Graduate Student Profiles

Each semester, The Graduate School shines a spotlight on graduate students who exemplify the Think and Do mantra of our great university.

When you pursue a graduate degree at NC State, you aren’t just preparing for the “real world” — you’re shaping it. Our master’s and doctoral students work alongside our faculty to solve the big problems: finding economically and environmentally sustainable energy sources, improving human health, creating prosperity.

Meet Sumedh Beknalkar

Sumedh Beknalkar, a Ph.D. candidate in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at NC State’s College of Engineering, is also the president and co-founder of SLA Robotics. His research involves the development of an autonomous, multi-terrain, and amphibious robot from ‘concept to prototype’. He specializes in dynamics, controls, optimization, and machine learning with applications in autonomous robots. As an entrepreneur and co-founder, he plans to commercialize the autonomous, amphibious robot in the near future.

Prateeti Ugale | Wilson College of Textiles

Prateeti Ugale is a Ph.D. candidate in the fiber and polymer science program at NC State University’s Wilson College of Textiles. She conducts her research in the SHIFT Lab under the guidance of Dr. Amanda Mills, focusing on advancing electronic textiles (e-textiles), especially interconnects.

Madeline Stallard | College of Education

Having earned her Ph.D. in Science Education from NC State in May 2025, she’s now a postdoctoral research scholar at the Friday Institute, dedicated to improving science education and professional development.

Samantha Kisthardt | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Samantha Kisthardt, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Theriot lab at NC State, researches how the gut microbiome prevents C. difficile infection.

College of Education Ph.D. student Jayla Moody

Jayla Moody Marshall

Jayla Moody Marshall, a Spring 2025 Ph.D. graduate from NC State’s Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development program in the College of Education, is reshaping the conversation around student success.

Jonah Bridges

Jonah Bridges is a Spring 2025 graduate within the Materials Science and Engineering master’s program, who’s already committed to walking across the stage and right into his Ph.D. program.

Raj Madhu

For as long as he can remember, Raj Madhu has been captivated by the inner workings of technology, always eager to explore new innovations and understand what happens behind the scenes. Now, this Computer Science graduate gets to apply his skills in the professional world.

Aniruddha Kulkarni | College of Engineering

From a young age in Pune, India, Aniruddha Kulkarni approached life as a puzzle waiting to be solved, a curiosity sparked by the endless possibilities he saw within the realm of computers.

Clarissa Gernat | College of Design

Driven by a lifelong connection to NC State, fostered by her father’s work at the university and now shared with her sister and cousin, Clarissa Gernat found a natural home in the College of Design’s Media Arts, Design, and Technology program.

Isabella Bartels | College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Isabella Bartels is a first-year master’s student in Public History, focusing on the history of climate change adaptation, science, and its cultural perceptions. Guided by her mentors, her research aims to raise awareness of the lived experiences of climate change in environmentally vulnerable communities.

Yi Chen | College of Engineering

Yi Chen, a Ph.D. student in the College of Engineering, is currently researching battery-less RF energy harvesting sensor platforms and hopes to overcome the form factor and reliability issues posed by batteries in wearable devices.

Riley Lawson | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar program offers teaching and research awards to U.S. citizens in more than 130 countries, and we had a chance to sit down with College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Fulbright Scholar Riley Lawson to talk about her graduate education experience and the opportunity to conduct research in France.

Paige Moore Ph.D. graduate in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Paige Moore | College of Humanities and Social Sciences

The spirit of the Wolfpack is alive and well, especially as it relates to this soon to be three-time graduate of NC State. Paige Moore received her undergraduate degree, masters and now set to graduate this spring with her Ph.D. in Public Administration from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Ryan McCune | College of Engineering

Ryan McCune is a second-year Ph.D. student in civil engineering concentrating on coastal engineering at the College of Engineering. Ryan’s research focuses on chronic coastal flooding in North Carolina as part of the Sunny Day Flooding Project.

Dion Harry | College of Education

Dion Harry is a fourth-year Higher Education Opportunity, Equity, and Justice doctoral candidate. Dion is originally from Lynchburg, SC, and is a proud product of Lee County School District in South Carolina.

Nigar Sultana | Wilson College of Textiles

Nigar Sultana, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the fiber and polymer science program, is currently developing nanomaterial-based biosensors for biomedical applications. These biosensors are envisioned as non-invasive tools for detecting underlying diseases.

Ankita Gupta | College of Veterinary Medicine

Ankita Gupta is a DVM/Ph.D. student in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program. At the core of her passion lies a relentless pursuit of improving the success of translational research for chronic pain, a condition that plagues countless animals and individuals.

Vanadeep Kaluvagunta | College of Sciences

Vanadeep Kaluvagunta is pursuing his third master’s degree in climate change and society from the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences. An international graduate student from India, he currently holds a Ph.D. in physics along with a double masters in physics and meteorology.

Margaret Baker | College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Margaret Baker, a Raleigh native and current Ph.D. student in the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media program with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, recently decided to leave her role as a creative director in the Triangle area to pursue her passion for teaching and research.

Echo Pan | College of Sciences

Echo Pan, a Ph.D. candidate in functional genomics and a FFAR fellow, graduated with a master’s degree in food science from the CRISPR lab led to Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou. Her current research focuses on CRISPR-based genome engineering in probiotics.

Lily Kile | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Lily Kile, currently a Ph.D. student in the department of crop and soil sciences and a Goodnight doctoral fellow, worked on her M.S. in soil science at NC State, focusing on sweet potato production. Lily enjoys enjoy rafting, kayaking, weight lifting, camping, timber sports, and many other activities that allow her to get outside and move.

Muhammad Ikbal Putera Ph.D. student in the College of Natural Resources

Muhammad Ikbal Putera | College of Natural Resources

Muhammad Ikbal Putera’s journey to NC State has been transformative. In 2022, he reached out to over a dozen professors across the U.S., seeking advising opportunities, and ultimately connected with Dr. Yu-Fai Leung in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management (PRTM) Department.

Tatiana Osorio Montoya | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Tatiana received both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in biology in Colombia, and is proud to be a first generation graduate. This achievement was made possible through her family’s efforts, a public university, and a scholarship that supported her studies.

Joseph Flesch Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology

Joseph Flesch | College of Humanities and Social Sciences

North Carolina native, Joseph Flesch knew he wanted to apply for graduate school and continue his education towards the end of his 2nd year of undergraduate study when he found the McNair Scholars Program.