Graduate Student Stories

December 17, 2025

Drawn to the University of Cincinnati for the strong reputation in cardiovascular research and the connections with the UC Medical Center, Shrayesh Manegaonkar is pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering at the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Recently, he was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month for his work on biofluid mechanics, aiming to develop better diagnostic tools for cardiovascular diseases.

November 25, 2025

For Jackson Quinn, the cooperative education (co-op) program is what drew him to the University of Cincinnati. As an undergraduate student, he participated in research, authored papers, and earned a master's degree in tandem through the Accelerated Engineering Degree (ACCEND) Program. Recently, he was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

August 6, 2025

Iman Chatterjee, computer science PhD student at the University of Cincinnati, is working on developing artificial intelligence systems that can measure and reveal vital information about human emotion. In his research, Chatterjee combines computer science, medicine, and sensor technology. He was recently named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

October 14, 2025

Drawn to the University of Cincinnati by the reputation of the aerospace engineering program, Hesham Abdelfattah is working to better understand complex dynamical systems for a variety of applications in the industry. On campus, Abdelfattah is a teaching assistant for several courses, sharing his knowledge with younger students, and has published three journal papers in collaboration with his advisors. Recently, he was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

April 21, 2025

As a top graduating student in his undergraduate class, Logan Reichling came to the University of Cincinnati to further his education through the direct-PhD program in computer science. His initial connection to UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science was through his current advisor, Boyang Wang, in an undergraduate research program. Since arriving at CEAS, Reichling has been honored with several awards, including being named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month.

April 16, 2025

Prior to coming to the University of Cincinnati, Adonai Vera Gonzalez worked in industry for six years, holding a variety of positions related to artificial intelligence. He connected with UC Professor of Aerospace Engineering Donghoon Kim and began a Master of Engineering program at the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He won first place in the AI ATL hackathon for a generative AI project.

March 31, 2025

Manish Raj Aryal, a PhD student in mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, is working on revolutionizing manufacturing systems through generative AI, leveraging AI systems to develop manufacturing assistant chatbots. He came to UC for his master's degree and continued researching as a PhD student. He was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS).

February 28, 2025

After earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, working for several years in industry, and ultimately being laid off due to the pandemic, Kara Stall made the decision to return to academia to pursue her doctoral degree. Her journey to the University of Cincinnati was facilitated by her former undergraduate advisor connecting her with her current PhD advisor. Upon her arrival, she wasted no time getting involved in the UC community, serving as a TA for five courses in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, serving on the executive board of the Civil Engineering Graduate Student Association, and was recently named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science.