2022
GradTrack Mentors
Caitlin Adams
Department or School:
Materials Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I study superabsorbent polymer hydrogels both as internal curing agents in concrete and as mediators of inorganic material crystallization.
Career interest:
I want a career where I can share my enthusiasm for science and engineering through teaching and mentoring in an intellectually curious and collaborative environment.
Imani Adams
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
African American K-12th grade youth pathways to engineering
Career interest:
I am interested in working with programs that focus on introducing engineering to youth from underrepresented populations.
Shauna Adams
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interests include assessment of pre-college out-of-school time (OST) engineering/STEM programs and increased engagement of underrepresented youth in pre-college OST engineering/STEM programs.
Career interest:
My career interest include consulting with pre-college engineering programs and developing pipeline programs for teens at different engineering companies.
Fernando Aguilera de Alba
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Understand the effects of blast-related injury on the peripheral and central auditory system.
Career interest:
I am interested in pursuing a career in academia to guide younger generations and then transition into high-impact sports to treat auditory deficits due to traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Emily Barber
Department or School:
Mechanical Engineering
Rank:
Master's Student (Thesis)
Research/Academic interest:
I conduct research in using novel radiative cooling technologies to combat climate change
Taymee Brandon
Department or School:
Environmental and Ecological Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on developing and characterizing surface-modified textile-derived biochar for aqueous heavy metal recovery in industrial wastewater systems.
Career interest:
My intention is to become a professor so that I may mentor the next generation of scientists and engineers, teach higher education courses with an inclusive pedagogy, and engage in meaningful water quality research.
Jose Capa Salinas
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interest is focused on design and inspection of bridges, and my current project involves the use of UAS (drones) in the assessment of bridges and similar structures.
Career interest:
I would like to pursue a career in academia where I can inspire and help others to achieve their goals.
Mohamed Aziz Dridi
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I am interested in understanding the cultural and structural factors that sustain cross national differences in women's participation in engineering education and practice.
Career interest:
nt, international education policy, academia and management consulting.
Ángel Enriquez
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Developing microscale technologies to add functionality to implantable/biomedical devices.
Career interest:
To become a professor and create impact through academic research as well as creating programs for increased participations for minorities.
Sopuruchukwu Ezenwa
Department or School:
Chemical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I investigate how the properties of catalysts influence the chemical transformations that they catalyze.
Career interest:
I am interested in advancing fundamental research that enables practical solutions while contributing to the development of future generations of diverse minds in STEM.
Damilola Lawore
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Systems Biology approach in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Career interest:
I am interested in the development of therapeutics for diseases like cancer.
Ruben Lopez
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Better understand how K-16 students develop engineering thinking and professional skills through diverse learning environments.
Career interest:
I want to continue working in academic settings and developing innovative curricular interventions in engineering.
Nafissa Maiga
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I am interested in conscious engineering education especially when it comes to sustainability and Indigenous knowledge.
Career interest:
I'd like to eventually become an environmental engineer consultant & educator in West Africa.
Sara Metti
Department or School:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Studying material properties for topological quantum computing
Career interest:
I am interested in exploring the possibility of a career in academia to conduct impactful research and contribute to science education.
Stefannie Morales Jiménez
Department or School:
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Development of green rocket fuels for space exploration applications.
Career interest:
Establish a non-profit organization focused on aerospace engineering research in Puerto Rico.
Xavier Morgan
Department or School:
Mechanical Engineering
Research/Academic interest:
Lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and carbon neutral solar fuels.
Career interest:
Human spaceflight operations and entrepreneurship.
Juan Paz
Department or School:
Industrial Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interests are in the fields of data analytics and decision making for logistics in Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) and smart and connected communities.
Career interest:
My career interest is to pursue a faculty position where I can perform research and student mentoring that: first, lowers the barriers to healthcare access, and second, fosters underrepresented students to achieve their personal objectives and become agents of social wellness.
Margaret Perlman
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Master's (Thesis)
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on extreme hazard loading on steel-plate concrete composite systems.
Career interest:
My goal is to design and protect critical infrastructure against extreme hazard loads (blast, impact) to ensure the safety of all communities.
Josue Rivera
Department or School:
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Control theory and machine learning
Career interest:
Research Engineer
Julio Rivera-De Jesus
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research is based on point-of-care diagnostics, we design and develop accessible technology to monitor/diagnose diseases near the patient.
Career interest:
In the future, I would like to pursue a career in academia.
Alex Santiago Vargas
Department or School:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focusses on designing adaptive RF power amplifiers.
Career interest:
I'm looking forward to work as a professor.
Paula Sarmiento
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Tendon omics and tissue engineering
Career interest:
Translational research
Kerry-Ann Stirrup
Department or School:
Materials Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on the behavior of crystalline explosives during high-speed dynamic failure.
Career interest:
I would like to countinue to work in the energetic materials field, focusing on the material properties of explosives.
Jonathan Turnley
Department or School:
Chemical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on the synthesis of metal chalcogenide semiconductors for solar energy applications.
Career interest:
I hope to obtain a faculty position at a research university and to lead a lab focused on sustainable energy research.
Abhishek Kumar Umrawal
Department or School:
Industrial Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I develop causal and reinforcement learning algorithms for artificial intelligence problems with applications to social influence maximization and product recommendation.
Career interest:
I would like to have a career in academic and industrial research.
Juan Verduzco
Department or School:
Materials Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research involves the design of materials by combining machine learning algorithms, physics-based simulations, and materials synthesis & characterization for battery applications.
Career interest:
My career goal is to work in industry, in a position that deals with combining data science and materials informatics. At the same time, I would like to contribute to training the new generation of researchers in ML techniques.