Student Voices
Current students & recent alumni reflect on their personal & academic experiences in the Riccio College of Engineering
About
The Riccio College of Engineering at University of Massachusetts Amherst is a diverse college housed within a major research university, which allows our students to engage in hands-on engineering through cutting-edge research, collaborative projects, and innovative, entrepreneurial ideas and solutions. Our student organizations reflect the diversity within our college and provide opportunities for experiential learning, professional development, peer-to-peer support, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community service.
As a student in the Riccio College of Engineering, the possibilities for building connections, pursuing meaningful research and leadership opportunities, and preparing for a rewarding career are truly endless. Below, you can hear from some of our recent graduates about how they made the most of their time at UMass Amherst.
Hayley Norton '26, Biomedical Engineering
Hayley Norton served as a research assistant in the Schiffman Research Group for three years, and presented her research at AIChE2025, the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference, and the annual meeting of the Materials Research Society. Hayley also served as a representative for the Biomedical Engineering Society, President of the Running Club, and participated in RISE and the Commonwealth Honors College. Over the summers, she completed internships at Blueprint Medicines (Sanofi) and Eli Lilly and Company, as well as an REU at the Colorado School of Mines. After graduation, she began a PhD at Tufts University, focusing on cellular agriculture and the gut microbiome.
Adhithi Varadarajan '26, Chemical Engineering
Adhithi Varadarajan conducted research in the Perry Lab, studying coacervates and presenting her work at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference. She also participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program focused on computational mathematics and formal proof verification.
Beyond the classroom, Varadarajan served as a peer tutor, peer mentor, and academic success coach in the Learning Resource Center, worked as a teaching assistant for multiple courses, and held roles with Student Affairs and Residential Life. She also completed a summer internship at a pharmaceutical design consultancy and returned there after graduation as a full-time process engineer.
Beyond the classroom, Varadarajan served as a peer tutor, peer mentor, and academic success coach in the Learning Resource Center, worked as a teaching assistant for multiple courses, and held roles with Student Affairs and Residential Life. She also completed a summer internship at a pharmaceutical design consultancy and returned there after graduation as a full-time process engineer.
Elizabeth Peter '26, Computer Engineering
During her time at UMass, computer engineering Elizabeth served as an ECE Peer Advisor, Conference Coordinator for the Society of Women Engineers, and Head of Logistics for Hack(H)er413. She also worked as a Product Manager Intern for UMass Amherst, helping build a platform for students taking independent study courses, and completed a Software Engineering internship at a tech startup. After graduation, she joined Cadence as an Application Engineer.
Jiteshri Dasari ’26 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jiteshri Dasari is a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering whose research focuses on formal verification of digital hardware, developing scalable methods to mathematically prove the correctness of complex arithmetic circuits used in processors and cryptographic hardware. During her time at UMass Amherst, she authored six first author papers, presented her work at leading international conferences including DAC, ICCAD, and DATE, and completed internships at Synopsys and NXP Semiconductors. She also served as a teaching assistant in the ECE department and received several honors, including the DAC Young Fellow Scholarship, the Grace Hopper Conference Scholarship, and first prize in the ECE Three Minute Thesis competition.
Learn more about Jiteshri
Vibha Balaji, PhD student, Biomedical Engineering
Vibha Balaji is a PhD student whose research applies artificial intelligence and graph neural networks to medical imaging and neurodegenerative disease modeling. Working in the Biomedical Imaging and Data Science Laboratory at UMass Amherst and Massachusetts General Hospital, she develops deep-learning methods to study Alzheimer’s disease progression and improve radiopharmaceutical therapy dosimetry. Her work has been published in journals including the Journal of Nuclear Medicine and presented at national conferences in nuclear medicine and medical imaging. Balaji has received multiple honors for her research, including the SNMMI Young Investigator Award and the Alavi-Mandell Award.
Sheila Ariana, PhD candidate, Civil Engineering
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) awarded PhD candidate Sheila Ariana its highly selective 2024–2025 O. H. Ammann Fellowship in Structural Engineering, recognizing her work on sustainable, carbon-negative building materials. As part of a U.S. Department of Energy-funded project, Ariana researches cross-laminated timber (CLT) and steel hybrid systems for next-generation construction. Her work focuses on designing and testing novel CLT "layups" and hybrid steel diaphragms to improve structural performance and sustainability. Ariana also received the ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering Outstanding Reviewer of the Year Award, the ASCE Future Leader Scholarship Award, and full membership in Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.
