PEOPLE SEARCH

Dr. Jake J. Abbott is the direction of the Magnetic & Medical Robotics Lab. Many of M&M Lab's projects incorporate magnetic technologies in robotics, with a large focus on the use of magnetic fields to dexterously manipulate objects without any physical contact. Many of the projects consider medical applications of robotics, including both surgery/therapy and rehabilitation/assistance. Some of the projects consider a human operator as a physical element of the control loop, which is a topic referred to as "haptics". Many of the projects combine two or more of these themes.

Dr. Timothy O. Adekunle is an Associate Architecture Professor at the University of Utah School of Architecture. He is the Chair of the School, a position he has occupied since 2023. He served as Interim Chair of the School from 2023 until June 30, 2025, when he was appointed Chair.  Previously, he served as the Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Architecture, leading the professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch) and post-professional Master of Science in Architectural Studies (MSAS) programs at the university. He holds multiple degrees, including professional degrees in architecture. Dr. Adekunle holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Kent, UK; a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Nottingham, UK; and a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) degree. He obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) from the University of Kent, UK. Dr. Adekunle is a member of several professional organizations, including Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB). He serves on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Utah Board.

Daniel E. Adkins, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology & Criminology, Chair of the Graduate Program in Statistics, and Adjunct Professor of Psychatry at the University of Utah. He is an interdisciplinary quantitative methodologist working primarily on topics in behavioral health and psychiatric genetics. Adkins completed his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina in 2009 with highest honors, including the Howard W. Odum Award for Excellence. He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in statistical genetics, and worked as an NIH-funded Assistant Professor, at Virginia Commonwealth University prior to moving to the University of Utah in 2016. His research primarily focuses on integrating quantitative methods from the behavioral sciences (e.g., structural equation models, advanced econometrics) and genomics (e.g., GWAS, EWAS, polygenic scoring) to advance understanding of health. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles in academic journals across disciplines, including Nature Genetics, Nature Neuroscience, Nucleic Acids Research, Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, Demography, Social Forces, Sociological Theory, and Sociological Methods and Research.

I started my academic career as a pure math major at Harvard University, moved toward biology as a graduate student in Appled Mathematics at Cornell and as a post-doc at the Center for Population Biology at the University of California Davis, and joined the faculty at the University of Utah in a position split evenly between Mathematics and Biology. My original interests in ecology and epidemiology have broadened to include immunology and many fields of molecular and biomedical biology. I am the author of two textbooks, "Modeling the Dynamics of Life" and  "Urban Ecosystems: Ecological Principles for the Built Environment," and have furthered my commitment to the links between research and education in my role as President of the Society for Mathematical Biology and Director of the Center for Quantitative Biology.  I am currently the Director of the School of BIological Sciences.

I am Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Utah. My research focuses on the human dimensions of energy (energy inequality and the relative impacts of efficiency improvement and lifestyles on the environment), the structural drivers and social consequences of global environmental change, and local governments' social, developmental, and environmental (land-use) policies. I also conduct research on environmental concern and activism, using available data, survey and experimental research designs. My work as a professor span several years of teaching experience in the United States and abroad (Ghana and China). I teach classes in environmental sociology (graduate and undergraduate), globalization, research methods (graduate and undergraduate), and social statistics. 

Reazul Ahsan, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah Asia Campus. His research and teaching focus on disaster risk and resilience, climate-adaptive urban systems, and sustainable built environments. He integrates GIS, spatial analytics, and data-driven approaches to address complex urban challenges, including coastal vulnerability, climate migration, and infrastructure resilience.

Dr. Ahsan has extensive experience in environmental impact assessment, urban policy, and community-based resilience planning, working across Australia, the United States, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific region. His research emphasises translating analytical insights into practical solutions for sustainable and equitable urban development.

He is committed to innovative, problem-based teaching that connects theory with real-world applications and to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with industry, government, and international partners.

Dr. Lyndsey Aiono-Conradi is an assistant professor at the University of Utah, returning to the state where she began her career teaching special education in Salt Lake City and Washington County. Prior to joining the University of Utah, she served as an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Dr. Aiono-Conradi's research focuses on supporting students with extensive support needs through multiple approaches, including positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), multi-tiered systems, and low-intensity behavioral strategies. Her current work explores the integration of mindfulness practices to enhance positive classroom experiences for both teachers and students. She is particularly interested in implementing culturally sustaining pedagogies that reflect and honor students' cultural values, fostering a genuine sense of belonging and connectedness in the classroom. She has published in these areas and regularly shares her expertise through state, national, and international presentations.

