2026 Candidates—B
JAZLYNN BAILEY — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Uncovering the Functional and Ecological Roles of RNA Bacteriophages and Viruses in Soil Ecosystems
Jeffrey Blanchard, Biology
LILLIAN P. BAK — Comparative Literature, Psychology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
JILLIAN L. BALDASSINI — Management
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Understanding Retention in the Restaurant Industry: The Role of Family-Work Conflict and Leadership Style
Muzzo Uysal, Isenberg School of Management
MAXWELL S. BALKEMA — Legal Studies
Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors
Reimagining Justice: Indigenous Justice Initiatives and Their Relationship to Western Courts
Martha L. Yoder, Commonwealth Honors College
OWEN M. BALL — Chemistry
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Suppressed Phase Segregation in 2-D Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells via Copper Iodide/PTAA Bilayer
Dhandapani Venkataraman, Chemistry
ROMAN BARANKOV — Biology
Advanced Scholarship - Departmental Honors
You Are What You Eat: Dietary Effects on Infection and Reproduction in B. impatiens
Lynn S. Adler, Biology
CHRISTOPHER D. BARDINI — Environmental Science
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Groundwater Controls on Carbon Emissions from Headwater Streams in Western Massachusetts
Matthew J. Winnick, Geosciences
RAQUEL BATISTA-VIEIRA — Management
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Beyond the Checklist: A Critical Analysis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Diagnostic Frameworks in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress in US Pediatric Populations
Melinda Gonzales-Backen, Psychological & Brain Sciences
REESE C. BAXTER — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Concentrations of Secondary Metabolites in Basil Nectar Influence Parasite Resistance in Bombus impatiens
Lynn S. Adler, Biology
NICHOLAS C. BAXTER — Anthropology
Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors
Tortured by Culture: An Epistemology of Intense Violence in the United States of America
Kathleen A. Brown-Pérez, Commonwealth Honors College
OWEN BECHTEL — Mathematics, Computer Science
General Studies & Departmental Honors
Deformed G2 Instantons on Aloff-Wallach Spaces
Franz J. Pedit, Mathematics & Statistics
EMMA L. BECKWITH — Psychology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
From Parents to Prisons: A Biopsychosocial Approach to the Link Between Stereotypes in Early Male Development and Later Criminal Outcomes
Charlotte Wilinsky, Psychological & Brain Sciences
RICHARD BEKE — Computer Science
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Multi-stakeholder Perception Modeling: Do Traders, Customers, and Residents Agree?
Jayant K. Taneja, Electrical & Computer Engineering
DJAMECHA K. BELAIR — Psychology
Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors
Neurogenesis of Narratives: A Collection of Synaptic Shards
Connie Griffin, Commonwealth Honors College
QUINN A. BELHUMEUR — Operations & Information Management
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Grounded Living: Designing a Superadobe Single-Family Home for Community, Affordability, and Well-Being
Sandy Litchfield, Architecture
KYLE R. BELHUMEUR — Finance
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Evaluating the Relationship Between Central Bank Independence and Economic Prosperity for Independent Nations
Kevin Young, Economics
MARISSA J. BELL — Comparative Literature, English
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Nimue of the Lake: The Fluidity of Gender and Perspective in Arthurian Legend
Jessica Barr, Languages, Literatures, & Cultures
EMILIE C. BELL — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Optimizing Early Embryo Culture Toward ART/IVF Efficiency
Jesse Mager, Veterinary & Animal Sciences
KATELYN B. BELMORE — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors
Unraveling the Function of ATAD3 in Arabidopsis thaliana
Elizabeth Vierling, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
ARIELLE N. BENEDICT — Pre-Veterinary Science
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Hooves-On Learning: Developing Interactive Animal Anatomical Resources for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Ellen Correa, Civic Engagement & Service Learning
DORIAN BENHAMOU GOLDFAJN — Computer Science
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Distributed Multi-agent Coordination Using Multi-modal Foundation Models
Shlomo Zilberstein, Information & Computer Science
GABRIELLE BENKENSTEIN — Nutrition
General Studies & Departmental Honors
A Review of Estrogen Production, Gut Microbial Diversity, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Menopause
Sarah Nahm, Nutrition
KORRINA L. BENTLEY — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
The Role of Lexical Properties in Detecting Repetition Errors
Adrian B. Staub, Psychological & Brain Sciences
NARINE L. BERBERIAN — Biology, Psychology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Nanoparticle Composition, Stability, and Interactions with Neutrophils
Ashish A. Kulkarni, Chemical Engineering
EVA A. BERGLOFF — Sustainable Community Development
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Making, Movement, and Mindfulness
Theodore S. Eisenman, Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
MICHAL C. BERLOVE — English, Economics
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
A Literature Survey of Decision-Making Under Uncertainty Through the Lens of Behavioral Economics
Hossein Pishro-Nik, Electrical & Computer Engineering
SAYALI R. BHALERAO — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Implementation of Chatbots in Mental Health Therapy: A CFIR-Guided Analysis
Hossein Pishro-Nik, Electrical & Computer Engineering
ARUNDHATI SATYANATH BHAT — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
A DoE-Driven Mechanistic Framework for Maximizing NTP Incorporation and Minimizing dsRNA Impurities in mRNA in Vitro Transcription
Craig Martin, Chemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology
NITISH B. BHATTA — Biology, Neuroscience
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
The Effect of Monetary Motivation on Dual-Target Search Performance
Kyle R. Cave, Psychological & Brain Sciences
IPSITA BHATTACHARJEE — Computer Science, Psychology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
PATRICIA V. BIBEAU — Marketing
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Helping Independent Insurance Agents (IAs) Reach and Connect with Gen Z
Heidi E. Bailey, Isenberg School of Management
GABRIELLE BILONG — Public Policy
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Does the Involvement of Sub-Saharan Parents in Their Children's Educational Life Shape Their Career Choices: A Case Study of UMass Amherst
Brenda Bushouse, School of Public Policy
LEONARDO BLANCO — Neuroscience, Psychology
Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors
Early Adversity, Risk Perceptions, and Substance Use Vulnerability Among Latino Adolescents: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
Kirby D. Deater-Deckard, Psychological & Brain Sciences
JACOB BLEECKER — Economics, Management
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Translating Generation Z College Student Pickleball Motivations into Strategic Marketing Advantage
Heidi E. Bailey, Isenberg School of Management
ANDREW X. BO — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
MICHAEL P. BONSANGUE — Communication
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Maintaining Star Power in the Music Industry
Allison T. Butler, Communication
PAIGE H. BOSWORTH — Microbiology
Advanced Scholarship - Departmental Honors
Membrane Stress Response in Mycobacterium smegmatis Mutants Resistant to Benzethonium Chloride
Yasu Morita, Microbiology
PAIGE E. BOTTOM — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Fearmongering and Racial Policies: A Comparison of Japanese Internment and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Facilities
Razvan Sibii, Journalism
ELLA K. BOWCUT — Theater
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Costume Design and Construction: The Queen of the Night
Amy L. Altadonna, Theater
ROWAN L. BOYER — Psychology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Educational Art Therapy Resources at UMass Amherst
Becky E. Ready, Psychological & Brain Sciences
THEODORE V. BRADLEY — Finance
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
The Role of Private Equity Sponsors in Medical Device Innovation
Charles Johnson, Isenberg School of Management
SOPHIA A. BRANDT — Mathematics, Psychology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Perceptions of Pipeline Protest Movements: Tactic Normativity and Outcome Effects
Brian A. Lickel, Psychological & Brain Sciences
WILLIAM C. BREWSTER — History
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Immigrants, Broken Windows Policing, and the Illusion of Responsibility
Razvan Sibii, Journalism
LAUREL BUCKLEY — Pre-Veterinary Science
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Healthcare Inequality and Its Impact: How Socioeconomic and Racial Disparities Influence Birth Outcomes
Dean Robinson, Political Science
ELIZE M. BUDZIAK — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Marsh Birds as a Measure of Wetland Ecosystem Health and Success of Management Actions
Forrest J. Bowlick, Geosciences
EMANUEL Y. BULLOCK — Biology
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Bending the Cost Curve: Healthcare Cost Inflation in the United States and the Prospects for Single-Payer Reform in New York State
Hans Despain, Economics
KYLIE BYRNE — Economics
General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors
Which Sectors of the US Economy Produce More Billionaires? Examining Wealth Distributions Since the Onset of the Dot-Com Bubble
Kevin Young, Economics