Education

• Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 2015
• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 2013
• M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 2010
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 2008

Previous appointments

• Research Scientist, Carnegie Mellon University, 2017 – 2019
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan, 2015 – 2017

Research Statement

My research program seeks to create materials that match the extraordinary adaptability, rich multi-functionality, and embodied intelligence of natural material systems by bridging the gap between nanoscale engineering and system-level functionality.  Although there has been remarkable progress with synthesizing nanoscale structures and materials, it remains difficult to harness their properties to create mechanically robust and long-lasting sensors, actuators, and energy harvesting transducers at the scale of biological tissue and organs.  My group will address this bottleneck with a research program that will tackle grand challenges in materials synthesis and integration, controlled stability (i.e. dimensional, crystalline, physical, and chemical) of multiphase materials at the micro/nanoscale level, and versatile manufacturing of functional materials that exhibit durability and longevity under real-world conditions.  Progress within these core areas will have immediate impact in printed electronic skin, multifunctional composites, integrated nanoscale devices, stretchable tactile sensors, and other emerging application domains.

Select publications

1. Malakooti, M.H., Kazem, N., Yan, J., Pan, C., Markvicka, E.J., Matyjaszewski, k., and Majidi, C., 2019 “Liquid Metal Supercooling for Low-Temperature Thermoelectric Wearables”, Advanced Functional Materials, 1906098.
2. Tavakoli, M., Malakooti, M.H., Paisana, H. Ohm, Y., Marques, D.G., Alhais Lopes, P., Piedade, A.P., de Almeida, A.T. and Majidi, C., 2018, “EGaIn-Assisted Room Temperature Sintering of Silver Nanoparticles for Stretchable, Inkjet-Printed, Thin-Film Electronics” Advanced Materials, 30:1801852. (Cover Article)
3. Yan, J., Malakooti, M.H., Lu, Z., Wang, Z., Kazem, N., Pan, C., Bockstaller, M.R., Majidi, C., and Matyjaszewski, k., 2019, “Solution Processable Liquid Metal Nanodroplets by Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization”, Nature Nanotechnology, 14: 684–690.
4. Malakooti, M.H., Jule, F. and Sodano, H.A., 2018, “Printed Nanocomposite Energy Harvesters with Controlled Alignment of Barium Titanate Nanowires” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 10: 38359−38367.
5. Malakooti, M.H., Patterson, B.A., Hwang, H. and Sodano, H.A., 2016, “ZnO Nanowire Interfaces for High Strength Multifunctional Composites with Embedded Energy Harvesting” Energy and Environmental Science, 9: 634-643. (Awarded ASME Best Paper in Energy Harvesting)

Honors & awards

• Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow Award at The University of Michigan, 2017
• ASME Best Paper Award in Energy Harvesting, 2016

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