BIDMaP is pleased to welcome six outstanding postdoctoral fellows whose expertise in materials science, chemistry, computation, and AI will accelerate discovery across Berkeley and beyond. Fellows are central to BIDMaP’s mission: they advance independent research, spark cross-disciplinary collaborations, mentor students, and help knit together campus expertise to tackle ambitious scientific challenges.
Executive Director Sarah Jones emphasized, “Our postdoctoral fellows are catalysts for discovery and connection. They bring energy and creativity that ripple across Berkeley and shape the next generation of scientific leaders. Their impact is clear in the roles they take after their fellowships—BIDMaP alumni are now advancing science in universities worldwide, startups, and industry, translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact.” Faculty Director Christian Borgs added, “BIDMaP fellows have a unique freedom to explore bold ideas in computation and the sciences. Their curiosity and scientific ambition make them essential to our progress."
These qualities ensure that the fellows’ arrival is cause for celebration: they not only advance high-impact research right away but also contribute to sustained institutional momentum—training students, launching interdisciplinary projects, and translating data-driven discoveries into real-world impact. This vision builds on Co-Director and Chief Scientist Omar Yaghi’s call to create a new discipline at the boundary of AI and science.
“BIDMaP fellows embody the spirit of interdisciplinary innovation," said Jennifer Chayes, Dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. "They strengthen Berkeley’s role as a hub for AI and data-driven science, while preparing to lead in academia and industry worldwide.”
Colin Bundschu
Colin Bundschu’s work focuses on the high-throughput theoretical characterization of order and disorder in functional materials. He earned his PhD in Applied Physics from Cornell University, where he developed DFT and machine-learning workflows to study the oxygen reduction reaction on spinel oxides. At BIDMaP, Colin combines advanced computational methods and automated pipelines to examine how atomic-scale ordering influences materials properties and to accelerate the design of next-generation catalysts and functional oxides.
Mihail R. Krumov
Mihail R. Krumov is an electrochemist by training who specializes in scanning electrochemical probe microscopy. He received his PhD in Chemistry under Prof. Héctor D. Abruña at Cornell University, where his work focused on resolving the dynamic evolution of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in lithium metal batteries under operating conditions. At BIDMaP, Mihail’s postdoctoral efforts include elucidating the effects of Cu nanocatalyst particle-particle interactions on in-situ catalyst structure evolution and CO₂ reduction mechanisms, and developing methods for high-throughput electrochemical characterization of novel high-entropy nanocatalysts paired with machine-learning workflows to accelerate discovery.
Mihail is also an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow.
Francesco Tavani
Francesco Tavani is a materials science researcher who completed his PhD in the X-ray Absorption and Molecular Dynamics Group at Sapienza University (Prof. Paola D'Angelo). His work combines X-ray absorption spectroscopy and molecular dynamics to probe atomic-scale interactions and dynamics. At BIDMaP, Francesco will develop and apply data-driven approaches to materials design and characterization.
Francesco is also a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Postdoctoral Fellow.
Lauren Walters
Lauren Walters is a materials scientist whose research spans materials physics, synthesis science, and corrosion science. She completed her PhD in the Materials Theory and Design Group at Northwestern University and has worked with the Ceder group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley. At BIDMaP, Lauren focuses on AI-driven materials discovery and the thermodynamic and kinetic factors that govern materials formation and stability.
Xin Wang
Dr. Xin Wang works at the interface of experimental electrocatalysis and machine learning. She has experience in wet-lab synthesis and characterization of electrocatalysts, collecting and curating data from both low-throughput experiments and high-throughput automated workflows. Her research applies deep learning models to guide catalyst design, synthesis, and performance prediction, bridging experimental chemistry and data-driven discovery in energy research.
Chengbin Zhao
Chengbin Zhao develops computational methods for designing and optimizing metal–organic framework (MOF) structures. With a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Wuhan University and a background in chemical engineering, Chengbin leverages knowledge-based strategies and representation learning to predict MOF properties and guide the discovery of novel frameworks.
We are thrilled to welcome Colin, Mihail, Francesco, Lauren, Xin, and Chengbin to BIDMaP. As BIDMaP leaders noted, fellows act as catalysts who seed long-lasting collaborations and shape the next generation of scientific leaders!
The fellows will also play a central role in shaping the Emerging Scholars Seminars, a series hosted by BIDMaP fellows to foster collaboration and share cutting-edge research. Lineup coming soon—stay tuned for dates and topics.