People

David Cereceda

Faculty

Dr. David Cereceda is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University. Prior to this, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, within the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute where he investigated with Prof. Lori Graham-Brady the dynamic fragmentation of brittle materials under extreme loading conditions. Dr. Cereceda received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Polytechnic University of Madrid in 2015. His Ph.D. research, performed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California Los Angeles under the guidance of Prof. Jaime Marian and Prof. José Manuel Perlado, was focused on the multiscale modeling of body-centered cubic metals like tungsten.

His current research focuses on facilitating the discovery, development, and deployment of next-generation structural and bio-inspired materials by creating and validating computational models that leverage physically-based and data-driven techniques.

Besides his passion for research and education, you can find him exploring new hikes with his family, sailing on the Bay, or playing the clarinet.

Google Scholar

Md Rajib Khan Musa

Postdoc

Musa's research project focuses on studying the surface effects of tungsten-based plasma-facing materials through first-principles DFT calculations. Prior to joining the M4L Lab, Musa was a postdoc in Michele Pavanello’s group at Rutgers Newark. He obtained his Ph.D. in computational condensed matter
physics from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, working with Prof. Ming Yu.

Shashwat Maharjan

Ph.D. Candidate

Shashwat's research focuses on creating computational models for next-generation dental implant designs. He is also developing a computational method to predict stress fractures in athletes. Shashwat's work leverages the power of Machine Learning for innovative material design and discovery. Before joining Villanova University, he earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Mathematics minor from Central Michigan University. In his free time, Shashwat enjoys playing football and chess.

Aasif Majeed

Ph.D. Candidate

Aasif's research focuses on studying High-entropy alloys (HEAs) using DFT-based Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The primary focus of his research is to design and apply data-driven and machine-learning models for the accelerating discovery of these materials. Before joining this research group, he worked in computational condensed matter physics at the SCANMAT Centre, with Prof. P. Ravindran. In his free time, Aasif enjoys cooking and playing Music.

Jie Peng

Postdoc

Jie’s project aims at understanding the temperature effect on the structure and mechanical behavior of tungsten-based plasma-facing materials. Before joining the Villanova group, Jie obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and worked as a Postdoc at Purdue, both in the area of nanoscale heat transfer. In his spare time, he likes watching soccer games, playing tennis and badminton

Kritika Thakur

Ph.D. Candidate

My current research focuses on using density functional theory to calculate the mechanical properties of structural materials. In particular, I am studying how the mechanical properties of tungsten alloys change while exposed to first wall fusion conditions. In my free time, I enjoy discovering delectable food and exploring new cooking recipes.

Alumni

Daniel Wagner

Graduate student MSME Class of 2025

Daniel Wagner is pursuing a masters in Mechanical Engineering after receiving his B.S in Biomedical Engineering. His interests are in the fields of biomechanics, mechanical design, and machine learning. Outside of school, Daniel enjoys playing baseball and basketball and an avid Phillies sports fan.