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 May 4, 2026 – May 8, 2026
Charles Cao, PhD., Computer Science
Monday, May 4, 2026, 9:00PM, CSL E400 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Ultrasonic Sensing Systems: From Hardware Design to Interactive and Physiological Applications.” Jeremy Gummeson and Jie Xiong, Co-Chairs.
Diego Alberto Polanco Necochea, PhD., Economics
Monday, May 4, 2026, 9:00AM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Capacity Utilization and Accumulation Regimes: Essay in the Political Economy of Growth, Distribution, and Core-Periphery Dynamics.” Michael Ash, Chair.
Hao Wan, PhD., Polymer Science and Engineering
Monday, May 4, 2026, 11:00AM, LGRT 1033.
Dissertation: “Controlling the Morphology of Growing Membrane-Integrated 2D Crystals Using Tension and Curvature.” Maria M. Santore, Chair.
Xianci Zeng, PhD, Chemical Engineering
Monday, May 4, 2026, 9:00AM, LSL N410 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Bioinspired Strategies for the Encapsulation and Stabilization of Biomacromolecules.” Sarah Perry, Chair.
Aimen Gaba, PhD., Computer Science
Monday, May 4, 2026, 3:00PM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Advancing Responsible and Trustworthy AI Using Human-Centered Methods.” Cindy Xiong, Chair.
Hung-Hsun (Ryan) Ly, PhD., Chemistry
Monday, May 4, 2026, 9:15AM, Goessman 153.
Dissertation: “Harnessing Macromolecular Engineering to Enable Multivalency-Driven Extracellular Targeted Protein Degradation.” S. Thayumanavan, Chair.
Aaron Yates, PhD., Sociology
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:00AM, Thompson 720.
Dissertation: “Haunting Silences: Du Boisian Reflections on the Development of American Sociology.” Moon-Kie Jung, Chair.
Nigel Fernandez, PhD., Computer Science
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 11:00AM, CSL E400 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Natural Language Processing for Scalable Educational Assessment and AI Systems.” Andrew Lan, Chair.
Sharanya Sridhar, PhD., English
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 2:00PM, Arthur Kinney Center.
Dissertation: “Global Genres, Local Shakespeare(s): Intertextuality and Gender Conventions in Post-Independence Tamil Films.” Jane Hwang Degenhardt, Chair.
Cheryl Harned, PhD., History
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 2:00PM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Collected: Trauma, Wonder and the Birth of the Modern Museum Movement.” Marla Miller, Chair.
Benjamin Adams, PhD., Chemistry
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 1:00PM, LGRT 1681 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Harnessing Plasmonic Hot Carriers for Nanomaterials Growth and Photocatalysis.” Joseph DuChene, Chair.
Juhyeon Lee, PhD., Computer Science
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 9:00AM, CSL E400 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Advancing Objective Motor Severity Assessment in Cerebellar Ataxias Using Sensors and Machine Learning.” Sunghoon Ivan Lee, Chair.
Deep Chakraborty, PhD., Computer Science
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:00AM, LGRC A112 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Understanding, Improving, and Applying Self-Supervised Neural Representations.” Erik Learned-Miller, Chair.
Minji Lee, PhD., Psychological and Brain Sciences
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 2:30PM, Tobin 423.
Dissertation: “Navigating Adversity: A Multi-Study Examination of Discrimination and Mental Health Among Marginalized Young Adults.” Maria Galano, Chair.
Mitia Nath, PhD., English
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:30AM, South College E501.
Dissertation: “Fictions of Filth: Race, Caste, and Empire in Late-Colonial India.” Asha Nadkarni, Chair.
Maciej Mroczek, PhD., Civil Engineering
Friday, May 8, 2026, 1:00PM, Knowles Engineering 109.
Dissertation: “Scientific Investigations of Select Engineering Challenges Related to Bottom-Fixed Offshore Wind Foundations.” Sanjay Raja Arwade, Chair.
Shiv Shankar, PhD., Computer Science
Friday, May 8, 2026, 1:00PM, CSL E239.
Dissertation: “Counterfactual Inference in the Era of User Privacy and Gen-AI Models.” Ina Fiterau, Chair.
Fabien Delattre, PhD., Computer Science
Friday, May 8, 2026, 1:00AM, LGRC A215.
Dissertation: “Applications of Motion Perception: Ego-Motion Estimation, Video Synchronization, and Self-Balancing.” Erik Learned-Miller, Chair.
Roman Sanchez, PhD., Anthropology
Friday, May 1, 2026, 1:30PM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Nepantla Futures: Speculating Mexican American Studies for Transition in The Land of the Spirit Waters.” Amanda Walker Johnson, Chair.
Doctoral Oral Exams for April 27, 2026 – May 1, 2026
Daniel Marew, PhD., Computer Science
Monday, April 27, 2026, 3:00PM, LGRC A215.
Dissertation: “From Trajectory Optimization to Learning: Developing Controllers for Dynamic Legged Robots.” Donghyun Kim, Chair.
Stefano Marchese, PhD., Music
Monday, April 27, 2026, 12:00PM, Bromery Center 152.
Dissertation: “Circle Singing and the Social-Emotional Benefits of Participatory Music-Making: A Qualitative Exploration.” Lisa Lehmberg, Chair.
Greg Gregory, PhD., Plant Biology
Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:00AM, LSL S610.
Dissertation: “Determining the Diurnal Cues Regulating Secondary Cell Wall Thickening in Brachypodium Distachyon.” Samuel Hazen, Chair.
Seth Thibado, PhD., Physics
Monday, April 27, 2026, 2:00PM, LGRT 419B and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Experimental Studies of Single and Double Beta Decays in Exo-200.” Andrea Pocar, Chair.
Francesca Carpentiero, PhD., Animal Science
Monday, April 27, 2026, 12:00PM, LSL N610.
Dissertation: “Cooperative Regulation of Reproductive Success by CaV3.2, TRPV3 and TRPM7 ion Channels in Mouse Oocytes and Eggs.” Pablo Visconti, Chair.
Annabelle Flores Bonilla, PhD., Psychological and Brain Sciences
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 1:00PM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Sex Differences in Myelin Remodeling Following Adolescent Alcohol Use.” Heather Richardson, Chair.
Junhui Yang, PhD., Mathematics
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 9:00AM, LGRT 1681.
Dissertation: “Statistical and Casual Robustness for Causal Null Hypothesis Tests Under Model Uncertainty.” Ted Westling, Chair.
Reagan Paras, PhD.
Music, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 1:00PM, Bromery Center 365.
Dissertation: “Examining the Transformational Impact of Cross-Cultural Exchange on U.S. and Filipino Choral Directors.” Stephen Paparo, Chair.
Arisa Tajima, PhD., Computer Science
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 9:00AM, CSL E400.
Dissertation: “Advancing End-to-End Privacy in Machine Learning: Input, Output, and Beyond.” Amir Houmansadr, Chair.
Luke Kipfer, PhD., Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 12:00PM, KEB 309.
Dissertation: “Wideband Low-Loss Radial Networks for Phased Arrays and Power Combining.” Marinos Vouvakis, Chair.
Zhaolin Xue, PhD., Chemistry
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 11:00AM, Goessman 153.
Dissertation: “Programmable RNA Scaffolds for Synthetic Condensate Engineering in Living Cells.” Mingxu You, Chair.
Cecilia Ferrando, PhD., Computer Science
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 9:00AM, CSL E239.
Dissertation: “Differentially Private Statistical Learning: Uncertainty Estimation and Utility Preservation.” Daniel Sheldon, Chair.
Alexander Scarlatos, PhD., Computer Science
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 3:30PM, CSL E400.
Dissertation: “Towards Realistic Simulated Students: Aligning Language Models with Student Knowledge and Behavior.” Andrew Lin, Chair.
Md Farhan Tasnim Oshim, PhD., Computer Science
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 12:00PM, LGRC A311.
Dissertation: “Towards High-Fidelity Motion Characterization Using Radar Vibrometry: Applications in Vital Sign Monitoring and Human-Object Interaction.” Tauhidur Rahman, Chair.
Ana Uribe, PhD., Psychological and Brain Sciences
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:00AM, Tobin Hall 423.
Dissertation: “Survivors’ Perspectives: Exploring Exposure to Nonphysical Intimate Partner Violence and Perceptions of Victimization.” Maria Galano, Chair.
Cheng-Han Li, PhD., Polymer Science and Engineering
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 12:30PM, Conte Polymer A110/A111.
Dissertation: “Dynamics of Coacervate Gels.” M. Muthukumar, Chair.
Alexandre Alves Santos, PhD., Hispanic Literature and Linguistics
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:30AM, Herter 301.
Dissertation: “Oral Fluency and Lexical Knowledge in Heritage Brazilian Portuguese.” Luiz Amaral, Chair.
LaStarr Hollie, PhD., Management
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 9:00AM, ISOM N330.
Dissertation: “Understanding the Application and Experience of Race in Organizations.” Orlando Richard and Mzamo Mangaliso, Co-Chairs.
Banu Abdikadirova, PhD., Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Friday, May 1, 2026, 12:00PM, LGRC A215.
Dissertation: “Hip Exoskeleton for Gait Rehabilitation and Performance: Investigating Human Adaptation to Interventions applied by a Hip Exoskeleton.” Meghan Huber, Chair.
David Casali, PhD., Music
Friday, May 1, 2026, 1:00PM, Bromery Center 419.
Dissertation: “Remixing instruction and Accessibility in Elementary Music with Artificial Intelligence Tools.” Lisa Lehmberg, Chair.
Elise Barnett, PhD., Afro-American Studies
Friday, May 1, 2026, 1:00PM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Speak of the (She)Devil: Ontologies of Death and Female Life-Making Praxes in Folk-telling of The Bahamas.” Yolanda Covington-Ward, Chair.
Dilruba Sofia, PhD., Mathematics
Friday, May 1, 2026, 12:00PM, LGRT 219 and via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Mathematical Modeling of Tumor-Immune Microenvironments: Data-Driven Models of Cancer Progression Based on Immune Profiles.” Leili Shahriyari, Chair.
Doctoral Oral Exams for April 20, 2026 – April 24, 2026
Martina Achieng Ochiel, PhD., Education
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 9:00AM, Furcolo W001.
Dissertation: “Educational Entanglements: A Critical Inquiry into Education Technology, Low Fee Private Schools (LFPS), and the Epistemic Disobedience to the Coloniality of Schooling in Kenya.” Bjorn Nordtveit, Chair.
Jingyi Qiu, PhD., Biomedical Engineering
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 1:00PM, Goessman 153.
Dissertation: “Innovative Nanodelivery Systems for Precise Cancer.” Prabhani U. Atukorale, Chair.
Joao Carnio Teles de Menezes, PhD., Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 1:00PM, Skinner 12.
Dissertation: “Causes and Consequences of Loud Singing in Birds.” Jeffrey Podos, Chair.
Diego Guerrero, PhD., Psychological and Brain Sciences
Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 2:00PM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “The Self- Embedded Structure of Cardinal Numbers: How Syntax Impacts Children’s and Adult’s Representation of Natural Numbers.” Joonkoo Park, Chair.
Ashmita Chader, PhD., Animal Science
Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10:00AM, LSL N610.
Dissertation: “Characterizing the Roles of Epigenetic Regulators and E3 Ubiquitin Ligases During Early Mouse Embryonic Development.” Jesse Mager, Chair.
Masoud Malekzadeh, PhD., Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10:30AM, via Zoom.
Dissertation: “Stochastic Trajectory Processes and Graph Neural Network Learning from Adaptive Coverage in UAV Networks.” Hossein Pishro-Nik, Chair.
Sofiya Shreyer, PhD., Anthropology
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 1:00PM, Machmer E20.
Dissertation: “Distinguishing Hot Flashes and Night Sweats: Integrating Physiology, Environment and Experience.” Lynnette Sievert, Chair.
Thupten D. Phuntsog, PhD., Public Health
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 2:00PM, SPHHS Hub 340
Dissertation: “Navigating Chronic Illness: A Mixed Methods Study of Social Support, Health Literacy, and Medication Beliefs Among Vietnamese Americans.” Susan J. Shaw, Chair.