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Our People

LMAPS welcomes motivated undergraduate students and visiting scholars to join our team.
PhD Opportunity in Materials for Energy Storage: LMAPS is seeking a highly motivated PhD student (U.S. citizenship required) to join our research team.

Golareh Jalilvand, PhD.

Assistant Professor

Principal Investigator

Dr. Golareh Jalilvand is the Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Materials Properties and Structures (LMaPS). Her research lies at the intersection of electrochemical engineering and materials science, with a focus on understanding how materials dynamically evolve under electrochemical operation. She is particularly interested in conversion redox reactions and studies the coupling between multiscale material structures and phase evolution, examining how chemical, structural, and mechanical properties change in operando.

(803) 576-8359

jalilvand@sc.edu

Postdoctoral Assistants

Graduate Research Assistants

Hunter McRay

PhD Candidate

Hunter is a Ph.D. candidate in LMAPS at the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining LMAPS, he earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from USC, graduating magna cum laude in December 2022. His work focuses on chemical, electrochemical, and structural evolution of materials for lithium ion batteries, with expertise in LFP/LMFP cathode chemistries, cellulose-based materials, and degradation mechanisms in lithium metal systems.

hmcray@email.sc.edu

Kaushek Rahul Ilancheran

PhD Student

Kaushek is a Ph.D. student in LMAPS at the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining the group, he earned his B.S. in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering from CSIR–Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) in 2023. His work focuses on lithium–sulfur battery systems, with expertise in catalyst synthesis for enhancing conversion reactions, electrolyte chemistry, and cathode architectures.

Ilanchek@email.sc.edu

Aishwarya Muthuraman

PhD Student

Aishwarya is a Ph.D. student in LMAPS at the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining USC, she earned her M.Sc. in Energy Science and Engineering from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST), South Korea, in 2024, and her B.S. in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering from CSIR–Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), India, in 2020. Her work focuses on alternative electrolyte chemistries for lithium–sulfur batteries, with expertise in solvation structures and electrode–electrolyte interphases evolutions.

muthuraa@email.sc.edu

Hari Haran Udhayakumar

PhD Student

Hari is a Ph.D. student in the LMAPS group at the University of South Carolina (USC). Prior to joining USC, he earned his M.S. in Energy Convergence Engineering from the Korea National University of Transportation in 2024 and his B.Tech in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering from CSIR–Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), India, in 2021. Following his undergraduate studies, he worked at India’s national research organization, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). His work focuses on uncovering the fundamental mechanisms of redox reactions in conversion-based battery systems, particularly lithium–sulfur batteries, with expertise in electrochemical characterization techniques.

udhayakh@email.sc.edu

Matthew Gentile

PhD Student

Matthew Gentile is a Ph.D. student in LMAPS at the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining the group, he earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Alabama, graduating summa cum laude in May 2025. His work focuses on recycling critical battery materials using novel dry approaches, with expertise in materials chemistry, crystal structure evolution and recycling and upcycling strategies.

MMG29@email.sc.edu

Victoria Colon-LaBorde

PhD Student

Victoria is a Ph.D. student in LMAPS at the University of South Carolina. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina Honors College in May 2026, where she was recognized as the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing’s Outstanding Senior Student. Her work focuses on flexible, high-energy-density batteries and battery materials upcycling, with expertise in flexible energy storage systems, and pouch cell design.

colonlav@email.sc.edu

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Kyra Burton

Kyra Burton is an undergraduate researcher in LMAPS, where she has been a member since 2023. Her work focuses on gel polymer electrolytes for flexible lithium–sulfur batteries, with an emphasis on enabling sustainable and flexible energy storage technologies.

burtonkh@email.sc.edu

Ethan Grazulis

Ethan is an undergraduate researcher in LMAPS who joined the group in 2025. He works on catalytic materials for lithium–sulfur batteries, with a focus on improving conversion reactions and redox kinetics.

grazulis@email.sc.edu

Douglas Reid

Douglas is an undergraduate researcher in LMAPS who joined the group in 2025. He works on sodium-ion battery cathode and anode materials, focusing on developing domestically supplied carbons.

dcreid@email.sc.edu

William Robles

William is an undergraduate researcher in LMAPS who joined the group in 2026. He works on developing new chemistries for next-generation battery systems.

WROBLES@email.sc.edu

Zoe Gainey

Zoe is an undergraduate researcher in LMAPS who joined the group in 2026. She works on developing new chemistries for next-generation battery systems.

ZGAINEY@email.sc.edu