Grid - Graduate Researchers for International Development (GRID) - Global Engineering Programs :: Purdue University - Purdue University

Luke is a MD+PhD student entering his third year of graduate school in Biomedical Engineering with Dr. Jackie Linnes and Dr. Natalia Rodriguez. His project aims to create a user-informed rapid test for HPV to make cervical cancer screening more accessible in the United States. His long-term career interest is engineering for global public health, especially delivering preventive healthcare interventions in resource-limited settings. He is very excited to be a part of Purdue’s strong and diverse community of researchers in global health and international development. "Learning more about this research and connecting students, projects, and funding opportunities across campus with our GRID team is rewarding and humbling."

Lucy is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering. Her work focuses on fabricating paper-based lateral flow tests for early detection of cervical cancer. She is developing these tests for low-middle income countries such as Zambia. The use of cost-efficient materials makes this point-of-care diagnostic tool practical for the healthcare systems that are disproportionally affected by cervical cancer. She has also worked with a non-profit, student-led organization that designs 3-D printed prosthetics for children/teens with upper limb differences at no-cost to the patient. In her free time, Lucy enjoys long-distance running and working to establish academic programs within her department that are geared towards mentoring and graduate school preparation.

Meghana is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics researching the viability of lithium-ion batteries as an energy storage solution for electric vehicles by studying their degradation using machine learning methods. Through her research, she strives to find affordable-accessible applications for international development moving towards a more real-world, practical solution for a smooth transition from academia to industry. She loves going on long walks exploring her surroundings, cooking, and getting lost in a book.

Suyash is pursuing a Masters-PhD student in Civil Engineering/Construction Engineering and Management. His work is interdisciplinary and focuses on principles of profitability and risk in the construction industry. He has worked on multiple research projects with the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) and Construction Industry Institute (CII). He also helped develop the Purdue Index of Construction (Pi-C) which can be used to inform construction-related policies and investments based on the health of the U.S. Construction Industry.

Pankti is a Master's student in Biomedical Engineering. Her thesis focuses on developing a paper-based lateral flow assay for HIV detection. She is passionate about healthcare parity and wants to increase access to early diagnostics in low-resource settings like rural India to improve healthcare delivery systems. She has been a part of leadership teams for BMES, the Women in Engineering Program, and FACT during her undergraduate studies here at Purdue. She enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and exploring new restaurants in her free time.

Waire is a Master's student in Civil Engineering and the Transformational Innovation and Design interdisciplinary concentration. His research interest involves how oil and solid mineral-producing developing nations achieve sustainability and resilience when their main source of revenue eventually becomes phased out due to emerging climate change policies. He loves soccer, and can be found watching matches or playing soccer video games in his free time.