, IL
Shuangping successfully defended his thesis on Nov 13th. Congratulations, Shuangping!
Prof Olvera at the 7th ACS-PMSE/CCS-PD Joint Symposium
Nov 6, 2017 | Evanston, IL
Prof Olvera presented work by the group, titled "Polymer Electrolytes", at the joint symposium on Frontiers in Polymer Science and Engineering in Chengdu, China.
Ha-Kyung Kwon awarded the Weertman Doctoral Fellowship
Nov 2, 2017 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations to Ha-Kyung who has been awarded the Weertman Doctoral Fellowship! The Weertman Doctoral Fellowship is a prestigious achievement-based award that recognizes Ph.D. candidates in materials science and engineering for her or his outstanding scholarly achievements and promise.
Prof Olvera attends the American Conference on Theoretical Chemistry in Boston, MA
Aug 18, 2017 | Evanston, IL
Prof Olvera presented work by the group, titled "Polymer Electrolytes Thermodynamics and Microstructures" at the ACTC Conference in Boston in July.
Prof Olvera is awarded the 2017 Polymer Physics Prize
Mar 21, 2017 | Evanston, IL
The prestigious award honors her contributions to the theorectical understanding of polymers. Read more in the Northwestern University "News from McCormick" press release. Congratulations, Prof Olvera!
Dr. Peijun Guo awarded the Enrico Fermi Named Fellowship
Dec 15, 2016 | Evanston, IL
Peijun, a former Master's student of the group, has been awarded this prestigious fellowship by Argonne National Laboratory. Congratulations, Peijun!
Congratulations, Dr. Yufei Jing
Dec 15, 2016 | Evanston, IL
Yufei successfully defended his thesis on Nov 16th. Congratulations, Yufei!
Congratulations to Dr. Joshua Dempster
Dec 15, 2016 | Evanston, IL
Josh successfully defended his thesis on Sept 27th and has accepted a position at the Broad Institute, Boston. Congratulations, Josh!
Congratulations Dr. Srikanth Patala
Oct 14, 2015 | Evanston, IL
Srikanth, a former postdoc in the group has been choosen as the recipient of this years prestigious AFOSR Young Investigator Award. Srikanth is an Assitant Professor in the Department of Materials Scince and Engineering at North Carolina State University. Congratulations, Srikanth!
Congratulations Jos Zwanikken
Sep 3, 2015 | Evanston, IL
Jos was offered the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Massechusetts Lowell. We wish him all the best in his new job!
Prof Olvera visits the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Sep 3, 2015 | Evanston, IL
Prof Olvera was invited as a distinguished speaker to give a talk at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in August.
2015 CBES Symposium
Sep 3, 2015 | Evanston, IL
Members of the group attended the CBES symposium in July to discuss their ongoing research.
Group BBQ
Sep 3, 2015 | Evanston, IL
To celebrate the end of summer and to wish Niels the very best in his new position, the group held a BBQ down by the lake.
Ting Li graduates from Materials Science and Engineering
Sep 3, 2015 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations to Dr. Ting Li who successfully defended her Ph.D. and graduated in June. The group went for dinner to celebrate and wish her the very best in her new job.
Charles Sing named as one of Forbes "30 under 30" in Science
Jan 9, 2015 | Evanston, IL
Congratulations to former postdoc Charles Sing who has been named by Forbes as one of 2015's top '30 Under 30' for Science. Charles recently started as an Assistant Professor as the University of Chicago at Urbana-Champaign.
Summer Group Hike
Sep 3, 2014 | Evanston, IL
Members of the group enjoy a sunny day of hiking in Illinois, organized by Aykut.
Prof Olvera is invited by President Shapiro to speak at Northwestern's We Will Kick-Off Campaign
Mar 14, 2014 | Evanston, IL
Monica was invited to discuss the universities continuing drive for discovery and creativity as part of the We Will fundraising campaign on March 14, 2014.
Charles Sing is awarded the Inaugural International Institute of Nanotechnology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Sep 12, 2012 | Evanston, IL
Charles completed his PhD at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, and will use the prestiguous IIN fellowship to pursue his interest in designing polymer systems with bio-inspired concepts in the group of Prof. Olvera de la Cruz at Northwestern University.
Ting Li named a Ryan Fellow at Northwestern University
July 17, 2012 | Evanston, IL
Ting, advised by Prof. Olvera de la Cruz, is one of a very select group of graduate students at Northwestern who have been offered this prestigious award. The Ryan Fellowship, made possible by a generous donation from Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan, supports graduate students dedicated to the exploration of fundamental nanoscale science and to advancing this knowledge into practical applications of benefit to society.
Dr. Chloe Funkhouser awarded the Poster Prize for "Most Novel Project" at the 12th Biennial GRC
Sep 3, 2014 | Evanston, IL
The 12th biennial Gordon Conference on Intermediate Filaments focused on exciting topics of interest to cell biologists, researchers engaged in biomedical research, physicists and engineers in this rapidly growing field of research. Emphasis was placed on the structure and function of the large number of proteins that polymerize into dynamic cytoskeletal and nucleoskeletal networks. Dr. Chloe Funkhouser, a postdoctoral fellow in the Olvera de la Cruz group, was awarded the Poster Prize for "Most Novel Project" for her poster entitled "Modeling and Simulations of the Nuclear Lamina: Nuclear Blebbing"at the Gordon Research Conference on Intermediate Filaments.
Prof Olvera receives career recognition from the government of Acapulco
Oct 12, 2010 | Evanston, IL
Prof. Monica Olvera de la Cruz receives career recognition from the government of Acapulco for her contributions to mathematical physics. (pictured left: Ms. Jessica Garcia Rojas, Head of Tourism Board)
Welcoming MRSEC-PREM Summer Research Students
June 15, 2010 | Evanston, IL
Prof Olvera welcomes MRSEC-PREM research student Hector Barronescobar from the group of Prof Miguel Jose Yacaman
Prof Olvera receives 2007 Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS
June 19, 2009 | Evanston, IL
Prof Olvera and Graziano Vernizzi receive the 2007 Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS.