Current Scholars

Louis Jugloff Memorial Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering
• BS in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University
• Jacob’s research focuses on developing miniaturized, high-performance power electronics utilizing emerging wide bandgap semiconductors, along with characterizing and modeling high-frequency magnetic components that inhibit miniaturization. He is exploring advanced power converter architectures that can fully leverage emerging monolithic bidirectional wide bandgap switches for compact, high-efficiency power conversion. His work has the potential to enable smaller, more efficient, and more reliable electronic systems. 

Kunkel Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
• BS in Psychology from Florida State University
• Samantha’s research studies a new drug called DYR533 that may help mitigate biological changes seen in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. DYR533 works by blocking a protein called Dyrk1a, which is thought to contribute to these conditions. Her work focuses on how the drug affects microglia, the brain’s immune cells that regulate inflammation. Because Dyrk1a’s role in microglia is not well understood, this research aims to clarify its function and explore whether DYR533 could help treat other diseases characterized by excessive brain inflammation.

Marie McSpadden Sands Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
• BS in Sustainable Plant Systems from The Ohio State University
• Avery’s research explores ways to circularize the economy by recovering valuable materials from waste streams. One focus of Avery’s work is microbial chain elongation, a biological process that can upgrade organic waste to valuable commodity chemicals. She explores bioelectrochemical methods of metal recovery from mining waste streams, which addresses the need for new supplies of critical minerals while minimizing the impacts of mining on the environment. 

WAF DAF (formerly Wilhoit Foundation) Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Speech and Hearing Science
• MS in Communication Disorders and BS in Speech and Hearing Science from Arizona State University
• Jessica conducts applied research to improve outcomes for children with cleft lip and palate. Her work focuses on understanding how speech and feeding develop in these children and how clinicians can better identify which treatments will help most. By using standardized assessment protocols and advanced imaging tools, she aims to improve diagnosis, guide treatment decisions, and translate research findings into practical strategies that support children and families in everyday clinical care.

Papadopoulos Family Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
• BS in Civil Engineering from University of Alaska, Anchorage
• Claire’s research centers on residential septic systems, and she aims to determine how these systems treat and remove menstrual waste/hormones and protect environmental health. The design and regulations for septic systems have changed as we’ve learned more about how soil treats our waste, and she aims to advance this knowledge with the first ever research focusing on how to treat menstrual waste in household septic systems. 

Alison Hunter Johnston Memorial Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Microbiology
• BS in Biochemistry and Chemical Biotechnology from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
• Jenna’s research uses untargeted volatile metabolomics to identify biomarkers and develop diagnostics for fungal infections in both humans and companion animals. Her work focuses on creating breath-based diagnostics supported by multiple human and animal studies demonstrating the feasibility of breath-based biomarker panels. These efforts aim to improve the accuracy and accessibility of fungal disease detection. 

Spetzler Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
• BS in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University
• Margaret's research focuses on improving bone repair through the use of immune mediating metabolites to promote bone growth and inhibit bone loss. Her work focuses on hydrogel delivery systems for microparticle drug formulations at the site of a bone defect. This allows for sustained, tunable delivery of bone growth factors and metabolites to promote bone healing. Bone metabolism research is especially important for modulating bone healing in conditions such as fracture repair, osteoporosis, tumor resection sites, and osteoarthritis. 

Crouch/ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology
• BS in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience, Psychology and MS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Arizona State University
• Rachel studies how genetically identical cells differ in gene expression levels when they experience stress. Specifically, she is interested in understanding why some cells get sicker than others when exposed to misfolded proteins. She works on optimizing a single-cell technology to investigate this question in the model organism yeast. 

Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Speech and Hearing Science
• BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from Arizona State University
• Stephen’s research focuses on improving support for autistic adults as they grow older. It addresses challenges linked to aging, including changes in thinking skills, ongoing social difficulties, and reduced quality of life. To respond to these needs, the team developed support programs that promote social connection, mindfulness, executive functioning, and strength-based care. Early findings suggest these programs are practical, well received, and helpful for both autistic adults and service providers. His work also explores sex differences and brain mechanisms in autism to guide more personalized interventions.

