Get to know us!

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. 

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.

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 1^st, 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.

Minjoo Kang

Minjoo joined ALCHEMY in March 2026 as a PhD student, exploring novel polymer resins for vat photopolymerization. She holds a BA in Chemistry from the College of Wooster and an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from KAIST. Minjoo is drawn to the playful side of chemistry, tinkering with chemical bonds, designing polymer networks, and watching them take shape through a 3D printer. She is particularly excited for expanding the material design space for 3D printing, opening it up to a wider range of applications. Outside the lab, she stays active through yoga, running, and dancing to random songs. That said, a sunny day with a warm pain au chocolat and good coffee is what her ideal, relaxing day off looks like.

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.

Mathilde Maillard

Mathilde was born in France. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Material Chemistry in 2016 from the University of Bordeaux and her Master’s Degree in Health Engineering in 2018 from the University of Paris Cite. She completed a PhD in Material Science in 2022 at INSA de Lyon under the supervision of Prof. Jérôme Chevalier. Her doctoral research focused on the elaboration of hybrid ceramic/hydrogel (bio)inks and their rheology for additive manufacturing process. During her PhD, she obtained a JECS Grant to spend a 6-month research stay at Imperial College London under the supervision of Prof. Eduardo Saiz, where she worked on ceramic core-shell structures shaping by Direct Ink Writing process. She has also created her own enterprise during her PhD called ‘Bien Dans Ma These’, advocating for the well-being of doctoral students and young researchers. 

She continued her path by joining a start-up company in Paris as 3D Printing Manager. Finally, she returned to academia with a first postdoctoral research fellowship at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research where she focused on the elaboration of double-network hydrogels for in vitro and in vivo testing in bone tissue engineering. She pursued a second postdoctoral research at the University of Lille where she was involved in the creation of a point-of-care inside the university and the hospital. During this experience, she managed several 3D printers, clinical projects and (bio)printing research. In March 2026, she joined ALCHEMY Lab as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on Tomographic Volumetric (Bio)Printing of ceramic composites.

Outside the Lab, Mathilde is a fan of video games since she was 8 years old and enjoys hiking. She is also a member of the French association of Women who drink beer, and is always ready to discover new breweries.

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.