Home Navigating Your Degree Oral Defense Dates Oral Defense Dates Yuning Zhang Program: Mechanical Engineering Dissertation Title: Reconfigurable Phononic Metastructures for Physical Computing and Mechano-Intelligence Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: 2540 GG BROWN, HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/95924950954 (ZOOM PASSCODE: 1234) Chair: Kon-Well Wang Logan Forshee Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Chemical Characterization of Individual Aerosols in Urban Environments Using Single-particle Mass Spectrometry Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: CHEM 1706 Chair: Kerri Pratt Miranda Reynaga Program: Psychology Dissertation Title: "Stop shaming us": A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Positive Sexuality Messages on Youth Television and Their Influence on Young Women?s Emerging Sexual Attitudes Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/7483669798 Chair: Lucretia M Ward Jennifer Sescil Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Protein-based Tools for Monitoring Biological Activity Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: LSI LIBRARY Chair: Wenjing Wang Anna Halstenbach Program: Political Science Dissertation Title: Consumers Aligned – How Firms Communicate Their Political Sponsorships Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/96240706245 PW:335910 Chair: Rob Franzese Joshua Lidtke-O'Callaghan Program: Nursing Dissertation Title: Barriers and Facilitators to Telemedicine Uptake by Gender-Affirming Care Providers Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: 426 N INGALLS ST., ROOM 1240 Chair: Erin Kahle and Jody Rae Lori Qianqian Chen Program: Cell & Developmental Biology Dissertation Title: Perinuclear Gating of the Circadian Clock: From Chromatin Scaffolds to Repressive Condensates Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: MEDICAL SCIENCE 2 ? 3697 W LECTURE HALL Chair: Cheng-Yu Lee Grace Zhang Program: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dissertation Title: Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Plant Herbicide Response in Agrochemical Environments Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 3150 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES BUILDING Chair: Regina S Baucom Qize Chen Program: Economics Dissertation Title: Essays on Skills, Mobility, and the Long-Run Consequences of Work Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: NORTH QUAD 4325, ZOOM: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/98979975814, PASSCODE: 014247 Chair: Ana Reynoso and Jagadeesh Sivadasan Emily Costa Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Aerosols, Ice Fog, and Clouds: Microscopic Analysis of Individual Particles Across High-Latitude Environments Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: CHEM 1706 AND HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/93015649241 PASSCODE: @EROSOL Chair: Kerri Pratt Rebecca Malcore Program: Genetics and Genomics Dissertation Title: Regulation of Sex-biased Gene Expression by the Ancestral X-Y Chromosomal Gene Pair Kdm5c-Kdm5d Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 1020 BSRB (KAHN AUDITORIUM) Chair: Sundeep Kalantry Hochul Woo Program: Macromolecular Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Coordination Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Metal?Organic Frameworks Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: CHEMISTRY BUILDING (CHEM1300) Chair: Adam J Matzger Cara Waters Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Measuring Aerosol Acidity and Evaluating Its Impacts on Atmospheric Heterogeneous Chemistry Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: CHEM 1706; HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/9193393916 PW:PH-D Chair: Andrew P Ault Snehal Prabhudesai Program: Computer Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Uncertainty Communication for Responsible Human-AI Decision-making Date: 15 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: 4320 LEINWEBER (DOW EVENT SPACE), REMOTE: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/92794031692 PW:1234 Chair: Nikola Banovic and Xun Huan and Arvind Rao Jiajia Fan Program: Sport Management Dissertation Title: Consumer Values in Consumption of Sport Non-Fungible Token Collectibles Date: 15 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: SCHOOL OF KINESIOLOGY BUILDING2200; WEBINAR: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/95116356106, PASSCODE:883354 