Team

Professor McBride received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, her MS in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to joining UPenn as an assistant professor in 2024, she worked at Princeton University as a Presidential Postdoctoral fellow under Professor Howard Stone. Her research interests lie at the intersection of water chemistry, transport phenomena, and interfacial engineering. She is passionate about water and sustainability and maintains involvement in sustainability, advocacy, and education projects outside of her research. Her other interests include microgravity research, water technologies for long-term human spaceflight, patterning phenomena and using art for science communications. She is the recipient of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics Milton van Dyke Award, the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Orr-Reynolds Distinguished Service Award, the Meredith Kamm Memorial Award for excellence in graduate studies, and a Mistletoe Research Fellowship.

Greg is a postdoctoral researcher who holds a B.S. in biochemistry, an M.S. in chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His doctoral research focused on the dynamic switching of interfacial phenomena for heat transfer and water management. Greg's research interests include wettability, nanomaterials, thermal systems, and heat transfer, with a strong passion for combating the global water crisis and improving worldwide water quality. He was awarded a Fulbright research fellowship in Poland, where he developed fog water harvesters using responsive electrospun membranes. Greg has teaching experience as a TA for general chemistry, mechanical systems lab, and thermodynamics, and has worked as a quality control scientist in FDA-regulated pharmaceutical labs. He is the recipient of the Founders Award for Excellence, the William R. Osgood Fellowship in mechanical engineering, and the Paul Ander Award for Academic Excellence.

Derek is a research scientist with a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also holds a dual Ph.D. minor in Soil Science and Life Science Communication. A former sailor and Coast Guard officer, Derek is deeply passionate about water security and is dedicated to developing technologies for identifying and remediating microplastics in the environment. His doctoral research uniquely combines his love for photography with environmental chemistry, focusing on creating automated tools for the detection and identification of microplastics using fluorescence imaging with Nile Red staining. For his master’s research, Derek investigated improving biogas yield through the application of the white rot fungus C. subvermispora on dairy manure. Believing in the importance of communicating science beyond the laboratory, Derek has collaborated with Sea Grant to develop educational kits, including an interactive tabletop activity called “Plastic Panic!” designed to teach K-12 students about microplastics in wastewater treatment plants. Currently, 23 of these kits are circulating throughout the Great Lakes states. Beyond the lab, Derek engages with the community through his handle “Paradoxically Plastic,” where he shares insights into his complex relationship with plastics, showcasing both his educational initiatives and personal interests related to this pressing environmental issue. [Pictured are his late parakeet - Bloo and Parry]

Rebecca Jiuhe Shi is a first-year Ph.D. Student in MEAM department. Her research focuses on integrating interfacial science and microfluidics to develop innovative solutions for environmental sustainability. Before joining the McBride Lab in 2024 Fall, Rebecca obtained her M.S. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University in 2024, and her B.S. in Environmental Engineering through a dual-degree program between Beijing Jiaotong University and Lancaster University in 2022. Her master’s work at Columbia concentrated on CCUS and resource recovery. She investigated the kinetics of carbon mineralization involving olivine and magnesite. Additionally, she worked on a DOE-funded project focused on metal recovery using polymeric hybrid functional materials. She successfully enabled the carbonation of Ca/Mg-rich leachate and achieved a high metal separation and adsorption percentage. Now at Penn, Rebecca is excited to explore the intersection of interfacial phenomena and environmental engineering aiming to address environmental challenges. Outside the lab, Rebecca is passionate about music and traveling. She is a singer and a piano player and has explored over 15 countries and 80 cities worldwide. Also, she loves going back to China to visit family and friends in her hometown Harbin, which according to her, has some of the most beautiful ice & snow sculptures in the world!

Felwa is a second-year MEAM Master’s student, holding a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Alfaisal University in Riyadh. During her undergraduate studies, Felwa interned at Bechtel Corporation, Saudi Aramco, and the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. She also led Alfaisal University’s Shell Eco Marathon team, tutored several courses in Physics and Mathematics, and served as the leader of the Academics team in the Engineering Student Association. Being the only female in her Mechanical Engineering batch inspired Felwa to become one of the founding board members of the first Saudi Women Engineers Society. Additionally, she holds the position of Vice President at Wathba, a Saudi youth community that enables and matches youth with qualified mentors. Felwa worked at NEOM, managing water projects for two years and is currently on a scholarship to pursue graduate studies in the technological advancements of renewable energy and water sustainability. Her interests in education, sustainability, and science drive her to pursue interdisciplinary research opportunities generally, and in fluid mechanics specifically, at UPenn.

Rehan Kumar is a master's student in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. His academic excellence and commitment to innovation have earned him highest honors in his undergraduate studies, and he continues to drive progress in the field of mechanical engineering. With his strong background in thermal systems and heat transfer equipment design, Rehan developed a novel water cum air-cooled condenser for tropical climates that harvests water from the evaporator, resulting in a 5% increase in electrical efficiency. He explores heat transfer associated with salt crystal formation from evaporation of saline droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces in the McBride Lab. Currently, he is expanding his expertise in micro- and nano-fabrication techniques at the Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility, mastering various etching and deposition tools to create diverse micro- and nano-textures with tailored surface morphologies and wetting properties, further enhancing his research capabilities. Proficient in a range of computer-aided engineering tools, Rehan is driven to innovate sustainable solutions for real-world challenges.

Samantha is a sophomore in the M&T program studying Materials Science & Engineering and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. With a lifelong passion for leveraging technology to solve global problems, prior to entering Penn, Samantha built numerous projects and ventures in blockchain, AI, hardware, chemistry, and materials that won international innovation prizes and thousands in seed funding; founded and scaled a women in STEM non-profit to reach 33K+ girls in 84+ countries; and represented Team Canada at the 2022 International Chemistry Olympiad; and for her work as a young, female technology entrepreneur, has been recognized by Forbes, IBM, Nikkei, and various 25 Under 25 lists. Samantha's research interests lie at the intersection of materials chemistry and sustainable development, including bio-based and bio-inspired materials, biopolymers, soft matter, smart materials, waste valorization, water purification, and other issues at the water-food-energy nexus. Her ultimate goal for the future is to build a startup combining nature-inspired processes with high-tech computational advances to design a more sustainable future.

Joey Wu is a Taiwanese-American scientist in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) studying bioengineering and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the founder of Waterroots, a nonprofit based on water safety education supported by the Philadelphia Water Department, Clinton Global Initiative, Millennium Fellowship, Stroud Water Research Center, and Water Center at Penn. Joey is an active climate activist, organizing events for Save the Meadows movements, acting as a Penn Climate Speaker, the Special Projects head of Toxisense, the deputy director of research for Climate Cardinals, and a member of SAGE (student advisory group for the environment). As the North America representative for the Tunza Ecological Ambassador program, Joey seeks to use open communication and interdisciplinary partnerships to fight climate change; harnessing volunteering and youth initiatives, he seeks to alleviate global famine and water insecurity.