In her role as an educator, Dr. Aiono-Conradi is dedicated to preparing the next generation of special education teachers. She emphasizes evidence-based practices for instruction and classroom management, ensuring that graduates enter their careers equipped with both practical skills and a passionate commitment to advocacy for all students' educational rights. Her teaching philosophy centers on creating learning environments where every student feels valued, included, and positioned for success, with a focus on nurturing a true joy for learning.

Ajla Aksamija, PhD, LEED AP BD+C, CDT, FTI Fellow is a Professor at the School of Architecture, University of Utah. She directs the Transforming Places, Practices, and Pedagogies Collaborative (TP3C), a research unit within the School of Architecture. Her research expertise includes building science and sustainability, emerging technologies, digital design and representations, and innovations in architecture. Dr. Aksamija served as the Chair of the School of Architecture, as well as the Distinguished Chair for Resilient Places at the College of Architecture + Planning. Prior to joining University of Utah, she was a Professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also directed Perkins&Will Building Technology Laboratory ("Tech Lab"), one of the first practice-driven research laboratories focusing on advanced building technologies, high-performance buildings, computational design, and building facades. She has taught architectural design studios, advanced environmental building design, comprehensive studios and seminars. She has worked on developing building analysis and modeling applications, implementation of novel materials in architectural design, development of computational models, and has collaborated with researchers from material science, civil and environmental engineering and computational design. Her recent book, Research Methods for the Architectural Profession, was published by Routledge in 2021. She has authored two previously published books, Integrating Innovation in Architecture, Design, Methods and Technology for Progressive Practice and Research (John Wiley & Sons, 2016) and Sustainable Facades: Design Methods for High-Performance Building Envelopes (John Wiley & Sons, 2013). Dr. Aksamija has contributed to several other books, and has published over ninety research articles and invited papers. She has presented at various national and international conferences, and is a frequent speaker at industry-based, scientific and academic conferences. She is the founder of the Perkins and Will Research Journal, and served as editor of this first peer-reviewed research journal from architectural practice for fourteen years. She served as the President of the Facade Tectonics Institute.

Zlatan Akšamija is an associate professor of materials science and engineering who studies heat transport and dissipation in nanostructured materials and devices. He received his B.S. in Computer Engineering (Summa Cum Laude, James Honors Scholar, Mathematics Minor) in 2003, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (with Computational Science and Engineering option) in 2005 and 2009, respectively, all from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. His dissertation work entitled “Thermal effects in semiconductor materials and devices” was supported by a DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (2005-2009). Zlatan was awarded an Outstanding Paper award at the EIT’07 conference and a Greg Stillman Memorial semiconductor graduate research award in 2008. From 2009 to 2013, Zlatan was a Computing Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow and an NSF CI TraCS Fellow in the ECE department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focused on semiconductor nanostructures for thermoelectric energy conversion applications, as well as numerical methods for the coupled simulation of electronic and thermal transport. In 2013, Zlatan became an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and founded the NanoEnergy lab, where he studies nanoscale dissipation and heat transfer in 2-dimensional materials, alloys, and nanocomposites. He received the Best Paper award from IEEE Nano (2014) and a Lilly Teaching Fellowship from the UMass Institute for Teaching and Faculty Development. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2019. He joined the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Utah in 2022 where he was an UPSTEM faculty fellow in 2023.

For additional info, see my reserach lab webpage: https://nanoenergy.mse.utah.edu/

Prof. Shadi Al Khateeb is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah, the Dean of of the Deanship of Scientific Research and Innovtion at Al-Balqa Applied University (BAU), jordan, and a Professor in the Department of Materials Engineering, BAU. Prof. Al Khateeb earned his Ph.D. in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK (ranked among the top 100 globally by QS World University Rankings). His  Ph.D. study was supported by Al-Balqa Applied University and the prestigious UK’s Overseas Research Scholarship (ORS) award, and he holds both M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering with distinction from BAU.

His academic leadership at BAU includes serving as Vice Dean for Scientific Research and Innovation (2024–2025), and past chair of both the Materials Engineering and Basic Engineering Sciences departments for several years. Prof. Al Khateeb completed postdoctoral research at the University of Utah (2016–2018) with Prof. Taylor Sparks and the University of Florida (2013–2014) with Prof. Kevin Jones, supported by prestigious fellowships and grants, including the Arab Fund Fellowship Program from Kuwait, a sabbatical leave, Jordan’s Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund, and others.

Prof. Al Khateeb has secured multiple competitive research grants from international and local funding agencies, including the U.S. Department of State. He is also the holder of a U.S. patent and has multiple publications in high-impact international journals in his field.