Luca Vaccino — Italy

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

I'm part of RETHi team, a NASA funded institute which designs resilient extra-terrestrial habitats for Moon and Mars. In particular, I'm working on systems integration and transitions between crewed and dormant stages of a mission.

Vidushi Toshniwal — India

Civil Engineering, Ph.D.

I am working on modeling cyclic behavior of soil, being a major part of foundation for any building they could possibly cause damage to the building due to liquefaction under cyclic loading conditions (Earthquake, etc.). Hence, it is important to develop a cyclic constitutive model for the soil and study its behavior.

Ankit Kumar — India

Materials Engineering, Ph.D.

Understanding failure mechanisms of aerospace materials due to corrosion. Important: Increasing life-time of aircraft structure along with safety and reliability concern.

Damilola Lawore — Oyo State, Nigeria

Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.

My research dives into the vaginal microbiome to uncover microbes and metabolites that act like chemotherapy in terms of gene expression and boost anti-tumor immune responses. This could lead to exciting new approaches in cancer treatment and immune system modulation, highlighting the potential of using natural microbiota in medical innovations.

Ismail Olaniyi — Lagos, Nigeria

Civil Engineering (Geomatics), Ph.D.

My research focuses on using remote sensing technologies to address spatially related issues. These technologies can help reduce or eliminate food security, transportation, and natural disasters.

Francesco Fuentes — Florida, U.S.

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

I research soft robotics, which are robots made mainly of compliant, or squishy, materials. These kinds of robots are incredibly robust and can play critical roles in surgeries and environmental exploration.

Brooks Leftwich — Tennessee, U.S.

Engineering Education, Ph.D.

My research is focused on how graduating engineering students make their job choice decisions, particularly how beliefs and perceptions of social responsibility may influence that decision. This work intends to inform engineering educators and administrators aiding in their students' development and job choice process, company recruiters in their interview and selection process during the student's job search, and industry partners in the recruitment, hiring, and retention of engineering graduates with similar values.

Rachel Gehr — New York, U.S.

Engineering Education, Ph.D.

I am working on the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) K-12 project that provides integrated STEM curriculum introducing microelectronics to students in Indiana. Microchip design and manufacturing is a rapidly growing industry and I am excited to motivate students to pursue this field.

Nazmul Haque — Bangladesh

Materials Engineering, Ph.D.

I am developing a tool to directly visualize and quantify localized stresses in polymer composites that cause their sudden failure. Our research will help to design better, prototype these materials, reduce manufacturing costs and increase their service life.

Amit Yadav — India

Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.

There are several online tools readily available to generate fake high quality digital media (image, text, video, speech). Several incidents report their use for spreading misinformation and committing financial frauds. My research involves developing speech recognition and computer vision methods that process speech and video signal to determine if they are real or fake/manipulated. If it is manipulated my research also involves localizing which regions are manipulated, and if it is fake then it involves identifying the method used for generating it. This is particularly useful in the investigation of crimes, where digital evidence can play a crucial role in identifying suspects and proving guilt or innocence. It also helps to verify the authenticity of social media posts and news content, and in detecting fake news and disinformation campaigns. That is essential for making informed decisions and maintaining trust in our digital world.

Lexy Arinze — Delta, Nigeria

Engineering Education, Ph.D.

Lexy Arinze, a first-generation graduate student from Nigeria, earned his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Ibadan before participating in a student abroad program in Spain. Upon returning to Nigeria, he worked as a graduate Engineer at Arup for 1.5 years. He recently obtained his master's degree in Civil Engineering at Purdue University and currently is pursuing his Ph.D. in Engineering Education.

Muna Awajan — Jordan

Electrical Engineering, Ph.D.

I am doing research in the field and optics. Currently, I am working on radio frequency device design development and implementations, specifically adaptive impedance tuners networks, which are contributors to advances in wireless technologies.

Abhinav (Abhi) Ramkumar — Indiana, U.S.

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

I'm excited about the application of statistical physics and network science in the context of granular materials, which is the second most manipulated material in industry after water. I'm especially excited about utilizing multiscale materials modelling in solving energy-related challenges as it can make an impact on efficiency of manufacturing materials and in designing resilient sociotechnical systems.

Antonio Alvarez Valdivia — Mexico

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on designing touchable interfaces for Human-Robot Interaction. These interfaces will provide new, more intuitive ways to interact with robots and machines.

Laura Almeida Tinjaca — Colombia

Master's

I'm analyzing the environmental impact of transitioning to electric vehicles through simulation and data analysis, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions. This research is crucial for policymakers, urban planners, and consumers to understand the potential benefits and unintended consequences of this transition.

