Category: News

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Engineering in the Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Department. I have always been intrigued by the interactions of humans with the environment. My research focuses on phosphorus transport and transformation in aquatic ecosystems in the context of the role of beaver dam-building in shaping hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles across North America. Working to understand the cumulative impact of beaver activity on sediment, phosphorus retention, and wetland formation. This work highlights how animal-driven landscape processes influence large-scale environmental systems—bridging ecology, environmental engineering, or human-ecology interactions.

Throughout my time at Michigan Tech, I have taught courses including Water Resources Engineering, Soil Mechanics for Engineers, and Environmental Process & Simulation labs. I’ve also worked as an Educational Scientist with the Center for Educational Outreach, supporting community education initiatives and teaching about lake ecology and the scientific process. These roles have deepened my passion for teaching and mentoring students across disciplines.

I have worked hard and received several awards for my work, including the Graduate Student Service Award, the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award, and the David Hand Excellence in Lab Award. I also served as the Margaret A. Davidson Fellow for the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, where I worked at the intersection of research and applied ecosystem management using numerical models for phosphorus transport.

I am very grateful and honored to receive the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship and would like to thank the Graduate School and the donors who make this fellowship possible. I would also like to thank my advisors, Brian Barkdoll and Xinyu Ye, and my committee, Amy Marcarelli, Cory McDonald, and Noel Urban, for their encouragement and guidance throughout this journey as I finish up my doctoral studies.

I am deeply honored to receive this Fellowship from the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel. My doctoral journey at Michigan Technological University began in 2019, when I entered the Ph.D. program in Statistics within the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Under the dedicated mentorship of my advisor, Dr. Kui Zhang, I have specialized in Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics, particularly the integration of multi-omics data.

A central part of my work involves introducing Cross-Tissue Learner (CTL)—a novel multi-tissue transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) framework that combines imputed gene-expression data from 49 tissues. We also developed an empirical distribution approach to refine the tissue-integration process, employing a unique weighting strategy to exclude irrelevant tissues. Building on this foundation, we introduced TWAS G-Boosted CTL, which incorporates GWAS-specific information, further enhancing statistical power across diverse datasets. In parallel, I have explored non-linear techniques (machine and deep learning) to improve predictive modeling across tissues. These methodologies promise transformative progress in bioinformatics, statistical genetics, and public health, enabling rapid gene discovery for disease risk assessment and therapeutic interventions.

I extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Qiuying Sha, Dr. Xiao Zhang, and Dr. Hairong Wei for serving on my advisory committee, as well as the Department of Mathematical Sciences’ faculty, chair, and staff for their unwavering support. Above all, I offer profound gratitude to Dr. Kui Zhang—his mentorship has shaped my capacity to design and execute rigorous research in Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics. Thanks to this Fellowship, I can finalize my dissertation and devote greater attention to the broader implications of my work.

My long-term aspiration is to continue advancing computational genomics in a research-focused academic setting. I am honored to begin a two-year role as an Assistant Professor at Macalester College in St. Paul starting in Fall 2025. This position will allow me to refine my teaching, mentor students, and produce publications in bioinformatics and statistical genetics journals. Through this work, I aim to foster interdisciplinary collaborations that drive meaningful breakthroughs in genetic epidemiology, precision medicine, and biomedical data science.

My PhD journey began at Michigan Tech in 2020, amid a global pandemic. I was not aware back then, but moving to the Keweenaw proved to be the right decision given how little it was affected by COVID and how much I like winters (now). I became a Husky during that summer, working under Dr. Rüdiger Escobar-Wolf on a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) focusing on lahars: volcanic hazards threatening communities near Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala. A few months later, Dr. Greg Waite joined the project as my co-supervisor, helping broaden the scope of this study.

For my PhD, I use an interdisciplinary approach to study lahars, which are destructive flows of volcanic debris. Over the past few years, I’ve collected monitoring data across various disciplines, including geophysics and hydrology. I completed field trips to Volcán de Fuego, collaborating with experts at INSIVUMEH (the local geophysical agency) and researchers from Boise State University. Using these datasets, I am characterizing lahar events and applying machine learning methods to develop detection systems that provide automatic alerts when these flows are active. In late 2023, I secured additional funding from the National Geographic Society, complementing the NSF support, to enhance hazard mitigation tools for communities in Guatemala, with potential applications in other volcanic settings around the globe.

