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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Summer 2019 Recipient – Nupur Bihari

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Nupur Bihari
Materials Science and Engineering

I moved to the beautiful city of Houghton as a Master’s student in Electrical Engineering and worked on my thesis (under Dr. Paul Bergstrom) on a microfabricated blood typing sensor. Continuing to explore semiconductor microfabrication and vacuum systems, I joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Fall 2016 under Dr. Joshua Pearce. I began my PhD research on integrating the disparate worlds of additive manufacturing and semiconductor fabrication.

Additive manufacturing is radically changing the way polymer-based components are manufactured. It has enabled customization, reduced costs and led to unprecedented growth in the acceptance and use of polymers in scientific research equipment. Despite the ubiquity of 3-D printed materials in research applications, they have remained conspicuously absent from semiconductor research, primarily due to their apparent incompatibility with vacuum equipment. This incompatibility is mainly in terms of outgassing of volatile organic species. Outgassing in polymers arises when low molecular mass entities present in the material matrix escape when exposed to vacuum. If polymers are coated with a conformal, crystalline, inorganic film introduced with atomic layer deposition (ALD), then outgassing can be reduced to a large extent because the surface layer acts as a seal to prevent these low molecular weight species present in the bulk of the material from escaping. Going a step further, I am in the process of building a first of its kind ALD system almost entirely out of 3-D printed polymeric materials.
I would like to express my gratitude to Graduate School for the finishing fellowship. I am honored to have my research get this recognition.

 

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2021 Recipient – Prithvi Reddy

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I started my Ph.D. in the Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Department at Michigan Tech in May 2018 under the guidance of Profs. Mahdi Shahbakhti and Darrell Robinette. My research work is in the field of automotive powertrain controls and focuses on developing physics-based control systems for reducing undesirable noise and vibration characteristics called clunk and shuffle, respectively, in automobiles. The goals of this project are to improve the driving comfort in passenger vehicles while simultaneously reducing vehicle development time and calibration effort. Therefore, our work aims at providing benefits to both the customer and the manufacturer of the vehicle. This is an industry-focused project and we have been collaborating with an automotive OEM to exchange ideas and our results from this work.

I am thankful to the Graduate school, the MEEM department, and our industry partner for supporting me throughout my Ph.D., through assistantships, and this fellowship. This fellowship will help me focus on wrapping up my Ph.D. deliverables and finishing my thesis.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Spring 2018 – Aref Majdara

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Aref Majdara
Electrical Engineering

Aref MajdaraI came to Michigan Tech in August 2013 to pursue my PhD in Electrical Engineering. I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in my home country, Iran.

My PhD research is focused on developing computationally efficient algorithms for non-parametric high-dimensional density estimation, with applications in density-based data mining and machine learning techniques.

Besides research activities, since Fall 2014, I have been working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and I had the opportunity to teach five different ECE labs during seven semesters, which has been an invaluable experience for me.  

I am truly grateful to the Graduate School for providing me with financial support through the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship. This fellowship has made it possible for me to put my entire focus on publishing my research and completing my thesis, towards completion of my PhD degree this semester.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to MTU Alumni and Friends, for making this fellowship possible through their generous donations.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2021 Recipient – Shabnam Konica

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I joined Michigan Technological University as a Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Department in Fall 2017. I obtained my Masters’ degree from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, and a Bachelors’ degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Mechanical Engineering. Before I started pursuing my Ph.D., I was engaged as a faculty member in the Military Institute of Science and Technology in Bangladesh. 

At Michigan Tech, I work at the Laboratory of Mechanics & Modeling of Advanced Materials under Dr. Trisha Sain’s supervision. We develop experimentally informed multiscale, coupled multiphysics continuum level models to predict the constitutive response of polymers and their composites: from the manufacturing stage to operational condition until failure. I mainly study the thermal aging and degradation of these materials in their operating environments at great detail. Our model predicts aging-related phenomena in these materials, such as oxidation-induced cracking, property degradation, ductile to brittle transformation, and the constitutive response changes.

I am grateful to the graduate school of MTU for the financial support through the doctoral finishing fellowship for the fall semester. This aid will surely help me to complete my thesis on time.

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Finishing Fellowship – Summer 2025 – Grace Dykstra

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Grace Dykstra, PhD in Chemical Engineering, 2025

I began my PhD journey at Michigan Technological University with a desire to make healthcare more accessible through low-cost, reliable diagnostics. My research focuses on developing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) biosensors—customizable, shelf-stable devices designed as alternatives to traditional antibody-based systems. By tailoring the polymerization conditions and integrating nanomaterials, I aim to enhance the sensitivity and stability of these sensors for use in point-of-care applications.


This work is driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to timely medical testing. MIP sensors hold great promise for use in underserved areas, where refrigeration or specialized lab equipment may not be available. Their potential to address healthcare gaps in remote or low-resource settings is one of the most exciting parts of my research.

During my time at Michigan Tech, I have published two articles on MIP-based cortisol and lactate sensors, with a third currently pending publication. I’ve had the honor of receiving the Health Research Institute Fellowship and several presentation awards. Beyond research, I’ve served as a Graduate Student Government representative, helping organize events such as the Alumni Poster Session, 3-Minute Thesis, and Graduate Research Colloquium—experiences that have strengthened my commitment to supporting the graduate student community.

One of the highlights of my time at MTU has been serving as a teaching assistant and mentoring students in our lab. These experiences have inspired me to pursue a future career in academia, where I hope to foster curiosity and hands-on learning in the next generation of engineers.