Chair: Dae Hee Kwak Anmol Panda Program: Information Dissertation Title: How Media, Engagement, and Identities Relate to Political Behavior among Asian Americans Date: 15 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: LEINWEBER-3-3470 HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/95603213033?JST=2 Chair: Libby Hemphill Shivank Sharma Program: Aerospace Engineering Dissertation Title: An Adaptive Mesh Refinement Based Approach for High fidelity Simulations of Multiscale Problems Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: FXB 1044 (MCDIVITT), FRANCOIS-XAVIER BAGNOUD Chair: Venkat Raman Danielle Smith Program: Epidemiological Science Dissertation Title: Toward an Epidemiology of Possibility: A Salutogenic Orientation to Epidemiological Science to Better Understand Stress and Preterm Birth and Trustworthiness in the Scientific Enterprise Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, HENRY F. VAUGHAN BUILDING, ROOM 1655 Chair: Miatta Buxton and Marie Sylvia O'Neill Sanaa Elsayed Program: Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertation Title: Teleost Fish Evolution in the Cenozoic: New Insights from Paleogene Ichthyofaunas from the Eastern Desert of Egypt Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: NORTH UNIVERSITY BUILDING- ROOM 1528 Chair: Matt Friedman Devin Gill Brant Program: Environment and Sustainability Dissertation Title: The Actionability of Climate Knowledge: Local Governance, Climate Migration, and Flood Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: DANA BUILDING ROOM 1028 Chair: Maria Carmen De Mello Lemos and Derek Brent Van Berkel Debraj Bose Program: Biostatistics Dissertation Title: Statistical Methods for Gene-Level Inference and Causal Gene Prioritization in Human Genetic Studies Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: SPH1 1690 Chair: Michael Lee Boehnke and Xiaoquan William Wen Sahar Amin Program: Medicinal Chemistry Dissertation Title: Chemoenzymatic and Synthetic Strategies for Late-Stage Functionalization of Bioactive Compounds Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: BUHL Chair: David H Sherman Thanh Lai Program: Biophysics Dissertation Title: Computational Tools for Rational Kinetics-Oriented Drug Design Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: ROOM 1706, CHEMISTRY BUILDING Chair: Charles L Brooks III Tyler Eddy Program: Climate & Sp Sciences & Engin Dissertation Title: Design of a Compact Resource-Efficient and Charge-Resolving Spaceborne Mass Spectrometer Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: LEC (LEC 4231) – HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/93808172009 Chair: Susan Lepri and Jim Raines Linda Zhang Program: Psychology Dissertation Title: Computational Approaches to Characterizing Cognition in Socioeconomic Contexts: Deprivation, Opportunity, and Neural Embedding in Development Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: EAST HALL 4448 Chair: Christopher Stephen Monk Matthew Lynch Program: Nuc Eng & Radiol Sciences Dissertation Title: Exploration of the Design, Fabrication, Compositional Modification, and Irradiation-Induced Microstructural Response of Nanotube-Integrated Inconel 718 and 316L Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: 2906 MORTIMER E. COOLEY BLDG (BAER ROOM) Chair: Kevin Geoffrey Field Zachary Nenaber Program: Music: Music Education Dissertation Title: Beliefs in Action: The Experiences of High School Ensemble Directors Teaching Jazz Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: MOORE 2235, HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/94810557834 Chair: Colleen M Conway Bailey Garb Program: Bioinformatics Dissertation Title: Molecular Heterogeneity Within HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer: Subtyping and Biomarker Approaches for Outcome Prediction Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: MEDICAL SCIENCE 1 4B700 Chair: Maureen Sartor Yuan Zhu Program: Physics Dissertation Title: Transport and Magnetic Properties of Topological Quantum Materials Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: 267B WEST HALL (AP CONFERENCE ROOM) Chair: Lu Li Amanda Wang Program: Materials Science & Engin Dissertation Title: Development and Application of First-Principles Methods for Electronic and Optoelectronic Properties of Semiconductors Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: DOW 1017, HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/93541086825 