Horejsi Charitable Foundation Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology
• BS in Psychology from University of California, Berkeley
• Diana is studying how ADHD affects young people as they transition into adulthood. Her research takes a strengths-based approach, examining how personal values and ethnic identity may protect against outcomes such as substance use, risky behavior, and involvement with the criminal legal system. She focuses particularly on Black youth with ADHD, a group historically underserved by existing treatments. By identifying protective factors that promote resilience, her work aims to inform more effective, culturally responsive interventions for families and communities.

The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biochemistry
• BS in Biology and in Chemistry from the University of Redlands
• Lillian’s research centers on the molecular design and function of bioinspired, polymer-based films that transform industrial waste products such as carbon dioxide into storable fuels and value-added chemical feedstocks. Her work demonstrates how these polymers—inspired by catalytic strategies of biological enzymes refined through eons of evolution—act not only as structural supports for fuel-forming electrocatalysts but also as tunable microenvironments that enhance catalytic activity. Findings of this work have applications in medical sensors that regulate their own signals and contribute to advancing energy capture and conversion technologies.

Dalke Family Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering
• BS in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University
• Razine is developing next-generation solar technologies to make them more efficient, accessible, and sustainable. His work focuses on cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium selenium telluride (CdSeTe), materials that offer cost-effective, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional silicon solar cells. Using advanced semiconductor growth techniques, he has helped create and study micron-thin, pure monocrystalline solar devices with improved performance over thicker silicon cells. He also works on semiconductor physics modeling, integrating design and fabrication to accelerate device innovation.

ARCS Jubilee Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology
• BS in Biomedical Sciences from Arizona State University
• Deon’s research investigates how myxoma virus, a poxvirus known for carrying many of the tools it needs to reproduce, still depends on a host cell protein called DHX29 to replicate efficiently. Although viruses rely on host cells to produce their proteins, this dependence is unexpected for poxviruses, which are unusually self-sufficient. By uncovering how the virus hijacks DHX29 during infection, his work provides new insight into how viruses manipulate cellular machinery. These discoveries may help identify targets for broad-spectrum antiviral therapies and improve the development of myxoma virus as a potential cancer-fighting treatment.

Helen J. Pierson Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
• BS in Cell and Developmental Biology from UC Santa Barbara
• Briana is currently investigating the role of neuroinflammation in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Her research aims to answer how the immune cells of the brain communicate with one another and how this becomes dysfunctional in ALS/FTD and contributes to disease pathology. She uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patient blood to model these disease cell types. Understanding crosstalk between the cells of the brain can reveal novel targets for therapeutics for ALS/FTD.

ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology
• BS in Psychology from Southern Methodist University
• Savannah’s research examines how early life stress influences the development of mental health problems in youth. She utilizes behavioral genetics approaches and biological measures to understand how the body’s stress response, including hormonal, immune, and gene regulation processes, contributes to risk or resilience. Her work aims to uncover how stress becomes biologically embedded and to use this knowledge to inform more personalized prevention and intervention strategies that promote resilience in the face of adversity and support healthier developmental outcomes.

The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
• BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University
• Taylor studies how cells in the brain maintain energy balance and perform essential biological functions. Her research utilizes 3D organoids generated from human stem cells to study the role of metabolism in brain development and degeneration. She is interested in using these models to study the metabolic requirements of neural cell types and how their activities are regulated throughout aging. Her work aims to disentangle pathways that distinguish healthy versus pathological states and their mechanistic contribution to disease.

Sonntag Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Microbiology
• BS in Microbiology from Arizona State University
• Sofia’s research explores how microbes in the human microbiome influence health through specialized bacterial systems. She studies how certain bacteria secrete proteins and move across surfaces, behaviors that help them organize within microbial communities and interact with host tissues. Using microbiology and mice models, her work investigates how these microbial processes affect host metabolism and immune function. This research seeks to reveal how microbial activity shapes human health and could lead to new approaches for preventing and treating disease.

Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholar

• PhD candidate in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
• BS in Environmental Science from Duke University
• Maya is researching treatment of acid mine drainage from abandoned mines by removing toxic heavy metals. She specifically works with the membrane biofilm reactor, a technology that has been proven to treat other water contaminants such as nitrate, perchlorate, bromate, chromium and arsenic. The goal of her research is to develop cost-effective cleanup solutions for remote mines with water contamination and simultaneously recover any valuable metals.

Ivy Foundation Scholar

• Phd Candidate in Neuroscience
• BS in Natural Sciences from the University of Alaska, Anchorage
• Savannah’s research explores the cellular mechanisms that contribute to neurodegeneration; in particular, she studies how basal forebrain cholinergic neurons – which are crucial for learning and memory, attention, and other cognitive functions – degenerate early in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease. Her goals are to better characterize how genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors affect these sensitive neurons across neurodegenerative diseases in an attempt to develop strategies to prolong their function. 

LaFollette Endowment and Libby Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Speech and Hearing
• MS in Science of Healthcare Delivery from Arizona State University
• Kelvin's research examines how technology has shaped the way we measure and understand speech. His primary work looks at how telehealth evaluations may be impacted by compression algorithms and looks at how these acoustic changes may affect clinical assessments of disorders like dysarthria. He has also studied how speech changes over time using a large dataset of actresses’ voices, tracking features like pitch and speaking rate across the past century. His work highlights how both modern technology and long-term social and cultural shifts can influence the acoustic qualities of speech and how we interpret them.

Burton Family Foundation Scholar

• Phd Candidate in Geological Sciences
• BS in Geology and in Astronomy from Amherst College
• Sarah studies hydrated minerals, known as clays, in meteorites and asteroid samples to reconstruct the conditions under which organic molecules formed in the early solar system. Clays act as storage capsules, with spaces between their layers that can preserve fluid chemistry and generate complex organics. Using various laboratory techniques, Sarah isolates and analyzes these organic-clay associations. Identifying these relationships helps reveal how life’s building blocks formed and where similar processes may occur elsewhere in the solar system.
   

ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering
• BS in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University
• Eric aims to make four-legged robots move more like animals. Today’s quadruped robots are fast but rigid, limiting their agility and efficiency, especially in narrow, obstacle-filled, or even aquatic environments. Inspired by animals like dogs and otters, he is developing robots with flexible, compliant spines. By combining advanced modeling, innovative hardware design, and AI-based control, he seeks to understand how spine flexibility improves speed, energy efficiency, stability, and maneuverability on land and in water.

Lauber Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering
• MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville
• Isaiah's research focuses on improving CO2 transfer and fixation during fermentation processes involving bacteria and fungi, including Escherichia coli and Aspergillus oryzae, for the production of industrially relevant biofuels and biochemicals. He has developed a hollow fiber membrane (HFM) bioreactor that allows for tunable and efficient CO2 delivery while supporting robust malic acid production by E. coli. Additionally, he is developing an HFM-mediated, multi-bioreactor system that integrates CO2-emitting (e.g., ethanol producing) and CO2-fixing bioprocesses to achieve enhanced carbon conservation. 

Hawes/ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Astronomy and Planetary Science
• BS in Physics from the University of Central Florida
• Alicia’s research focuses on small bodies in the Solar System. One of her projects characterizes the sizes and compositions of near-Earth asteroids, including those that may pose potential hazards to Earth. Another one of her projects utilizes the James Webb Space Telescope to detect water ice on Main-Belt Asteroids and map the presence of water in the Solar System, which may give insight into the origins of water and life on Earth.
   

ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Forest Science
• BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder
• Mairead’s research investigates ecohydrological processes in a managed second-growth coast redwood forest, focusing on water movement, use, and stress under varying canopy cover conditions. Research in young forests is critical to understanding the long-term resilience of vast stretches of the redwood system, especially in the face of a warming and drying climate. Her work contributes to broader knowledge of forest resilience and ecosystem sustainability.

Lawson Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
• BS in Physics from San Diego State University
• Will studies icy environments throughout the Solar System and interstellar space. He investigates different scenarios of chemistry to provide important context to the vast chemical inventory of space. He also measures key physical parameters of some of the simplest and most abundant species in the Universe to support future observational attempts to find them. Additionally, Will contributes to a long-term project monitoring changes in Triton’s surface ice, Neptune’s largest moon, spanning more than 25 years. 