Rajeshree P. Varma — India

Ph.D.

My research focuses on evaluating the wear and fatigue behavior of additively manufactured (AM) parts subjected to shot peening. This study is crucial as it explores how shot peening can enhance the durability and performance of AM components, which are increasingly used in key applications across various industries.

Athul Chakkithara Dharmarajan — Kerala, India

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

My area of research is engineering design, and I work on computational modeling of designers' performance. Predicting the performance of designers can help organizations understand how to leverage their unique strengths!

Eugenio Frias-Miranda — San Juan, Puerto Rico

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on developing soft wearable robotic systems that enhance motor learning and improve training. This work is important because it pushes the boundaries of adaptive, efficient wearable robotic while offering tangible benefits for rehabilitative engineering and underserved communities.

Marina Garcia Lopez-Arias — Spain

Civil Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on providing construction materials, more specifically concrete, with proactive sustainable properties such as CO2 capture, depollution, and thermal energy storage.

Kshitij Mall, Ph.D. — Uttar Pradesh, India

Aerospace Systems, Ph.D.

My primary research interest and expertise have been on entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems for human-class Mars missions. EDL is among the toughest challenge confronting us in becoming a multi-planetary species.

Tuba Marjan — India

Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on developing a composite biomaterial platform to study muscle tissue regeneration. This work is important because it aims to improve our understanding of cell-matrix interactions in the context of wound healing.

Nuela Chidubem Enebechi — United States

Industrial Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on leveraging ergonomics, human performance analysis, and AI-driven insights to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in technology design. This work is important because it optimizes human-computer interaction, improves workplace and everyday ergonomics, and ensures that AI applications are tailored to diverse user needs, ultimately fostering more inclusive and effective systems.

Bruno C. Krause Moras — Brazil

Civil Engineering, Ph.D.

I research public policies for the adoption of alternative modes of transportation.

Samridhi Kulshrestha — India

Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on glaucoma treatment by developing biodegradable ocular implants that release medication slowly and consistently in the eye, reducing the need for frequent dosing. Imagine waking up every day knowing that your vision is slipping away - not because there's no treatment, but because the daily burden of eye drops is too much to keep up with. By making glaucoma treatment more reliable and effortless, I hope to give patients the freedom to focus on life, not just their disease.

Juliana Pereira — Brazil

Civil Engineering, Ph.D.

My research is on Seismic Stability of Lunar Lava Tubes. It is crucial for protecting astronauts against lunar hazards, supporting economic interests, enabling future settlements on the Moon, advancing space exploration toward Mars, and paving the way for extraterrestrial habitats.

Jehan Shalabi — New Jersey, U.S.

Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.

Advancing infrared sensing with the development of a new spintronic ultrafast nanoscale bolometer that can potentially surpass state-of-the-art thermal sensors at room temperature operation.

Kevin Boes — Indiana, U.S.

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

My research is on the development of new engines for air and power generation sectors that leverages a supersonic combustion technique called rotating detonation. These engines promise thermodynamic cycle efficiency improvements of several percentage points and demonstrate compactness, enhancing energy production and strengthening this country's air defense systems.

Andres Gomez Arauz — Panama City, Panama

Agricultural Engineering, MS

My research focuses on grain storage challenges impacting the quality of U.S. imported corn in tropical climates, with a case study in Mexico. This work is essential to improving post-harvest management, reducing losses, and ensuring food security in regions where environmental conditions make grain preservation particularly challenging.

Prateekee Chatterjee — India

Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.

In today's modern era of battery centered clean energy initiatives, power electronic devices such as converters and inverters play a major role. However the same devices introduce a lot of noise called "common mode" currents in a system which can flow through arbitrary paths and cause trouble. I work in designing components- chokes and resistors- that mitigate such common mode noise in various systems.

Laura Nunez — Colombia

Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.

I am interested in studying how skin remodels itself when is subjected to external mechanical loading. This will help understand how external stretching can be applied to promote tissue growth and regeneration.

Akshita Kamsali — Hyderabad, India

Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.

My area of research is in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep learning applications. I focus on using AI to track changes in information over time, helping systems better understand evolving unstructured knowledge and answer complex questions that require connecting multiple pieces of information.

Pablo Orosa Iglesias — Spain

Civil Engineering, Ph.D.

My research focuses on pavement materials, waste valorization, and pavement management systems. It aims to support the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure by improving performance, extending service life, and reducing environmental impact through innovative engineering solutions.