Gabe is a fourth-year Materials Science and Engineering major who joined the Butala Research Group in Fall 2025. He is currently working on optimizing the formulation ratios and processing of organic electrodes for Li-ion batteries. He plans to earn his Bachelor’s in May 2026 and is applying for graduate programs to pursue a Master’s degree.In his free time he enjoys writing, D&D, and renaissance faire stage combat.
Kyle is an undergraduate student majoring in materials science and engineering helping investigate how synthesis approach influences the structure formability and performance of disordered rocksalt cathode using solid state and sol-gel synthesis methods. Since joining the Butala research group in Fall 2025, Kyle has assisted in conducting various heat treatments of DXRs synthesized via sol-gel and assembled coin cell batteries in argon glove-box.
When not in the lab, Kyle loves writing, sailing, and playing fetch with his Belgian Malinois. He is active member of the UF sail club.
Jason is a fifth-year undergraduate materials science & engineering major with minors in physics and Japanese language studies at UF. They are the current president of the UF chapter of Material Advantage and a member of Tau Beta Pi – the Engineering Honor Society. They also recently completed a semester abroad at Nagoya University in Japan, where they took classes both in English and in Japanese. Jason has been in the Butala Research Group since February, 2024, where they have conducted machine learning research as well as solid-state synthesis research, both with a focus on illuminating the mysteries of and developing novel Li-ion cathode materials. They are currently applying graduate school and hope to earn their PhD for materials science & engineering in the next five years. Jason is a huge fan of the outdoors; they love playing volleyball, going on hikes, and biking or longboarding across town. They also enjoy cooking, studying languages, and watching YouTube.
Nicole is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Florida planning to graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering in May 2026. She has been involved in the Butala Research Group since August 2024 supporting projects investigating structure-property relationships in disordered rocksalt lithium-ion battery cathode materials synthesized using solid-state and sol-gel methods.
Outside of school and research, she enjoys hiking, playing video games, and spending time with her three cats.
Joyce Kim is an undergraduate student majoring in Mechanical Engineering who joined the Butala Research group in Fall 2024. Since then, they have assisted in synthesizing lithium-based cathodes with disordered rocksalt structures using solid state methods. While simultaneously characterizing the phase purity and formability of DRXs using XRD.
When not in the lab, they enjoy a good soup and a soft cat.