Kucera Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biology
• BA in Asian Studies from the University of New Mexico
• After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies, Ri spent a year teaching in Japan as an assistant language teacher. Upon returning to the states, he gradually made a career shift into environmental work, eventually finding his niche in the exploration of fungal ecology. Ri’s first two chapters of dissertation research concern the potential of mycorrhizal fungal inoculum in grassland systems, while his third chapter has expanded to the study of mycorrhizal fungi in Patagonian beech forests.
   

Krepper Family Trust Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Forest Science
• BS in Biochemistry from Northern Arizona University
• Ben's research centers around developing techniques for integrating fire moss species into post-wildfire ecological restoration in Arizona forests. Fire mosses are among the earliest colonizers of severely burned soils, where they support microbial communities and reduce erosion by forming biological soil crusts. His long-term goal is to improve access to cutting edge chemical analysis techniques and instrumentation for ecologists and land managers with the hope that this will facilitate improved land management outcomes. 

Mary Ann White Memorial Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Astronomy and Planetary Science
• BA in Physics from Texas State University
• Kennedy harnesses machine learning and computer programming to understand rare and dynamic objects in the solar system.  She leads observations at telescopes including the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (Safford, AZ), Lowell Discovery Telescope (Happy Jack, AZ), and Magellan Baade and Clay Telescopes (Las Campanas Observatory, Chile). These observations allow her to integrate observed data with machine learning predictions and computational models to answer fundamental questions about the formation of our solar system and the arrival of terrestrial water to Earth.

Kucera Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Astronomy and Planetary Science
• BS in Astronomy from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Laura is working on three diverse projects aiming to help future planetary science missions. First, she is the Instrument Scientist for two visible and infrared cameras (VISIONS) developed and built by NAU that are onboard NASA's ESCAPADE mission to Mars. Her second project focuses on classifying asteroids for an upcoming mission to the asteroid belt using observations from the Lowell Discovery Telescope. In her third project, supported by an NAU NASA Space Grant, Laura conducts crop growth experiments in lunar and martian simulated soils with root fungi to assess its impacts on crop stress, health, and biomass production.

Lawson Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Forest Science
• BS in Statistics from Western Washington University
• Keegan's field of work is in quantitative ecology and uses remote sensing to study forest ecosystems. Specifically, he is researching the applications of using light distance and ranging (LiDAR) data to predict individual tree species. His project uses LiDAR scans of the entire Kaibab National Forest to predict a species map on an individual tree basis. The end goal is to help forest managers have a complete inventory of the forest to allow for proper management.

ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
• BS in Biology from North Carolina State University; MS in Forestry from Virginia Tech
• Nick is studying ecosystem and disturbance ecology across Alaska and the Yukon. His work on fuel breaks seeks to provide land managers with information on the long-term environmental impacts of fuel break installation, which can inform how these necessary wildfire mitigation approaches are designed. His work is part of a broad movement towards developing nature-based solutions for climate-change-exacerbated natural disasters.

ARCS Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Astronomy and Planetary Science
• BS in Astronomy from the University of Colorado, Boulder
• Ana's research focuses on small trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), icy remnants at the edge of the Solar System that preserve a record of its earliest history. By combining observations from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, archival datasets, and laboratory experiments that simulate outer Solar System conditions, she investigates the physical and chemical properties of these distant bodies. This work helps constrain models of Solar System formation and provides insight into how similar processes may shape planetary systems around other stars.

Kathryn Johnston West Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biology
• BA in Biology from Grinnell College 
• Anastasia's research focuses on how increasing wildfire activity is reshaping ecosystems in Alaska. Using soil science and ecosystem ecology approaches, she studies the impacts of wildfire on soil carbon storage and cycling. Through this work, she aims to improve our understanding of how northern forest and tundra soils will respond to future environmental conditions and what this means for the global carbon cycle. 

Might Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biology
• BS in Biology from Northern Arizona University
• Jack investigates interactions between plants and soil microbiomes, which includes bacteria, fungi, protists, viruses, and soil fauna. Through greenhouse experiments, DNA sequencing, and bioinformatics, he assesses how agriculture affects soil microbiome structure and function. His work aims to support farmers and policymakers in managing the long-term health and sustainability of agricultural soils.

