Keoni Mahelona

Keoni Mahelona completed his Masters in Physics in 2011 with the Computational Nanotechnology group, using computational methods to model the behaviour of different materials. 

"I really enjoyed my time working with the group - they are a bunch of fun, quirky people.

"In my first year, I was looking at the motion of liquids on superhydrophobic surfaces. These systems are found in nature, in leaves like the lotus, which is covered with little bumps so the water never completely touches the leaf. I wanted to create a model that would correctly mimic the movement of small drops on the leaf with our molecular dynamics models.

Left: Water droplet on a lotus leaf. Right: Model of droplet, with leaf surface shown in black.

"I also got interested in graphene and began modelling its interactions with metallic substrates, such as copper and nickel. In particular, we looked at what happens during cooling, as metals typically contract, but graphene expands. This can lead to some interesting effects, such as the formation of nanobubbles, similar in appearance to the bubbles formed when applying a sticker to a window.

Keoni is a native Hawaiian, who grew up on the island of Kaua'i. He completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at Olin College of Engineering in Boston as well as a Master of Business Management at nearby Babson College. A Study Abroad programme brought him to the University of Waikato for a trimester, where he studied theatre and Maori language.

"I loved the relaxed environment and fell in love with New Zealand. It was very much more like Hawaii than Boston.

"The Fulbright scholarship I was granted enabled me to come back to New Zealand for my Masters. I wanted to be in a place where my native Hawaiian knowledge was valued, and I saw that happening with Maori in New Zealand. I also wanted to connect that heritage with my understanding of Western science and technology. 

"Eventually, I would like to be involved in developing the high-tech sector in Hawaii, and see local people empowered to make their lives more sustainable. I would also like to see a reduction in our dependence on imported food and a return to a more traditional lifestyle."