Introduce yourself to the ‘Meet the Students’ page to discover the PhD talents driving the PRISMAS project forward. Get to know these bright minds from diverse Swedish universities, each making innovative strides in synchrotron methods and applications.
Students from Lund University
Nishant Patel
Lund University, Sweden
Operando X-ray spectroscopy of semiconductor nanostructure devices
My expertise lies in Chemistry and Material Science, with a focus on in-situ X-ray Absorption spectroscopy of zeolites for the conversion of lighter alkanes. I’m currently involved in the PRISMAS project, which centers on Operando X-ray characterization of semiconductor nanostructure devices.
Email:
nishant.patel@sljus.lu.se
Antonios Myridakis
Lund University, Sweden
I am a highly motivated young researcher who wishes to study fungi and their interactions with soil and other microorganisms. For my PhD project I will investigate how peatland ditching affects the mobilization of dissolved organic carbon and iron to surface waters, with an emphasis on the role on fungal communities on this process.
Email:
antonios.myridakis@biol.lu.se
Gayathri Yuvaraj
Lund University, Sweden
Development and applications of quantum refinement for time-resolved crystallography
Hi all, I’m Gayathri Yuvaraj from India. I work at Lund University in the Computational chemistry division. My background expertise includes Computational chemistry, X-ray crystallography, and Drug design & discovery.
Email:
gayathri.yuvaraj@compchem.lu.se
Evelina Gorjatšova
Lund University, Sweden
Closing the Loop: Chemical Speciation using XAS a Key for Safe Secondary Use of Materials
My background is in chemistry, specializing in analytical chemistry during my master’s in Amsterdam. I am a PhD student at Lund University in the division of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology. My project is focused on investigating chemical forms of trace metals in the residual waste streams and in products from secondary materials using X-ray absorption spectroscopy.
Email: evelina.gorjatsova@design.lth.se
Nitisha Narendra Gurav
Lund University, Sweden
With a background in Pharmacy and Biotechnology, specialising in protein purification, I am a doctoral student at the Department of Experimental Medical Science. My research employs time-resolved X-ray crystallography to elucidate the mechanism of Urocanate reductase, potentially uncovering a new therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes treatment.
Email:
nitisha_narendra.gurav@med.lu.se
Hariprasad Parayil Kalapurackal
Lund University, Sweden
Time-resolved APXPS for the investigation of atomic layer deposition
Hej! I’m Hari, a PhD student at the Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research in the Department of Physics at Lund University. I have a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Physics and have previously worked with polymers, nanoparticles, and thin films. My goal is to blend my interdisciplinary research interests with my physics studies. Currently, I’m focusing on using time-resolved ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to investigate atomic layer deposition.
Email:
hariprasad.p@sljus.lu.se
Students from Stockholm University
Iason Andronis
Stockholm University, Sweden
Resolving microsecond nanoscale fluctuations with X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy at MAX IV
In my prior experience, I delved into the study of nonlinear bosonic systems, employing machine learning tools to optimize parameters for specific resonant conditions within one-dimensional chains. Currently, my PhD research centers around resolving microsecond-scale fluctuations at the nanoscale in water solutions. The goal is to explore the impact of heterogeneity within these solutions.
Email:
iason.andronis@fysik.su.se
Prajakta Manal
Stockholm University, Sweden
A doctoral student at Stockholm University, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (SUSMATCHEM-MMK group) with an Inorganic Chemistry background, my expertise lies in Materials and Sustainable Chemistry, which involves synthesizing and characterizing materials with microscopic and spectroscopic tools such as FE-SEM, TEM, XRD, UV-Vis, and FT-IR. Being part of the prestigious PRISMAS program student my research is focused on the synthesis of Lignin-metal nanoparticles and the investigation of their structural and morphological properties as they form, using a Synchrotron light source and small-angle X-ray scattering.
