
Progna Banerjee, Ph.D.
My Aim: "Nanomaterial design for batteries using wet chemistry, physics, and machine learning"
Mentoring activities at the departmental, university and international levels:

During my journey as a student and thereafter, a researcher in STEM, I feel fortunate to have been surrounded by brilliant colleagues, role models and mentees. Our progress as a civilization relies on minds bringing fresh and sometimes, unconventional solutions to problems that sometimes people aren't even aware they had. Putting the innovative power of women to use in STEM fields is just one of the ways to support human advancement.
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I believe in effective communication to be the best medium for solving any disputes and quenching any concerns. During my tenure as an elected member in the Dean's engineering graduate student advisory committee during my doctoral years, I launched and headed a sub-committee addressing the various mentorship roles graduate students can provide to the undergraduates during their progression into advanced programs. Our team organized workshops consisting of Keynote lectures and parallel sessions covering wide-ranging, relevant and highly sought-after topics. We were funded by engineering departments on our campus, and our outreach events generated considerable interest among undergraduate attendees and the graduate speakers alike. I would like to promote a continuation and extension of similar events in the future, while extending my outreach efforts to middle and high school students. ​
Advising Activity
Graduate students:
2019-2020: Shanshan Duan, GEOE, Visiting student, ALS, Berkeley Lab, CA
2011-2012: Rajesh Mondal, PHYS, IITKGP (thesis mentor), Masters (M.Sc.).
Presently postdoc in Physics in Sweden
Undergraduates at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and The University of Texas at Austin:
2021 REU: Mohamed Farris, ChBE, UMA
Currently senior at Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst
2016-2017: Bara Saadah, BioE, UIUC
Currently MD/PhD in Bioengineering at UIUC.
2016: Johan Yapo, CHEM, UIUC
Currently Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry Program at UCI.
2016: Priya Patel, CHEM, UIUC
Currently Lab Technician at Zoetis in Chicago Heights.
2015- 2016: Ryan Sanders, ChBE, UIUC
Currently John Deere in the Engineering Development.
2016-2017: Dewen Zhong, PHYS, UIUC
2016-2017: Kavinda Nissanka, PHYS, UIUC
2015-2016: Sidney Lower, PHYS, UIUC
Dewen Zhong, PHYS, UIUC
Total ~10 semesters of teaching experience
Teaching Experience:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Teacher Certificate from the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning
Fall 2018: Laboratory, Phys 402, Light
Summer 218: Laboratory, Phys 101, College Physics: Mechanics & Heat
Spring 2018: Laboratory, Phys 102, College Physics: Electricity and Magnetism, and Modern Physics
Summer 2015: Discussion, Phys 211 Classical Mechanics, 70+ students
Spring 2015: Discussion, Phys 213/214 Thermodynamics/Quantum Mechanics, 70+ students
Spring, Summer 2014: Laboratory, Phys 212, Electricity & Magnetism, 70+ students
Fall 2012: Discussion, Phys 212 Electricity & Magnetism, 70+ students
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Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
Fall, Spring 2009-10: Laboratory, Introductory Physics, 60+ students
Workshop Organizing:
[3] Light/Matter Interactions at the Nano-Bio Interface Workshop, Nov 2016, Urbana, IL
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Responsible for structuring tutorial on the open-source nanoDDSCAT+ tool and conduct hands-on workshop for 30+ attendees.
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[2] Transition from Undergrad to Doctoral/Graduate Programs Workshop, Nov 2016, Urbana, IL
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Director and Speakers’ Coordinator
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[1] Transition from Undergrad to Doctoral/Graduate Programs Workshop, March 2016, Urbana, IL
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Director and Speakers’ Coordinator
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Launched a new Subcommittee in the Dean’s EGSAC and imitated this event, involved in fundraising through donations from the Engineering Departments on Campus
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Service to the Profession:
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Journal Reviewer:
Chemistry of Materials (2)
Optical Materials Express (1)
Applied Optics (1)
Journal of the Optical Society of America B (2)
Journal of Applied Physics (4)
APL Materials (1)
MRS Communications (1)
Journal of Nano Research (JNanoR) (1)
Review of Scientific Instruments (2)
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Mentor for women in tech: TechWOMEN Professional Mentor (selected 2019 at Berkeley Lab, 2021 at UT Austin)
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Team Leader
2015-17 Engineering Dean’s Graduate Advisory Committee (EGSAC): Mentoring Subcommittee
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Panelist
2019 Panel on science outreach for Oakland high schoolers, Berkeley Lab
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Judge
2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium (Office of Undergraduate Research, UIUC)
2017 SWE- Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED), UIUC
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Safety Officer
2016-17 Safety training and maintenance, Jain Lab, UIUC
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Safety Team
2017 Chemistry Department Joint Safety Team (JST), UIUC
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User support
2016-19 nanoHUB webpage on the nanoDDSCAT+ tool, troubleshooting
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STEM Outreach
2021 Volunteer for organizing and interacting with high school girls as a STEM role model through
the MRSEC 'Girl Day' initiative
2017 nanoSTRuCT Outreach Organization, introducing 3rd graders to nanoscience
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Professional Training:
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Spring 2016: Active participation in Chem-590 F Preparing Future Faculty
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2016 SWE- Academic Leadership Program
Professional Affiliations:
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APS (American Physical Society)
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ACS (American Chemical Society)
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MRS (Materials Research Society)
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SWE
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UIUC Engineering Dean’s Graduate Advisory Committee (EGSAC) Elected Membership, 2015-2017
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