I am sincerely grateful to the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for this fellowship. I’d also like to thank my advisor, Dr. Yixin Liu, the Chemical Engineering Department, and my friends and family for their unwavering support.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2021 Recipient – Erin Eberhard

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Erin Eberhard came to Michigan Technological University in June 2015 after earning her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. She earned her Master’s degree from Michigan Tech in summer 2017 with the thesis, “Co-occurrence of nitrogen fixation and denitrification across a stream nitrogen gradient in a western watershed,” as part of Dr. Marcarelli’s lab NSF CAREER project looking at the dynamics of nitrogen fixation and denitrification in streams – read more about it in Biogeochemistry (Eberhard et al. 2018). She has continued her PhD studies on the same project, focusing on small-scale factors that facilitate the co-occurrence of N transformations and how they are related to microbial assemblages in streams and also across wetland-stream-lake interfaces of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in a federal or state agency working to conserve and protect freshwater ecosystems and communicate science with the public.

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DOE Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program

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The Department of Energy’s Office of Science is now accepting applications for the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program (2017 Solicitation 1). Applications are due 5:00pm Eastern Time on Tuesday May 16, 2017.

The SCGSR program provides doctoral dissertation/thesis research opportunities for graduate students at DOE national laboratories. Details about the program and online application can be found at http://science.energy.gov/wdts/scgsr/.

We would appreciate it very much if you could help distribute the program announcement to interested faculty members and graduate students in your institution. Go to the webpage to see the detailed list of the following genreal research areas:
Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
High Energy Physics (HEP)
Nuclear Physics (NP)

Sincerely,
Ping Ge, Ph.D.
Program Manager, Office of Science Graduate Student Research ProgramImage result
Office of Science, SC-27
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20585

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Fall 2018 Recipient – Neel Uday Desai

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Neel Uday Desai
Atmospheric Sciences

NeelDesaiI came to Michigan Tech in Fall 2013 to start my Phd in Atmospheric Sciences after finishing my masters from University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering and my bachelors from University of Mumbai in Mechanical Engineering.

When I came here, I wanted to learn more about the Earth’s atmosphere and how precipitation forms in clouds. My research focuses on the effect of turbulence on cloud droplet growth. I was able to perform experiments and obtain measurements to study that effect here in the Michigan Tech Pi Chamber which I couldn’t have done anywhere else. My research also allowed me to collaborate with other institutions such as the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research in Leipzig, Germany where I spent two months.
I’m thankful to my adviser Dr. Raymond Shaw for guiding me and the Physics department for supporting me in my research for all these years. This finishing fellowship allows me time to write my dissertation, defend my thesis and graduate with a doctoral degree. I would also like to thank the University and the Graduate School for the opportunity to grow as a graduate student in a professional yet homely atmosphere.
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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2023 Recipient – Hrishikesh Gosavi

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Since I began learning the basics of science, the effects of vibrations on environments has always fascinated me. As Nikola Tesla said, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” It was with this aim that I started my Ph.D journey in Fall 2020.

My research has been in regards with “Metastructures”. These are unique structures which absorb vibrations in a system in particular frequency range, often called as ”bandgap”. It is because of this bandgap phenomenon that metastructures are widely used to mitigate vibration effects. Owing to large number of applications, it becomes important to estimate bandgaps in a metastructure to predict the frequency range in which the vibrations will be absorbed so that metastructures can be designed for various applications.

Through my research, I have aimed to developed new methods to estimate these bandgaps. The current methods available in the literature require a physics-based model of the metastructure (analytical model, finite/spectral element model) in order to estimate bandgaps. However, for various anisotropic materials, the material properties are difficult to quantify accurately which makes the physics-based model inaccurate. My research aims to overcome these limitations by developing methods which estimate bandgaps using purely experimental data. We have used the experimental data to study how a vibration wave is propagating through the metastructure (dispersion curve) and estimated bandgaps. Various other techniques such as substructuring, data-driven modeling algorithms were utilized. The developed techniques considerably reduced the design efforts required and made the entire design process much easier.

The funding provided by this fellowship will truly be helpful for me in putting all my energies in finishing my thesis in time and complete my Ph.D.!
I am grateful to the Graduate School for granting me this fellowship.
My advisor, Dr. Sriram Malladi has been more than helpful in guiding me through various ups and downs throughout my Ph.D journey. I am truly thankful for the relentless support he and his family has given me. Last but certainly not the least, I am thankful to my family i.e. my wife and my parents for their support in every aspect of my journey!

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2023 Recipient – Susan Mathai

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I started as a PhD student in Atmospheric Sciences at Michigan Tech in August 2018. My interest in Atmospheric Sciences began during an elective course I took while pursuing my master’s degree in physics at the National Institute of Technology (NIT Calicut). Since then, my interest in Atmospheric Sciences has grown, and I have been eager to learn more about it.
My doctoral research focuses on investigating the physical, chemical, and optical properties of aerosols, which are particles suspended in the atmosphere, specifically those emitted from biomass burning. Over the course of five years, with the support of my advisor and colleagues at Michigan Tech, I have gained valuable knowledge and experience that will undoubtedly benefit me in my future endeavors. Additionally, I had the opportunity to expand my exposure and understanding of the subject through an internship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where I worked with Dr. Swarup China. During my internship, I estimated the optical properties of tar ball particles that are formed during biomass combustion. I also studied the physical and chemical properties of aerosols from an Urban polluted region that is highly influenced by biomass burning.
I am grateful to the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory panel for granting me the finishing fellowship award and to my advisor, Prof. Claudio Mazzoleni, for his unwavering support and guidance throughout my PhD journey. I also thank my mentor at PNNL, Dr. Swarup China for his hard work and dedication in helping me complete my PhD. Additionally, I express my thanks to both my current and former research group members for engaging in excellent discussions and fostering a spirit of teamwork. I eagerly anticipate defending my thesis and advancing along my chosen career path.

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