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Grad Student Profile: Sumedh Beknalkar

Innovative Research

2026 Graduate Research Symposium winners

Apr 9, 2026

2026 Graduate Student Research Symposium Winners Named

Nearly 200 NC State graduate students presented their research projects during the 19th annual Graduate Student Research Symposium. The symposium showcases the outstanding quality and diversity of graduate-level research, and provides students with the opportunity to practice and enhance their communication skills with those outside their discipline.
Two students, one speaking into a microphone, present research ideas.

Mar 31, 2026

Grad Students Build Bridges for Agricultural Innovation

The N.C. PSI’s BRIDGE Symposium provided a window into the bold ways graduate students are collaborating across academic fields to solve a range of agricultural challenges.
two people work on a marshy coastal shoreline with equipment

Mar 19, 2026

Protecting North Carolina Coastlines with Natural Solutions

NC State doctoral student Sam Holberg, joint Sea Grant & Coastal Reserve Research Fellow, is investigating the effects of oyster farms on shorelines — which could inform lasting solutions for our coast.
A man wearing a black T-shirt sits in a science lab with a laptop computer

Mar 16, 2026

New Grant to Grow Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program

Thanks to the Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program, Dontae Mosley was able to pursue his master’s degree and launch his career in the biotech industry. Now, more biochemistry graduate students will have the same opportunity through a new grant from the National Science Foundation.
Sumedh Beknalkar

Mar 12, 2026

From Engineer to Entrepreneur

Sometimes, entrepreneurship finds people in unique and unexpected ways. For Sumedh Beknalkar, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering, that is exactly how he got…
a man samples cells from a petri dish

Mar 6, 2026

Piecing Together the Puzzle of Prostate Cancer

The recipient of the Anne A.J. Work Award for outstanding biochemistry graduate research, Asher Utz is helping lead the way to better understanding prostate cancer.
a woman wearing a white and blue dress standing outside holds a white chicken with a red wattle

Feb 26, 2026

Talking Up the Science of Food Systems

With an academic foundation rooted in animal and poultry science, Bavisha Gulabrai is leveraging a doctorate in agricultural education and human sciences to help people better understand how food is produced and why those practices matter.
Payton DeMay

Feb 16, 2026

Researcher Spotlight – Payton DeMay

2025-26 Global Change Research Fellow, Payton DeMay shares his work in wildlife perception.
a white robot resembling a moth creates ripples in purple water as it flaps its wings

Feb 10, 2026

NC State Contest Seeks Research Images from Students, Faculty, Staff

NC State calls on students, postdocs, faculty and staff to take part in the university’s annual research image contest.
Sumedh Beknalkar

Jan 6, 2026

Grad Student Profile: 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’.