Join our group!
We are always happy to hear from exceptional candidates who are interested in joining our group. Research projects range from electrical & optical metrology of heat transport, modeling of heat transport in nanostructures, device fabrication and nanostructure characterization, magnetization dynamics, pump-probe techniques and fusion technologies. Admissions are considered throughout the year. Postdoctoral candidates are considered only with a well-prepared research and funding plan. We are affiliated with and can supervise students in both graduate programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science or Physics and Astronomy.
There are currently two openings - if you are interested, please contact Prof. Pisana:
- Domestic master's student for a new project involving the use of graphene for isotopic separation purposes. Candidates should have aptitude for hands-on lab work. Only domestic students will be considered due to project budgetary constraints.
- A graduate student for a project on ultrafast magnetization dynamics. Candidates will be considered at both masters and doctoral level, both domestic and international. Candidates should preferably have direct experience with lasers and optics, in particular high-powered pulsed sources.
Current group members
Postdocs
Dr. Shany Mary Oommen - Shany received her BS-MS dual degree majoring in Physics (Chemistry minor) from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal in 2016. She previously worked on transient absorption spectroscopy in chalcogenide glasses and ultrafast optical studies in graphene-gold and graphene-MoS2 heterostructures under the supervision of Prof. K.V. Adarsh. Recently she worked on electrolithography under the supervision of Profs. R. Pratap and P. Kumar at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. She is now pursuing a PhD degree in Physics at The HeaTED Lab at York University. Her research interests include experimental condensed matter physics and material sciences, nanofabrication, ultrafast optics and spectroscopy.
Ph.D. Students
Olga Andriyevska - Olga received her BA in Sociology Cum Laude and BSc in Physics from York University in 2012 and 2017, respectively. She has been a strong presence in the communities that she belongs to. She has contributed to York’s local Keele and Finch area through non-for-profit work for youth in the marginalized communities, and served many students at York through over 8 years of executive board service on multiple student associations. In summer 2015, Olga received a Research at York (RAY) position, and started working on the McMaster Intense Positron Beamline Facility at the Antimatter Lab under Dr Cody Storry, which she continued for 6 terms. Additionally, in 2015 Olga received the Michael H. Lawee Memorial Award in Sci & Eng. In 2016 she received the Dr. Robert Lundell Achievement Award. In 2017 she was nominated for and received the prestigious Robert Tiffin Student Leadership Award, and her name will be etched onto a display in Vari Hall at York University. In May 2017, she began her Masters in Physics degree by conducting research at CERN in the ATRAP collaboration. In November 2017, Olga joined the HeaTED lab to continue her Masters in Physics degree with research interest in ultrafast magnetization dynamics.
E-mail: olgaand@my.yorku.ca
Shima Ghamari - I am Shima, a Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering at York University. I received my MSc from Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran. For my master thesis, I worked on an optoelectronic tweezer for manipulating nanoparticles. Now I am working on density functional theory (DFT) to support ongoing projects in the HEATED Lab under supervision of Dr. Simone Pisana.
Anna Skrinnik - Anna obtained her BSc in Physics and MSc in Astrophysics from York University. For her MSc, she focused on observing ultra-low surface brightness objects in bright sky environments. As part of her research, Anna developed several applications and APIs that automated astronomical equipment at the Allan I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory. Additionally, she contributed to refining the knowledge of the atmospheric extinction coefficient at York University, identified transition zones in multiple Milky Way nebulae, and made strides in locating photoevaporated gas from dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the local group. Her hobbies include cooking, astrophotography, data processing, gardening, coding, and playing computer games.
Master Students
Partik Chahal - I’m Partik. I received my BSc in Physics at York University, and I am now pursuing my MSc here at the HEATED lab under the supervision of Professor Pisana. My research interests include thermal transport, optical physics, and spectroscopic techniques. In my free time, I enjoy reading fantasy novels, playing video games, and exploring new foods.
Undergraduate Students
Tanvi Jain - Tanvi is an undergraduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering at York University. She joined the HEATED Lab as a LURA summer research student, where she explored magnetism dynamics at nanoscopic scales. This project introduced her to condensed matter physics and broadened her interest in materials science. Through previous coursework and independent projects, she developed skills in circuit design and PCB development. Her research interests include hardware design, PCB prototyping, and exploring new ways to apply electronics in practical systems. She enjoys hands-on learning and experimenting with hardware, and is
continuing to explore different areas of electrical engineering as she completes her degree.
Sid Sachdeva - I am an Honors Astronomy and Physics student with a Minor in Computer Science at York University. My main interests are in condensed matter physics and quantum physics, particularly the intersection of theory and experiment in understanding the optical, thermal, and electronic properties of materials. I have experience with computational modeling and numerical methods, and I was a part of the CHIME collaboration, where I contributed to the analysis of fast radio bursts using data from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment. I have also worked on projects involving photonic crystal waveguides and guided-mode expansion methods. I am excited to expand my skills in hands-on experimental research within the HEATED Lab. My goal is to bridge theory, computation, and experimentation in order to contribute to new insights in quantum and condensed matter systems.
Alumni
Jasveer Dhillon - undergraduate USRA student (2025).
Dr. Shany Mary Oommen - PhD student (2019-25).
Fatemeh Bayat - MASc student (2022-24).
Ava Wiercienski - undergraduate student (2024).
Aaron Kammula - MASc student (2021-24).
Sina Tahbaz - MASc student (2021-23).
Eyosyas Andarge - undergraduate USRA student (2021-22).
Nidhi - visiting Mitacs-SICI PhD student (2022).
Edward Leung - undergraduate student (2021-22).
Dr. Armin Taheri - Postdoctoral Fellow (2021).
Dr. Mohammadreza Shahzadeh - PhD student (2015-21).
Olga Andriyevska - MSc student (2017-19).
Shany Mary Oommen - MSc student (2017-19).
Mizanur Rahman - MSc student (2017-19).
Dr. Conrad Rizal - Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-18).
Qinyi Wang - undergraduate student (2016-17).
Ygor Pereira Alvarez - undergraduate student (2016).
Ali Siyad - undergraduate student (2015-16).
Abdul-Hadi Zubair - undergraduate student (2015).