Anne Spychala Family Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
• BS in Microbiology and Physiology from University of Arizona; MS in Physiology from Boston University
• Kayleigh’s current research is focused on understanding how airway cells respond during asthma attacks and identifying possible targets that could help prevent the chronic progressive changes seen in people with poorly controlled or treatment-resistant asthma. She specifically researches how bronchoconstriction affects CC16 levels which may lead to future drug therapies.

Haga Family Memorial Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
• BS in Mechanical Engineering and Minor in Biomedical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology 
• David researches the development of wearable devices that are accurate, personalized, comfortable, non-invasive, and robust. Devices he has developed using 3D-printed, carbon-doped electrodes integrated into textiles and bands can record heart, breathing patterns, and muscle activity. He works towards improving the management of metabolic diseases while enabling clinical-grade health data outside the clinic.

ARCS Scholar in Memory of Dr. David Mangelsdorf

• PhD Candidate in Biochemistry
• BS in Biochemistry and Minor in Microbiology and Pharmacology-Toxicology from Iowa State University
• Jenna investigates the mechanism of the human enzyme NAMPT as a drug target for cancer and age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s. She is also working on research targeting the progesterone receptor with an antagonist to induce labor. Her research impacts drug discovery and how enzymes can be potential targets.

Spetzler Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Cancer Biology
• BS in Neuroscience and Minor in Food Studies from University of California, Los Angeles
• Megan studies the immunological differences between chemotherapies used as post-transplant immune suppression following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Her goal is to identify potential alternative treatments that reduce Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GvHD), which is a complication of HCT, while maintaining beneficial anti-leukemic effects. She hopes to translate these findings to clinical trials for both pediatric and adult patients.

Ponce Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering
• BS in Chemical Engineering from University of New Hampshire
• MS in Chemical Engineering from University of Arizona
• McKenna researches PFAS, which are synthetic compounds that are environmental contaminants due to their longevity, toxicity, mobility, and bioaccumulation properties. Her goal is to understand the fate and transport of PFAS across environmental and biological systems to protect drinking water, public health, and environmental health.

Marley Foundation Scholar in Memory of Milton “Bud” Webb

• PhD Candidate in Chemistry
• BS in Mathematics and Minors in Physics and Astronomy from Bryn Mawr College
• Katherine specializes in astrochemistry, the study of chemistry in interstellar space. She examples the molecular composition of dying stars using radio telescopes. This work helps explain how dying stars return material to the interstellar medium, shaping the ingredients available for new stars, planets, and potentially prebiotic chemistry.

Moseley Family Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Optical Sciences
• BS in Biomedical Engineering from University of Arizona
• BA in Engineering from Scripps College
• MS in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University
• Alana is developing a miniature endoscopic imaging system that combines optical coherence tomography (OCT) and elastography, which may detect stomach cancer earlier than conventional endoscopy. Her goal is to enable high-resolution, minimally invasive imaging tools that improve early detection, guide treatment decisions, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Plenge Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Cellular and Molecular Medicine
• BS in Biology and Chemistry from Point Loma Nazarene University
• Katharine researches how the intestinal lining regenerates after injury, a process disrupted in diseases like ulcerative colitis. Specifically, she studies PEAR1 and uses vitro gut organoids grown from patient biopsy samples and in vivo mouse models to understand its function. Her goal is to inform new therapeutic strategies to promote intestinal regeneration and improve outcomes for patients with bowel disease.

Theodore Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Medical Pharmacology
• BS in Physiology, Minor in Pharmacology from University of Arizona
• Emma researches how green light selectively activates the visual system to modulate brain function and relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which still has limited treatments currently. Her goal is to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying both green light's therapeutic effects and the pathology of PTSD itself, building the foundation required to translate this intervention from bench to bedside.

