Doctoral Exam Schedule
Cole Butler, Biomathematics, “The Role of Genetics in Pest Population Control,” June 30, 2025, 12 p.m., BoM 201. Major Professor: Dr. Alun Lloyd.
Bini Dahal, Forestry and Environmental Resources, “Spatial distribution of overstory and understory pine in mixed pine/hardwood forests of the southern Appalachians”, June 30, 2025, 1:00 p.m., Jordan Hall Addition Room 1214, Major Professor: Dr. Jodi Forrester.
Lauren Gonzalez, Forestry and Environmental Resources, “The Role of Gap-Based Silviculture in Hemlock Woolly Adelgid IPM: Impacts on Seedling Establishment, Biocontrol Agents, and Pest Physiology in the Southern Appalachians”, June 30, 2025, 9:00 a.m., Jordan Hall Addition Room 1214, Major Professors: Dr. Robert Jetton and Dr. Kelly Oten.
Jaedoh Han, Civil Engineering, “Durability Assessment of Concrete Materials in Chloride or Acidic Environments and Prestressed Concrete Design Solutions,” June 30, 2025, 10:00 a.m., FWH 3301. Major Professors: Dr. Moe Pourghaz/Dr. Giorgio Proestos.
Dylan Leonard, Chemistry, “Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Modified Poly(Amidoamine)
(PAMAM) Dendrimers for use in Drug Delivery,” June 30, 2025, 11 a.m., PSB, Room 4152. Major Professor: Dr. Christopher Gorman.
Munmun Basak, Forest Biomaterials, “Functional Agro-residue and Nonrecycled Waste Derived Nanocellulose for Packaging and Agricultural Applications”, July 1, 2025, 9:00 a.m., Biltmore Hall Room 2221, Major Professors: Dr. Lokendra Pal and Dr. Lucian Lucia.
Nusrat Zahan, Computer Science, “Evaluation of Security Practices Towards the Enhancement of Software Supply Chain Security,” July 1, 2025, 11:00 a.m., EBII. Major Professor: Dr. Laurie Williams.
Mohamad Javad Haghighat Manesh, Chemical Engineering, “Harnessing thermoacidophilic archaea for recovery and separation of critical metals and elements,” July 2, 2025, 10:00 a.m., O’Dell Room. Major Professor: Dr. Robert Kelly.
Tiancheng Xue, Operations Research, “ROM and Anderson Acceleration For Iterative Schemes on Least Squares Problems and Applications to Neural Network and PDEs,” July 3, 2025, 2:30 p.m., SAS 3282. Major Professor: Dr. Kazufumi Ito.
Yang Xu, Statistics, “Causal Decision Making: From Offline Evaluation to Online Learning,” July 8, 2025, 1 p.m., Remote. Major Professors: Dr. Rui Song and Dr. Wenbin Lu.
Kacie Wells, Fiber and Polymer Science, “Thermoplastic Elastomers with inherent Antimicrobial Properties for Reduction in the Spread of Harmful Microbes,” July 10, 2025, 9:00 a.m., EB1, 3018. Major Professor: Dr. Richard J. Spontak.
Cassie Gann-Phillips, Civil Engineering, “Advanced seismic velocity models for regional ground motion characterization,” July 11, 2025, 11:00 a.m.., FWH 3301. Major Professor: Dr. Ashly Cabas.
Jonathan Crozier, Nuclear Engineering, “Development and Implementation of Neural Thermal Scattering (NeTS) Modules for Monte Carlo and Multiphysics Analysis of Advanced Reactors,” July 11, 2025, 2:00 p.m. Burlington Labs 1121 – Duke Energy Conference Room. Major Professor: Dr. Ayman Hawari.
Smitom Swapna Borah, Civil Engineering, “Characterizing Phosphorus Fluxes Through Aquatic Systems Using Data-driven Modeling,” July 14, 2025, 10:00 a.m., FWH 3280. Major Professor: Dr. Daniel Obenour.
Ian Grace, MEAS, “Using Deep-sea Mussel Shell Geochemistry to Infer Separation of Larval Population Pools and Methane Seep Environmental Temporal Variability,” July 15, 2025, 9 a.m., JH 1132. Major Professor: Dr. David Egglseton.
Ivan Sanin Sprague, Chemistry, “Rapid One-pot Synthesis of Quinolizinium Scaffolds via Formal Cycloaddition between Stabilized Azinium Ylides and Cyclopropanones,” July 16, 2025, 1 p.m., COX 400. Major Professor: Dr. Vincent Lindsay.
