2023
GradTrack Mentors
Imani Adams
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interest is on African American youth K-12 engineering education with a focus on informal learning experiences
Shauna Adams
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interest is in understanding the success indicators of K-12 community engineering programs that support underrepresented and underserved groups.
Career interest:
To be a conduit of support for community-based K-12 Engineering/STEM programming and public, private, and government supports.
AraOluwa Adaramola
Department or School:
Chemical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Student success in introductory chemical engineering courses
Career interest:
Open to career opportunities that combine my skills and interests
Micheal Adekanbi
Department or School:
Mechanical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Reduction of NOx emissions and improvement of the performance of offroad diesel engines through the use of electric EGR pump and cylinder deactivation.
Career interest:
To become a faculty in a top engineering school or work as a research engineer in a research institute
Fernando Aguilera de Alba
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Investigate the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the auditory system
Career interest:
I would like to continue investigating the effects of TBI in military and civilian populations, especially in athletes of high-contact sports.
Brendan Ball
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
To leverage both computational and experimental approaches to better understand the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Career interest:
I aim to develop and improve therapeutics within the healthcare industry.
Emily Barber
Department or School:
Mechanical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Radiative cooling paints for climate change mitigation
Career interest:
Undetermined, but likely government work at a national lab
Bereket Bekele
Department or School:
Chemical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interest involves investigating the effects of atomic scale active site arrangements of zeolite catalysts used in processes that convert low carbon-footprint feedstocks into useful forms of energy and chemicals.
Career interest:
My overarching career interest revolves around exploring the fundamental truths of the universe through research and applying the knowledge gained to develop practical solutions for real-world challenges.
Sarah Bowlin
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on the experimental investigation of unbonded and bonded prestressed concrete bridge elements.
Career interest:
I am mainly interested in a career in structural forensics, but am also considering a career as a professor at a teaching focused university.
Jose Capa Salinas
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interests include drone bridge inspection, routine and fracture (NSTM) inspections, the behavior of structures, earthquake engineering, assessment of bridges and other structures.
Career interest:
I would like to pursue a faculty position in academia where I can inspire and help others to achieve their goals.
Gaurav Chobe
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research interest is in structural engineering with a focus on anchorages in concrete construction
Career interest:
My career interest is to become a faculty member in a research institution
Tania Class Martinez
Department or School:
Chemical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on understanding how material properties of proton- and copper-form zeolites influence the dealumination kinetics during hydrothermal aging.
Career interest:
I aspire to become a research professor to mentor future scientists and engineers.
Jordan Cross
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I research the relationship between humans and the indoor built environment through the personal care products we introduce into our spaces.
Career interest:
I would love to continue to contribute to my field conducting research at an R1 institution.
Emily Garcia
Department or School:
Industrial Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on optimizing decision making support systems to improve older adult long term care and reduce the prevalence of health disparities.
Career interest:
I aspire to become a full-time healthcare engineering researcher whether it be in academia, industry, or government where I can continue pursuing health equity interdisciplinary research and mentor underrepresented minorities.
Rachel Gehr
Department or School:
Engineering Education
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on contextualizing environmental justice within integrated STEM curriculum to foster equity and belonging for students.
Career interest:
While my career goals are still tentative, I hope to incorporate research and informal education to transform complex, technical findings into approachable information for communities.
Debraliz Isaac Aragones
Department or School:
Mechanical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I research two-phase flow instabilities in energy-efficient passive cooling systems.
Career interest:
My career goals are to work in research and development in the HVAC industry.
Maya Luster
Department or School:
Industrial Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Developing innovative solutions to improve interactions between humans and complex systems in Human-AI (Agent): Robotic Teaming (HART), Integration (HAI), and Interactions (HRI) by investigating levels of autonomy, transparency, trust, and interdependence on automated and/or autonomous systems.
Career interest:
Upon graduation, I look forward to disseminating my subject matter expertise in HART by becoming a research scientist for government/industry, and ultimately becoming a University Professor.
Sara Metti
Department or School:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
I focus on studying semiconductors properties that can be utilized for topological quantum computing.
Career interest:
My career interest is to continue conducting research in the field of experimental quantum computing, while actively contributing to the development of a more diverse and inclusive environment.
Jesus Meza Galvan
Department or School:
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My current research is focused on using microfabrication techniques to develop micro-propulsion devices for small satellites and spacecraft.
Career interest:
My long-term career goal is to become a spacecraft engineer and work on developing science instrumentation for space missions. I am very interested in using nanotechnologies for space exploration.
Margaret Perlman
Department or School:
Civil Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research focuses on the blast resistance of steel-plate concrete structures.
Career interest:
My goal is to design and protect critical infrastructure against extreme hazard loads (blast, impact) to ensure the safety of all communities.
Mikayla Roach
Department or School:
Biomedical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My research revolves around the interactions of the gut microbiome with the healthy and post-traumatic synovial joint.
Career interest:
I am interested in pursing a career involving orthopedics.
Ãngel Santiago-Colón
Department or School:
Chemical Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
My work focuses on the stability of catalysts and development of new materials for methane conversion to aromatics and hydrogen.
Career interest:
My goal is to seek a tenure-track faculty position where I could teach and lead a research group focused on heterogeneous catalysis.
Alex Santiago-Vargas
Department or School:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Design of Quasi-Balanced Doherty Power Amplifiers with SIW cavity-based quadrature hybrid couplers.
Career interest:
I am interested in pursuing a career in industry and after a few years bring back my experience to academia.
Jehan Shalabi
Department or School:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rank:
Ph.D.
Research/Academic interest:
Electromagnetic Fields & Optics: Specifically working on the design and fabrication of bolometers/thermal infrared sensors that can operate at room temperature with very high sensitivity.
Career interest:
To be an astronaut researcher and advance thermal devices for space applications.