Principal Investigator
Daryl Yee
Daryl W. Yee was born in Singapore, and obtained his B.Eng in Materials Science and Engineering from Imperial College London, UK in 2014. He then earned his MSc. and Ph.D. in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA in 2016 and 2020 respectively. After obtaining his Ph.D., Daryl then joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, as a postdoctoral associate.
Daryl joined the Institute of Electrical and Micro Engineering at EPFL as an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Microengineering in March 2023, where he leads the Laboratory for the Chemistry of Materials and Manufacturing (ALCHEMY). His research group seeks to utilize molecular design and accessible materials processing strategies to engineer advanced functional materials that will help tackle societal challenges in healthcare, energy, and climate change.
Administrative Assistant
Myriam Poliero
Myriam Poliero was born in Neuchâtel and obtained her baccalaureate in socio-economics there. Since obtaining her degree, she has worked as an administrative assistant in various technical fields, including electroplating and microengineering, before joining EPFL in 2009. To complete and refresh her training, Myriam obtained a diploma as a generalist in accounting in 2023.
Myriam works for two laboratories: at LMTS since 2009 and ALCHEMY since 2023. She particularly enjoys the incredible and fascinating multicultural melting pot that is EFPL. Her favourite part of the job: coordinating the various tasks in the lab and helping new arrivals to settle in.
Ph.D. Students
Disha Bandyopadhyay
Disha Bandyopadhyay joined ALCHEMY in April 2023 and is a PhD student working on developing shape shifting and stimuli responsive polymers for 3D printing. Previously Disha obtained her MEng from Imperial College London in 2022 in Materials with Nuclear Engineering. Disha enjoys exploring interdisciplinary science and is interested in studying light-matter interactions for device applications, imaging and small-scale fabrication. Disha also enjoys theatre, painting and is passionate about starting an ALCHEMY band called Rubber Band.
Yiming Ji
Yiming Ji joined ALCHEMY on April 1st, 2023. His research interests include nanocomposites, magnetic materials, and field assisted SLA 3D printer. Previously, he got B.S. and M.S. degree in Mechanical engineering from Beihang University, PRC, in 2020 and 2023 respectively.
Postdoctoral Associate
Francesca Portone
Francesca was born in Gallipoli, in southern Italy. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry in 2018 and her Master’s degree in Industrial Chemistry in 2020, both from the University of Parma. She continued her academic path at the same institution, completing a PhD in Materials Science and Technology in 2023. Her doctoral research focused on the development of auxetic materials and covalent adaptable networks.
She spended a 7-month research stay at Ghent University, where she worked on dynamic materials, and a 3-month stay at ICIQ in Tarragona, where she studied host–guest supramolecular interactions. In May 2025, she joined the ALCHEMY Lab as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on 3D printing of glass using HIAM technology.
Outside the lab, Francesca enjoys reading, cooking, and solving puzzles often with a pet by her side. Creative projects (especially the messy ones) are her favorite, and she’s always ready for a dip whether it’s a lake, river, or sea.
Qingchuan Song
Dr. -Ing. Qingchuan Song (QC) joined ALCHEMY in December 2025 as a postdoctoral researcher focused on the 3D printing of functional materials. He obtained his M.Sc. in Chemistry from RWTH Aachen University and his Dr.-Ing. in Microsystems Engineering from the University of Freiburg.
As an engineer with a chemistry background, QC has a strong interest in exploring polymer material systems based on chemically synthesized monomers. He enjoys the workflow of moving between the 3D printer and the chemical wet lab.
In his spare time, QC enjoys reading crime novels, writing, and visiting modern art museums. He is also a seasoned PC gamer.
Master’s Students
Project Staff
Silvan Wegenast
Silvan was born and raised in Bern. He completed his BSc. and MSc. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering at EPFL in 2022 and 2025 respectively. His master thesis focused on the development of a resin suitable for 3D printing transparent microchannels for biological applications. Silvan joined ALCHEMY lab in November 2025 for a “valorisation de master” project focusing on metal oxide / polymer composite resins. Outside of work he likes to play board and card games.
Alain Molleyres
Alain holds an MSc in Materials Science and Engineering from EPFL and has industry experience in thin film technologies for jewelry and watchmaking. His research focuses on bioinspired material design, with an emphasis on responsive, smart, and adaptive soft materials. He aims to develop material systems with tailored properties for dynamic environments. His previous work includes developing high-performance vitrimers derived from food waste, designing 3D-printable and recyclable double-network elastomers, and contributing to cell-mimicking coatings for anti-pathogenic applications. Outside of the lab, he loves sports, art, music, networking in an informal environment.