SMART-Lab
Smart Materials for Advanced Robotic Technologies
Principal Investigator
Hamed Shahsavan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Education
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PhD, University of Waterloo, 2017
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MASc, University of Waterloo, 2012
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BSc, Sharif University of Technology, 2009
Appointments
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Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo , Canada (2020-present)
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NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany (2017-2020)
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Visiting Scholar, Tampere University, Finland (2018)
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Visiting Scholar, Kent State University, USA (2015-2017)
Dr. Hamed Shahsavan is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He obtained his PhD in chemical engineering and nanotechnology from the University of Waterloo in 2017. In his graduate studies, Dr. Shahsavan's research was focused on the fabrication and characterization of bioinspired micro/nanostructured surfaces and their implications in fundamental studies of contact mechanics, and interfacial phenomena, such as adhesion, friction, and wetting. Fascinated by the rapidly growing fields of soft robotics and smart materials, he moved to Stuttgart in Germany, to embark on his postdoctoral research as an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. In this period, he mainly focused on the synthesis of different types of liquid crystalline elastomers, networks and gels to deploy them as shape-change programmable materials in soft robots and devices at millimeter to micrometer scale. During his PhD studies, Dr. Shahsavan was a visiting scholar in the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, OH, USA. He was also a visiting scientist in the Smart Photonic Materials (SPM) research group at the University of Tampere in Finland. His current research interests revolve around the development of a variety of soft, stimuli-responsive, and programmable materials, and different fabrication methods for the manufacturing of small-scale mobile robots and devices.
Graduate Students
Yasaman Maddah
PhD Student
Yasaman has received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in 2019. Her master’s project was based on synthesizing a new hyper-branched structure of polyolefins and its subsequent rheological characterization. She currently works on synthesis and characterization of novel liquid crystal elastomers as her Ph.D. project.
Negin Bouzari
PhD Student
Negin received her B.Sc. in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran, Iran) in 2020. She has previously worked on modeling and analyzing different types of spiral dies used in blown film extrusion. She received her MASc from University of Waterloo in 2023 and her research was focused on self-healing, programmable hydrogels for soft robotic applications.
Negar Rajabi
PhD Student
Negar received her master's degree in Materials Engineering from Isfahan University of Technology in 2019. Her master project was based on the synthesis and characterization of an adhesive and injectable nanocomposite hydrogel as a potential surgical sealant. She currently works on stimuli-responsive smart materials.
Ian Kuula Ross
MASc Student
Ian has a BSc in Nanotechnology Engineering from University of Waterloo, where he developed a novel approach for magnetic control in micro-robotic systems. His research interests include electromagnetism, physical chemistry, robotics, and control systems. At the SMART-Lab he will explore the integration of his electromagnetic system with state-of-the-art smart materials.
Matthew Scarfo
MASc Student
Matthew is an incoming MASc student in Chemical Engineering, currently finishing his undergraduate in Nanotechnology Engineering. His research experiences have involved the formulation, characterization, and reverse engineering of composites, such as CNTs inks and commercial plastics.
Irving Hafed Tejedor
MASc Student
Irving Hafed Tejedor is a future graduate student in the Chemical Engineering program at the University of waterloo. Irving earned his BASc in Industrial Chemical Technology in the university of Panama in 2022. His research experiences have involved in the dentification of synthetic sweetener methods by HPLC in a flavor company.
Undergraduate Students
Melanie Bouzanne
Undergraduate RA
Melanie is a second-year Nanoscience student. She is currently working on hydrogel synthesis and characterization for application in soft robot technology.
Cole Fredericks
Undergraduate RA
Cole Fredericks is currently an undergraduate student in the Chemical Engineering program at the University of Waterloo. His research experiences have involved the development and characterization of commercial thermoplastic and protective nanoceramic coating formulations.
Micahel Ali
Undergraduate RA
Micahel Ali is a second-year Nanotechnology Engineering student. He is currently working on hydrogel synthesis and characterization for application in soft robot technology.
Maham Khan
Undergraduate RA
Maham Khan is a 2nd year Nanotechnology Engineering student. She is currently assisting in the research of stimuli-responsive smart materials.
Hiba Fatima
Undergraduate RA
Hiba Fatima is a 2B Nanotechnology Engineering student working on the synthesis of electroactive liquid crystal elastomers.
Undergraduate RA
Christopher Vuong
Undergraduate RA
Christopher Vuong is a Nanotechnology Engineering student at the University of Waterloo entering his 2A term. Prior to pursuing this degree, he earned a diploma in Electrical Engineering Technology and has worked in the industry for 3 years at several start-ups, including at the University of Waterloo. His work primarily focused on embedded system design and data architecture.