Dr. Ali Ashraf is an Assistant Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University and Process Technology Development Engineer at Intel Corporation. He received his MS and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research involves nanomaterials and nanocomposites for sensing, separation, and energy generation related applications.