Email:
prajakta.manal@mmk.su.se
Senuri Kumarage
Stockholm University, Sweden
With a solid foundation in biodegradable polymers and nanomaterials synthesis, acquired through my undergraduate and master’s research, I specialize in developing sustainable materials from bio-based sources. My PhD research focuses on utilizing nanocellulose-based materials for water treatment applications, aiming to uncover surface interactions, structural dynamics, and chemistry through in-situ studies using synchrotron techniques, under the guidance of Professor Aji P. Mathew at Stockholm University.
Email:
senuri.kumarage@mmk.su.se
Julian Marius Ludäscher
Stockholm University, Sweden
Structure-based fragment screening targeting Cancer
I am German and did my Bachelor and Master of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Greifswald, Germany, specialising in structural biology. My PhD in Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, focuses on structure-based development of anticancer drugs, including various biochemical methods, but especially structural biology, e.g. high-throughput crystallographic fragment screening at MAX IV, Lund.
Email:
julian.ludascher@dbb.su.se
Hirad Salari
Stockholm University, Sweden
I have B.Sc. and M.Sc. in materials science and engineering from university of Tehran and my area of expertise was on the electrochemical characterization of solid oxide cells. Currently, I am a PhD student in the context of PRISMAS program and at the Stockholm University working on fundamental evaluation of electrocatalyst materials for CO2 reduction reaction.
Email:
Hirad.salari@fysik.su.se
Students from Uppsala University
Ouassim Hocine Hafiani
Uppsala University, Sweden
Radiosensitization for radiation therapy – X-ray induced fragmentation in DNA
Hey! I’m Ouassim, a new PhD student at Uppsala University. My background in radiation and medical physics, plus my experience in clinical radiotherapy, has ignited my passion for projects like PRISMAS. My research focuses on using high-Z biomolecules to boost radiation doses within tumor cells. This has the potential to improve patient outcomes and treatment precision – something I’m truly driven by. I’m thrilled to be part of the groundbreaking work within PRISMAS and at Max IV Laboratory.
Email:
ouassim.hocine@physics.uu.se
Daniel Rainer
Uppsala University, Sweden
Using NanoMAX to understand Additive manufacturing of rare-earth-free permanent magnets
Back home in Austria, I studied Materials Science at Montanuniversität Leoben. As a student worker I gained experience with characterization of steels and coatings. A big part of my work dealt with Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and the corresponding data analysis. In my current PRISMAS project, I am exploring the potential of using laser powder bed fusion to fabricate rare-earth-free permanent magnets. The goal is to deepen the knowledge in controlling the anisotropic properties which is crucial to optimize the magnetic performance and to fabricate a more sustainable alternative to traditional rare-earth magnets. I will mainly work with laser powder bed fusion, microscopy (SEM, EBSD/EDS, TEM) as well as x-ray diffraction and more sophisticated methods such as x-ray nanoprobe imaging and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD).
Email:
daniel.rainer@kemi.uu.se
Varun Raj Damerla
Uppsala University, Sweden
In-situ corrosion in complex alloys
I am a PRISMAS PhD student at Uppsala University in the department of Physics and Astronomy within the division of X-ray Photon Science. My research is based on the study of corrosion of alloys using a combination of in-situ Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (AP-XPS) and electrochemical methods.
Email:
varun.damerla@physics.uu.se
Philip Ullmann
Uppsala University, Sweden
Structure-guided design of antiviral agents targeting coronaviruses
After completing my Master’s at the University of Heidelberg and the EMBL in Molecular Biosciences, I joined the PRISMAS program to study structure determination methods and computational prediction of protein-ligand binding.
My doctoral thesis will be focused on exploring compound interactions in enzymatic binding pockets. I will combine the structural information from the BioMax beamline at MAXIV with the development of computational methods to efficiently iterate through chemical space accelerating Fragment-Based Drug Discovery.
Email:
philip.ullmann@icm.uu.se
Students from Umeå University
Jeenu Jegy
Umeå University, Sweden
How could oxidation state and local structure of chromium affect strategies for phosphorus recovery?
My background is in Physics during my master’s. I am a PhD student at the Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umeå University. My research focuses on synchrotron-based studies for the determination of oxidation state of chromium that may impact phosphorus recovery from ashes or biochars.
Email:
jeenu.jegy@umu.se