Doctoral Oral Exam Schedule

The Graduate Dean invites all graduate faculty to attend the final oral examinations for the doctoral candidates scheduled as follows:

Doctoral Oral Exams for October 27, 2025 – October 31, 2025

Scott Ambos, PhD., Chemistry
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 1:00PM, LGRT 1681. 
Dissertation: “Crystallographic Methods at High Pressure.” James Walsh, Chair.

Jae Kun Ryu, PhD., Food Science
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 9:30AM, ILC N211. 
Dissertation: “Structuring Plant Protein-Polysaccharide Mixtures for Creating Meat Analogs: Soft Matter Physics Approaches.” D. Julian McClements, Chair.

Jill Bockmann, PhD., Education
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 12:30PM, Furcolo N125. 
Dissertation: “Mindfulness Use for Adult and Child Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Settings.” Seon Yeong Yu, Chair.

John Kaushagen, PhD., Mathematics
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:00AM, LGRT 1685. 
Dissertation: “Polynomial Convergence of Measures on Delayed Renewal Processes and the Estimation of Koopman Operator on Symbolic Systems.” Hongkun Zhang, Chair.

Doctoral Oral Exams for October 13, 2025 – October 17, 2025

Nwadiaru Ogechi Vivian, PhD., Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 10:30AM, Kellogg Conference Room ELab II. 
Dissertation: “Community- Informed Modelling of Equitable Energy Storage Systems for the Energy Transition.” Erin Baker, Chair.

Weiqi Feng, PhD., Computer Science
Friday, October 17, 2025, 3:00PM, via Zoom. 
Dissertation: “Practical Encrypted Databases with Oblivious and Expressive Query Processing.” Adam O’Neill, Chair.

Bhavna Kalyanaraman, PhD., Chemistry
Friday, October 17, 2025, 11:00AM, via Zoom. 
Dissertation: “Tracking Core and Cancer-Related Circadian Components via Reporter Platforms.” Michelle Farkas, Chair.

Meredith Degyansky, PhD., Anthropology
Friday, October 17, 2025, 12:00PM, Machmer E24 and via Zoom. 
Dissertation: “Searching for Otherwise: Occupation, Rupture, and Wildness On/With/As Part off a 12-Acre Plot of Land.” Amanda Walker Johnson, Chair.

Ryan Rybka, PhD., Anthropology
Friday, October 17, 2025, 9:30AM, Machmer Hall E20. 
Dissertation: “Digging for Oil: An Archaeology of the Line 3 Replacement Pipeline in Northern Minnesota.” Sonya Atalay, Chair.

Zongling Ren, PhD., Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Friday, October 17, 2025, 1:00PM, ElabI.
Dissertation: “Dynamic Responses of Nano-/Micro-Structured Materials Under Ultra-High-Strain-Rate Loading.” Jae-Hwang Lee, Chair.

Min Hein Htike, PhD., Environmental Conservation
Friday, October 17, 2025, 9:00AM, Holdsworth 301.
Dissertation: “Stripes, Spots, and Packs: Unraveling Ecological Dimensions of Tiger, Leopard, and Dhole Co-Existence.” Curtic Griffin, Chair.

Anna Klebanowska, PhD., English
Friday, October 17, 2025, 2:00PM, South College E501. 
Dissertation: “The Lacunae of Realism? Science, Objectivity, and Race in Turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century American Literature.” Randall Knoper, Chair.

Doctoral Oral Exams for October 6, 2025 – October 10, 2025

Muhammad Salman Mohsin, PhD., Civil and Environmental Engineering
Monday, October 6, 2025, 2:30PM, Kellogg Room 118. 
Dissertation: “Exploring the Potential of Low UV Irradiance for Effective Surface Disinfection and its Impact on Bacterial Transcriptional Responses.” Mariana Lanzarini Lopes, Chair.

Emily Diaz-Loar, PhD., Economics
Thursday, October 9, 2025, 1:00PM, Crotty Hall 308. 
Dissertation: “No Plastic Futures: Essays on Plastics Substitution and Policy.” Robert Pollin, Chair.