I am grateful to the Graduate School and the Dean’s Advisory Panel for awarding me this fellowship. This work would not have been possible without the support and expertise of my co-supervisors, Drs. Escobar-Wolf and Waite. I also extend my gratitude to Dr. Luke Bowman for his invaluable mentorship, which has been crucial to the success of graduate students in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES), and to the faculty and staff at GMES for their continued support.

My experience at Michigan Tech began in 2013 as an undergraduate student. At that time, I was majoring in Electrical Engineering, but I quickly discovered my passion for programming and chose Computer Engineering as my second major. In my third year, I was fortunate to join the Human–Computer Interaction Lab and begin my research journey. Inspired by my undergraduate experiences, I determined that I wanted to further pursue research in computer science. In 2018, I officially began my Ph.D. in Computer Science with my advisor, Prof. Zhenlin Wang, and later, Prof. Junqiao Qiu joined as my co-advisor.

My doctoral research focuses on parallel computing, computer architecture, and systems. I am particularly interested in developing integrated systems that bridge hardware and software components. With the support of my advisors, I successfully accelerated a foundational computational task—finite automata processing—on the General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) hardware acceleration platform. I am hopeful that my research contributions will inspire future advancements in the field and encourage further exploration by myself and fellow researchers. This journey has profoundly motivated me to continue challenging my limits.

I am honored to have been awarded the Finishing Fellowship, and I sincerely thank the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel. I am also deeply grateful to my advisors, Prof. Wang and Prof. Qiu; without their patient guidance and support, I would not have achieved what I have today. I also extend my thanks to the Michigan Tech community, which has provided me with a warm home to pursue both my academic and personal interests.

I am sincerely grateful to the Graduate School, the Dean, and the Awards Advisory Panel for selecting me for the Finishing Fellowship. This support is an incredible honor as I enter the final phase of my doctoral studies. I would also like to express my appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Timothy Eisele, for his support, guidance, and mentorship throughout my research journey. His continuous encouragement and insightful feedback have helped me navigate challenges.

My journey at Michigan Tech began in 2016 when I enrolled in the Master’s program in Chemical Engineering, which I completed in 2018. After gaining valuable experience outside academia, I returned in 2021 to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering with the ambition of expanding my expertise in research. My PhD research focuses on developing cost-effective bioleaching methods for manganese recovery from low-grade ores. This approach utilizes metal-reducing organisms and biomass to convert manganese into a soluble form, followed by selective precipitation. As part of this project, we developed a 200-liter capacity process in the lab to demonstrate manganese production at the pilot scale. We are currently in the process of scaling this technology for implementation at an industrial, commercially viable scale.

In addition to my core research, I have worked on extracting iron from iron ore tailings using bioleaching and have contributed to battery recycling projects aimed at recovering critical metals such as manganese, nickel, and cobalt. My PhD research contributes to the development of cleaner, more economically viable metallurgical processes and supports the global transition toward sustainable resource use. Looking ahead, I hope to continue advancing technologies for critical mineral recovery, bio-based manufacturing, and energy-efficient extraction.

During the fellowship period, I plan to focus entirely on completing the final stages of my dissertation, preparing my findings for publication, and fulfilling all degree requirements. I am excited to complete my PhD and take the next steps in advancing my career.

The Graduate School is thrilled to announce the winners of the Summer 2025 Finishing Fellowship! This prestigious award recognizes the hard work and dedication of doctoral students in the final stages of their research. By providing financial support and valuable mentorship, the Finishing Fellowship empowers these exceptional scholars to complete their dissertations and make significant contributions to their fields of study. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and excited to see the impact of their research.

The following students have been selected to receive the 2025 Summer Fellowship:

• Gustavo Bejar-Lopez
• Md Mutasim Billah
• Palas Borkar
• Abid Danish
• Shiwei Ding
• Grace Dykstra
• Ashley Hawke
• Seth Kriz
• Kenny Larsen
• Dilka Liyana Arachchige
• Aman Poovalappil
• Raj Santhosh
• Megh Raj Subedi
• Kan Wang
• Yuguang Wang

Learn more about the students listed above on our blog under Summer 2025 Finishing Fellowships.

Finishing Fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to ten fellowships with support ranging from $2000 to full support (stipend + tuition). Students who receive full support through a Finishing Fellowship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a Finishing Fellowship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

Congratulations to all the Summer 2025 Finishing Fellowship winners! We are excited to see what you accomplish in the coming months and years.

Find out more about the Finishing Fellowship and other awards available for graduate students at Michigan Technological University. You can also find additional funding information on our financial information webpage.