Group Members – The Co Research Group

Principal Investigator – Anne Co

Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Associate Fellow, Center of Automotive Research

Associate Editor, ACS Applied Energy Materials

Office: McPherson 3033
Office Phone: (614) 688-8333
Email: co.5@osu.edu

Background

Anne Co obtained her B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry and Ph.D. in Chemistry with a specialization in Electrochemistry under Professor Viola Birss from the University of Calgary, Canada. She then joined the National Research Council Canada in Ottawa with an NSERC Visiting Fellowship and later served as a Research Associate. In 2008, she continued her postdoctoral studies with Cynthia Friend at Harvard University with a Mary Fieser Fellowship Award. Anne Co’s current research interest is in investigating the properties of electrocatalytic materials and processes for energy conversion and storage. She joined the Ohio State Chemistry Department in August of 2010.

Current Lab Members

Dr. José L. Lorié López

José earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2018. His research focuses on developing innovative analytical methods to unlock the internal mechanisms of operating batteries. Notably, he developed the Derivative Operando (dOp) NMR spectroscopy technique, which enables real-time tracking of chemical phase transformations and capacity fade in nanoparticle electrodes. Email: lorielopez.1@osu.edu

Dr. Nicholas Bashian

Nick earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California, where he studied the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical performance of next-generation electrode materials. His work centers on understanding structure–property relationships to develop safer, higher-performance batteries, with interests spanning electrochemistry, solid-state chemistry, and materials design.

Dr. Zhihao Cui

Zihao earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Ohio State University in 2023, following graduate studies in Materials Physics and Chemistry at Wuhan University and a bachelor’s degree in Materials Chemistry from Lanzhou University. His research combines rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE) techniques with grand-canonical density functional theory (GC-DFT) to investigate electroreduction kinetics and advance the understanding of catalytic processes for sustainable energy applications.

Graduate Students

Jiseon Hwang – Battery Team

Jiseon Hwang is a fifth-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on developing silicon-based anode materials for fast-charging lithium-ion batteries. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Sungshin Women’s University in South Korea and her M.S. in Chemistry from Hanyang University. Email: hwang.599@osu.edu

Ariel Mendoza – Battery Team

Ariel is a fifth-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on solid-state electrolytes. He got his B.S. in Chemistry from The Ohio State University. Email: mendoza.720@osu.edu

Kassidy Aztergo – Catalysis Team

Kassidy is a fourth-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on investigating the local pH of electrocatalytic interfaces and tritium speciation. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Regis University in 2021. Email: aztergo.1@osu.edu

Chris Mangold – Battery Team

Chris is a fourth-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on investigating DRX cathodes. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Kentucky Wesleyan College. A fun fact about him is that he is a caffeine connoisseur. Email: mangold.30@osu.edu

Scott Mitchell – Battery Team

Scott is a fourth-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on Solid-State NMR Characterization of Ion Hosting Sites in Battery Materials. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Taylor University. Email: mitchell.2370@osu.edu

Alina Mary Varghese – Catalysis Team

Alina is a third-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on XPS characterization of carbon dioxide reduction catalysts. She earned her M.S. in Chemistry from Cochin University of Science and Technology in India. Email: varghese.116@osu.edu

Aislinn Miranda – Battery Team

Aislinn is a second-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on investigating new materials for fast-charging batteries. She earned his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Texas at Dallas with a minor in STEM education and a certification in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Email: miranda.205@osu.edu

Undergraduates

Leah Vanbeysterveldt

Leah is a Post-Baccalaureate Research Associate. She got her B.S. in Chemistry from The Ohio State University in 2025. Email: vanbeysterveldt.1@osu.edu