New Employees

Dr. Chandio's primary research focuses on developing machine learning and statistical tools for brain mapping using diffusion MRI, with applications in understanding neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.

Anand Mishra is a tenure-track faculty member joining West Virginia University in Summer 2025. He leads the Robiotics Laboratory, which focuses on four key research themes: Biomimetic Soft Robotics (MIMESIS), Living Materials Integration for Functional Engineering (LIFE), Robotic Additive Manufacturing (RAM), and Agricultural Robotics and Technology (ART). Anand earned his Ph.D. with honors under Dr. Barbara Mazzolai at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and the Italian Institute of Technology, receiving the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from the Italian National Bioengineering Group (GNB) in 2018. He then joined Dr. Robert Shepherd’s group at Cornell University for his postdoctoral research, which was supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Engineering Living Materials Institute and a Research Trainee Grant from the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems. His research spans 3D-printed soft robotics, biomimetics, biohybrid robotics, and digital agriculture, with a particular focus on plants and fungi as model systems for next-generation robotic design and materials. To date, he has published more than 35 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals and conferences, including Science Robotics, PNAS, and Advanced Functional Materials. His research has been featured in the NSF’s Discovery episodes and covered by major outlets including CNN, BBC, Scientific American, and Forbes. Driven by a vision of harmony between technology and nature, he continues to explore the untapped potential of the natural world, aiming to develop life-like robots that can improve human well-being and operate in hazardous environments.

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Dr. Pham began his career as a teaching assistant professor at West Virginia University in 2025. After receiving his bachelor's degree at WVU in 2019, he entered a direct track for the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering along with certification in University Teaching, where his experience and commitment were in both research and teaching. His research experience was in the areas of protein engineering, material science and characterization, gas sensing characterizations, and engineering education. He has taught and assisted multiple courses in the department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from 2019 to 2024 and in the Fundamentals of Engineering Program since 2024.

Dr. Pham is devoted to fostering a positive learning environment in his classroom. He committed to prioritizing his students' needs and success in all aspects (i.e., academic, life, and career) as initiated in "student-first" established at WVU.

Hadi Samsam’s research interests lie in experimental fluid mechanics and fluid-structure interactions across subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flow regimes. Specifically, his research group investigates unsteady flow behavior, vortex dynamics, and free-surface interactions using advanced flow diagnostics such as particle image velocimetry (PIV), Schlieren imaging, and three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry (3D-PTV). His work aims to advance the understanding of complex flow phenomena relevant to high-speed aerodynamics and multi-physics environments. Before joining West Virginia University, he served as a college assistant professor at New Mexico State University.

Dr. Pramiti Sarker, Ph.D., AEP, conducts research aimed at improving workplace ergonomics to enhance employees' well-being. Her research interest is optimizing performance and mitigating workers’ workload. She examines the physical and mental demands of occupational tasks, as excessive workload can lead to neuromusculoskeletal disorders, negatively affecting both worker performance and increase employer costs. To address these challenges, Dr. Sarker identifies the sources of workload strain and develops, evaluates, and implements ergonomic solutions. These interventions help to reduce the risk of such disorders, improve job quality and overall well-being, and support long-term career sustainability.

Before joining West Virginia University, she worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, as a Lecturer in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and worked as an intern in Mayo Clinic.

Sicilia’s research interests lie broadly in the areas of natural language processing and human-AI collaboration with a particular focus on AI systems that use language to coordinate communication, perception, and action in uncertain, multimodal environments. Current examples of interest include application of Large Language Models for scientific discovery and healthcare.

His expertise has been recognized with multiple paper and reviewer awards from top computational linguistics and machine learning venues, including *ACL venues, AISTATS, and UAI, and through service as an Area Chair for ACL, CoNLL, and EMNLP. Sicilia’s research has also been applied in publicly deployed AI systems, most notably in the Amazon-funded Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge II, where he led a team to a third-place finish.

Conducts research integrating theoretical mechanics, analytical modeling, and advanced manufacturing to address challenges in adaptive structures, aerospace components, and robotics systems. Current focus is on developing rigorous theoretical frameworks and scalable, multifunctional metamaterial structures, aiming to advance both fundamental understanding and engineering applications.

Dogukan Guner received his Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye, in 2020, where he also served nearly a decade as a teaching and research assistant. He later joined Missouri University of Science and Technology as a postdoctoral fellow and senior research associate, contributing to federally funded projects in ground control and mine safety. Dedicated to advancing engineering education, he emphasizes applied, research-informed teaching in underground mining, mine design, computational tools, and ground control. His scholarly record includes more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, over 30 conference papers, and service as a reviewer for leading journals in rock mechanics and mining engineering. His research interests span underground mining, rock mechanics, ground control, numerical modeling, and mineral economics. In August 2025, he joined WVU as a Teaching Assistant Professor of Mining Engineering.