Dr. Xingfei Wei
PostDoc
Xingfei obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Energy and Environmental Systems’ Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) from Zhejiang University, China. He earned his Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. He Completed his Ph.D. Degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in the University of Notre Dame, IN. After that he joined the Hernandez Group in Johns Hopkins University in 2020 as a Postdoctoral Scholar. He is working on the autonomous computing materials research project. The target is to use engineered nanoparticle (ENP) networks for brain-like data storage and computing. He plans to work in academia in the future. Besides research, Xingfei has a lot of hobbies, such as hiking and fishing.
Nikhil Thota
Graduate Student
Nikhil is from India. He has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology. He has a master’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He’s current project involves using data science to identify hidden variables (also called latent variables) in data generated from simulations and experiments characterizing properties of perovskite crystals at different length scales. His hobbies include running, hiking and practicing calisthenics. He also likes going for rock climbing and playing badminton.
Manuel Palma
Graduate Student
Manuel is a first year graduate student who graduated from UofM in 2021, after graduating from JHU he plans on working in the Computational Chemistry field. He is currently exploring potencial projects in the Hernandez Group. In his free time, Manuel enjoys playing video games, reading and playing soccer.
Wandi Xu
Graduate Student
Wandi received her B.A. degree (2022) from the University of Minnesota Twin cities (UMN) in Chemistry, and after graduating from JHU. Her current research project is about Structural and Dynamical studies on biomolecules across All-Atom, MARTINI, and Dissipative Particle Dynamics. Outside of the lab, Wandi enjoys movies, books and video games.
Qiankun Mo
Graduate Student
Qiankun is a third-year PhD candidate who graduated from Nankai University in 2023 with a B.S. in Chemistry and received his M.S. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 2026. His research primarily focuses on integrating data science tools—such as machine learning and large language models—with domain sciences like MD and DFT simulations, specifically targeting nanoparticles, MOFs, and multiscale modeling. Outside the lab, Qiankun is a soccer fan and enjoys tennis; he also enjoys ACG culture, music, playing Go, calligraphy and travelling.