Chinazam Emmanuel Chukwuma, Chemistry, “The Fate of Siderophores: Biotic Degradation of Siderophores,” July 18, 2025, 1 p.m., Williams Building, Room 2223. Major Professors: Dr. Reza Ghiladi and Dr. Owen Duckworth.
Russell Kibbe, Chemistry, “Exploration of Data and Advanced Analysis Strategies Through the Lens
of Mass Spectrometry Imaging,” July 18, 2025, 1 p.m., COX 306. Major Professor: Dr. David Muddiman.
Vishnu Punithavel, Civil Engineering, “Crack Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams Designed Using Strut-and-Tie Models,” July 23, 2025, 10:00 a.m., FWH 3280. Major Professor: Dr. Giorgio T. Proestos.
Shannon Connard, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, “Advancing Treatment Strategies for Tendonitis and Tenosynovitis: A Translational Approach Using Equine Models,” July 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m., D239. Major Professor: Dr. Lauren Schnabel.
Dilawer Ahmed, Computer Science, “Analyzing Traffic from Voice Assistant to Assess and Prevent Information Leakage,” July 24, 2025, 2:00 p.m., EBII – 2240. Major Professor: Dr. Anupam Das.
Zubin Chacko, Mechanical Engineering, “Thermo-mechanical performance of Composite Metal Foam,” July 25, 2025, 1:00 p.m., EBIII-3115. Major Professor: Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei.
Krysten Lambeth, Biomedical Engineering, “Toward Safe, Data-Driven Gait Assistance: Incorporating Ultrasound-Derived Fatigue and Volition for Hybrid Neuroprosthesis Control,” July 29, 2025, 10:00 a.m., EBIII-4142. Major Professor: Dr. Nitin Sharma.
Ravikanth Appalabhotla, Chemical Engineering, “Optogenetics and computational biology reveal mechanistic insights underpinning mesenchymal motility,” July 29, 2025, 1:00 p.m., EBI – 2015. Major Professor: Dr. Jason Haugh.
Kenya Gordon, Physics, “Investigating Conformational Dynamics and Ion-Dependent Cleavage of RNA by Nsp15: A Single-Molecule PIE-FRET and FCS Approach,” July 31, 2025, 1 p.m., Riddick 315. Major Professor: Dr. Sharonda LeBlanc.
Priya Raghuraman, Electrical Engineering, “New Protection and Communication Techniques To Facilitate Integration Of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) On A Distribution System,” July 31, 2025, 3:00 p.m., Hybrid/FREEDM Systems Center/Zoom. Major Professors: Dr. Mesut Baran/Dr. Ismail Guvenc.
Juliana Pin, Operations Research, “Optimizing a Nationwide Supply Chain for Oilseeds in Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production: Pennycress, Camelina, and Carinata,” August 8, 2025, 11:45 a.m., PSB 4152. Major Professor: Dr. Daniela Jones.
Mariela Perez Sepulveda, Soil Science, “The Impact of Salinity on Soil Nitrogen Transformations and Microbial Symbiosis on Soybean Cultivars,” August 8, 2025, 2:00 p.m., WMS 2223. Major Professors: Dr. Mike Mullen and Dr. Kevin Garcia.
Julia Harrison, Civil Engineering, “Monitoring and Modeling Fecal Contamination in Coastal Systems and Assessing Microbial Health Risks from Flooding,” August 11, 2025, 9:00 a.m., FWH 3280. Major Professors: Dr. Angela Harris/Dr. Natalie Nelson.
Emily Brown, Chemistry, “UV and Visible Light Photoactivation of Parahydrogen Induced
Hyperpolarization and Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange,” August 11, 2025, 11 a.m., Plant Sciences Building Boardroom. Major Professor: Dr. Phil Castellano.
Alexander Fullmer, Physics, “Phonon Modes in Liquids and Disordered States,” August 15, 2025, 10 a.m., Riddick 106. Major Professor: Dr. Jacob Eapen.
Stephanie Fiocca, TELS, “K-12 Educators’ Experiences with Environmental Education Certification Programs: A Mixed Methods Study”, September 2, 2025, 10:00 a.m., Center for Technology and Innovation Room 317, Major Professor: Dr. Sarah Carrier.
Mariana Vedoveto, Forestry and Environmental Resources, “Climate Change Adaptation and Economic Mobility in Rural Settlements of the Brazilian Amazon: Long-Term Evidence from 1996 to 2019”, September 5, 2025, 9:00 a.m., Jordan Hall Addition Room 1214, Major Professor: Dr. Erin Sills.
Allie Guerra, Chemistry, “Progress Towards the Total Synthesis of Abyssomicin C,” October 13, 2025, 10 a.m., DAB 210. Major Professor: Dr. Joshua Pierce.