Burton Family Foundation Scholar

• PhD in Candidate Physics
• BS in Electrical Engineering and Music Composition, Minor in Creative Writing/Poetry from Northwestern University
• Maria uses computer simulations to model the structure, dynamics, and evolution of neutron stars and black holes. Studying them can help us understand many mysteries in fundamental physics, the history of the universe, and the origins of the elements, as well as help us build novel technologies for deep space navigation and observing the cosmos.

Windrow Endowment and Templin Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Mining Engineering
• BS in Geoscience, MS in Mining Engineering from University of Arizona
• Sarah worked as a geologist for five years before returning to school. Her current project is focused on improving the hydrometallurgical recovery of copper from sulfide minerals to produce a cheaper and greener metal. She also studies the impact of geology and mining on history to make modern geopolitics more accessible.

Horejsi Charitable Foundation Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Environmental Science
• BS in Culinary Food Science and Horticulture from Iowa State University
• MS in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Alyssa advances fresh produce food safety through research on pre-harvest water, including the prevalence, transfer, and survival of foodborne pathogens from water to fresh produce. Ultimately, this work seeks to ensure fresh produce is safe for everyone, from farm to table, reducing the risk of illness and strengthening trust in the food system.

Crawford Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering
• BS in Chemical Engineering from University of California, San Diego
• Anton is working on solution-processable, thin film semiconductors for solar power applications. He studies fracture, delamination, and mechanical stresses in thin films while simultaneously investigating pathways for improving their mechanical robustness using nanocomposites. His research aims to advance the commercial feasibility and understanding of these thin film systems to form the backbone of the next generation of renewable energy materials.

Carlson Foundation Scholar in Honor of Foundation Member Elizabeth Culley and Peter Culley

• PhD Candidate in Environmental Science
• BS in Environmental Systems, BA in Urban Studies and Planning from University of California, San Diego
• Anu conducts research with Indigenous and rural communities to better understand and combat environmental justice issues in the Mountain West. Currently, she is investigating groundwater quality in a rural Arizona community affected by legacy uranium mining. She combines isotope hydrology and geochemistry with community-based methodologies. This unique approach strengthens the link between scientific data and community knowledge, action, and interventions, ultimately working to ensure local resilience moving into an uncertain climate and water future.

Crawford Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• BS and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Arizona 
• Kama’s research focuses on creating sustainable, brain-inspired artificial intelligence (AI). She is developing Spiking Neural Networks using cutting-edge hardware called Antiferromagnetic Tunnel Junctions, which offer significant advantages in speed, size, and energy efficiency over conventional AI. Her work has the potential to advance real-world AI applications—from medical devices to autonomous systems—for a future where technology and sustainability go hand in hand.

Van Denburgh Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering
• BS in Environmental Engineering from University of California, Merced
• Arianna works on water treatment for inland regions, specifically for the arid Southwest. She works on novel engineered desalination technologies using hybrid Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Nanofiltration (NF) membrane configurations and analyzing the energy and cost efficiency of these systems. Additionally, she analyzes the sustainability of the NF and RO configurations by calculating environmental impacts across their life cycle.

Sandra and Ralph Matteucci Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Cellular and Molecular Medicine
• BS in Physiological Sciences, Minors in Spanish and Japanese, from University of Arizona
• Catherine investigates the efficacy of small molecule Z06 in treating a heart disease known as Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). She will use the transgenic mouse model of a missense mutation to test if Z06 can improve heart function by correcting the structural changes seen in this mutation. She hopes her research can further therapeutic development of heart disease by targeting structural changes at the protein level.

Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Optical Sciences
• BS in Physics from University of Texas, Dallas
• Alisha aims to improve endoscopic identification of esophageal cancer by developing a flexible transnasal endoscope that uses polarized light to detect cancer earlier and more accurately. This work has direct clinical impacts that will improve patient health outcomes, reducing the burden on patients and families.

Plenge Endowment Scholar

• PhD Candidate in Cancer Biology
• BS in Medical Laboratory Science from University of Buea, Cameroon
• MS in Applied Biosciences from University of Arizona
• The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a metabolic condition characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, is at an all-time high, affecting 2 billion people globally, making it the fastest-growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Ateh’s research goal is to elucidate the macromolecular interactions driving this chronic liver disease and identify novel therapeutic strategies to prevent its progression to HCC.