People
Faculty
Seth Fraden is a Fellow of the American Physics Society, and has been the director of the Brandeis Materials Science Research and Engineering Center since 2011. His research group focuses on four core areas: non-linear chemical dynamics, active matter, microfluidics technology, and colloidal self-assembly. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Brandeis University and holds a B.A. in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jonathan Krones is Brandeis's first professor of engineering. He came to Brandeis in the summer of 2024 from Boston College, where he helped to launch their new Human-Centered Engineering program in 2021. His research in the field of industrial ecology focuses on environmentally sustainable materials systems with a focus on solid waste management and the circular economy. Jonathan holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Systems and an S.B. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Earth Resources Engineering from Columbia University.
Avital Rodal is a Senior Investigator in the Brandeis Materials Science Research and Engineering Center. Her research is centered on intracellular transport in the nervous system. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and B.S. degrees in Biology and Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ben Rogers is leader of the Brandeis Materials Science Research and Engineering Center's “Self-limited assembly” interdisciplinary research group. His research is aimed at uncovering the fundamental physical principles governing dynamic pathways for the self-assembly and self-organization of materials and living systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.
lan Roy is the Executive Director of Design and Innovation at Brandeis University and has an endowed faculty appointment as the inaugural Robert I. Mallet Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Business. In his staff role he collaborates closely with the Senior Leadership team in the Brandeis Library, and as Faculty he has built and taught classes in Business, Engineering, and Anthropology.
Ian's team, Brandeis Design and Innovation department (BDI), builds and manages maker spaces, emerging technology, and digital scholarship tools across campus. To address the University's growing need to embed technology and digital literacies in teaching, learning and research, BDI provides services that faculty can adopt for class and research usage and students can engage in experiential learning inside and outside of the classroom. The BDI team manages several maker spaces at Brandeis University: The Brandeis MakerLab, The Automation Lab, the Digital Scholarship Lab, the 3D Printer Farm, and the Engineering Classroom.
Undergraduate Departmental Representative
Vincent is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Biology. He's been working for the MakerLab since his first semester, and is thrilled to be helping build up Brandeis Engineering for future students. Vincent is a computational neuroscience and data analysis fellow in the Katz lab, which studies neural ensemble dynamics, primarily in Gustatory Cortex (GC). His thesis research is focused on understanding differences in state and intra-state dynamics in GC in awake rodents during taste processing. Outside the lab, Vincent is a member of the E-board for Deis Robotics (he's involved in combat robotics, driving Drumblbee at NHRL), an Engineering TA, emeritus project manager of DeisHacks, and a violinist with the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra. He hopes to pursue an MD/PhD in neuroscience, and is interested in the intersection between neuroscience and electrical engineering.
Feel free to reach out to Vincent to chat about engineering, neuroscience, music, combat robotics, cooking, or chatting in general. He loves to work with students, and is always excited to help turn ideas into reality at the MakerLab.