MNTC Director - Dr. Sung Jin Kim, Professor of ECE

He earned his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2008. After two years of work as a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Lasers, Photonics, and Biophotonics (ILPB) at SUNY Buffalo, he began his faculty career as an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Miami. During his career at the University of Miami, he contributed to building the first cleanroom facility at the University of Miami for micro/nanofabrication processes, and he served as a founding director of the BioNIUM Nanofabrication facility since 2015. In January 2023, he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Louisville as a professor and faculty director of Micro/Nano Technology Center (MNTC). During his independent career, Professor Kim has established a research program focused on nanophotonics devices and materials for energy and sensing applications. He is exploring fundamental physics of light-nanostructure interactions as well as developing various optoelectronic devices and biomedical applications using engineered nanostructures and novel nanomaterials.  He is a member of IEEE, HKN (Etta Kappa Nu) and a senior member of SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics).

MNTC Director of Operations - Julia Aebersold, PhD

Julia Aebersold, Ph.D., earned her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisville in 2005.  Her research developed a micro-electromechanical (MEMS)-based capacitive bending strain sensor with a biocompatible housing for a telemetric strain monitoring system. Julia also holds an ME (1994) and a BS (1992) in Mechanical Engineering.  After earning her Ph.D. she continued to perform federally funded research as a Research Scientist from 2005 until 2012 until she began managing the Micro/Nano Technology Center in 2012.

MNTC Process Engineer - Jasmin Beharic, PhD

Jasmin Beharic received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville in 2017. He joined the Micro/Nano Technology Center in May 2018. His duties include developing processes, performing processes for clients, training users on process tools, troubleshooting and characterizing process tools, lab maintenance, and writing SOPs.

MNTC Research Engineer Scientist - Curt McKenna, MS

Curt McKenna received his Master’s degree from the University of Louisville in December 2009 and began working in the Micro-Nano Technology Center under the EPSCoR grant with Professor Walsh. He is focused on providing microfabrication services for cleanroom clients and maintaining the photolithography bay.  Also, he assists with the other staff on equipment installation and maintenance and daily operation of the cleanroom. Curt is highly experienced with creating photomasks and direct-write photolithography.

MNTC Senior Process Engineer - Michael Martin, Ph.D.

Michael Martin has 25 years experience in various microfabrication techniques ranging from conventional photolithography to micro milling and excimer laser microfabrication. He holds a B.S. in physics from Austin Peay State University, Clarksville TN, and a Ph.D.in Physics from the University of Louisville specializing in computational cell biology.  

MNTC Process Engineer - James (JD) Morris, PhD

JD Morris received earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Trine University in 2014. He then joined industry as a catalyst engineer at Cummins Inc. until 2018 where he designed catalyst aftertreatment systems for reducing diesel engine emissions. Afterwards, he began his graduate journey and completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of Louisville in the fall of 2023. During his research, he developed silicon based microreactors that were used to detect aldehydes and ketones in exhaled breath and help detect COVID-19 in patients. He presented at several conferences, including the Transducers 2023 conference in Kyoto, Japan and the 2021 AIChE Annual Meeting in Boston, MA.

MNTC Administrative Assistant - Maggie Lucas

Atherton Aerial alumnus and former Art Director Maggie Lucas comes from a background of illustrative journalism and commissioned art. Harnessing their artistic history, Maggie provides both a creative and accurate approach to financial administration for the Micro Nano Technology Center. Maggie maintains a colorful database of clients, from which they reference in the generation of monthly invoices. They may also provide assistance in the distribution of keys and granting card access for the building.

MNTC Associate Director - Ana Sanchez Galiano, MEng. Management.

Ana earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2006 and her M.Eng. in Engineering Management in 2008, from the University of Louisville. She joined the research staff at UofL in 2004 as a part-time research technician in the Micro/Nano Technology Center (MNTC) and was promoted to a full-time Nanotechnology Coordinator position in 2006. Over the course of 5 years, Ana trained and assisted numerous graduate students and research scientists in various microfabrication processes, including rapid thermal oxidation and annealing, wet chemistry and bulk etching, phosphorus/boron thermal diffusion, IC photolithography, film deposition (sputtering and e-beam evaporation), silicon and glass wafer bonding, IC packaging (mounting and wire bonding), IC testing, and lab safety. She wrote several standard operating procedures documents for the center and developed the MNTC website, databases for inventory, billing and operations management protocols.As Program Manager and for the past 15 years, she has coordinated and administered over $17 Million of grant funded programs and research projects in the area of Nanotechnology and Advanced Manufacturing. Ana became the Associate Director for Research & Support under the KY Multiscale, one of the 16 sites of the prestigious National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). Her roles included overall management of the KY Multiscale Site, which comprises eight research core facilities at both the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. Under her management, KY Multiscale Site has been active in numerous successful STEM education and outreach programs, such as the Interdisciplinary Micro/Nano/Additive Manufacturing Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, The NNCI Nano + Additive Manufacturing Annual Summit, the NNCI REU Annual Convocation, The NanoSIMST Middle School Teachers Program, and several K-12 STEM outreach activities.

Ana re-joined MNTC as Assoc. Director on November 2025.