Melanie Rodriguez Pabon

Melanie is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering who joined the Atwater group in March 2025. She previously earned her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering with honors from Stanford University in 2024. While at Stanford, Melanie researched the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction with Prof. Thomas Jaramillo and Dr. Adam Nielander and was awarded the Firestone Medal and Kennedy Thesis Prize for the best undergraduate honors thesis in Engineering and Applied Sciences (titled "Informing the scale-up of the electrochemical Cu-based CO2 reduction by understanding its performance in impure electrolytes and varying ambient temperatures"). Melanie's research interests lie in the development and scale-up of innovative sustainable electrochemical technologies, especially those for CO2 capture and conversion. Outside of the lab, Melanie enjoys exploring new places in LA, learning how to crochet, watching TV, and playing video games.