Chair: Emmanouil Kioupakis Rosemary Glos Program: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dissertation Title: Barbed, Bitter, Sweet: How Microscopic Traits, Defense Synergisms, and Post-Floral Nectar Shape Plant-Insect Interactions Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES BUILDING ROOM 1010 Chair: Marjorie Gail Weber Violet Fu Program: Computer Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Learning and Adaptation in Interactive AI Agents Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/MEETING/REGISTER/XYM01HXQQ1CH8K9A4YDFTA Chair: Honglak Lee Easton Farrell Program: Biomedical Engineering Dissertation Title: Regulators of Synovitis and Mechanosensing-mediated Myofibroblastic Activation in Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis Date: 21 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: KAHN AUDITORIUM – BSRB Chair: Tristan Maerz Carmen Castillo Program: Biological Chemistry Dissertation Title: Structural Insights into the Multi-modular Architecture of Methionine Synthase Date: 21 Jul 2026 Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: A. ALFRED TAUBMAN HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY Chair: Markos Koutmos Lexie Wang Program: Electrical & Computer Engineer Dissertation Title: Robust and Scalable Ultra-Low Power Wireless Interfaces for the Internet of Things Date: 22 Jul 2026 Time: 12:30 p.m. Location: 3316 EECS Chair: David Wentzloff Matthew Peris Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Synthesis and Characterization of Well-Defined Bimetallic Ni Complexes Towards Small-Molecule Activation and Oxidative Catalysis Date: 22 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: CHEM 1706, CHEMISTRY BUILDING, 930 N UNIVERSITY AVE, ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 Chair: Joshua Buss Peter Hotvedt Program: Nuc Eng & Radiol Sciences Dissertation Title: High-Energy Photon Imaging Analysis, Applications, and Advancements in 3D-CdZnTe Detectors Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: LURIE JOHNSON ROOMS (3231AB) Chair: Zhong He Giovanni Roman Torres Program: Sociology Dissertation Title: Placing The American Dream: Latino Geographic Dispersion, Socioeconomic Well-Being, And Belonging Across the American Landscape Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 500 S. STATE STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1382 Chair: Lauren Duquette-Rury and Alexandra Achen Killewald Junghwan Kim Program: Computer Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Representation Learning for Linguistic Style: Method, Interpretation and Applications Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 3725 BEYSTER Chair: David Jurgens Ankit Mathanker Program: Chemical Engineering Dissertation Title: Molecular-Level Insights into Organic Adsorption and Reactivity at Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: NCRC B32 AUDITORIUM Chair: Bryan Goldsmith Can Yaras Program: Electrical & Computer Engineer Dissertation Title: Low-Dimensional Structures of Learning and Computation in Deep Learning Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: EECS 3316 Chair: Laura Balzano and Qing Qu Eimeel Carolina Castillo Dona Program: History & Women's & Gender Stu Dissertation Title: Imperial Encounters: Gender Politics in US-Occupied Nicaragua, 1912-1933 Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/94946375271 PW:437706 Chair: Sueann Caulfield Ashley Mello Program: Immunology Dissertation Title: Hypoxia-Mediated Immune Suppression in Pancreatic Cancer Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: ROOM 3330 MEDICAL SCIENCE I Chair: Kyoung Eun Lee and Malini Raghavan Abdullah Alwaleedi Program: Movement Science Dissertation Title: Behavioral and Metabolic Health in the Context of Ramadan Fasting Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: SCHOOL OF KINESIOLOGY BUILDING (ROOM 2140) Chair: Weiyun Chen Brady Ryan Program: Biostatistics Dissertation Title: Statistical Methods for the Analysis and Interpretation of GWAS Data Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 3755 SPH1 Chair: Michael Lee Boehnke and Jean Morrison Xueting Tao Program: Biostatistics Dissertation Title: Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: SPH1A 2690 Chair: Kelley Kidwell Contact Academic Records and Dissertations Hours: Academic Records and Dissertations is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving (Thursday and the following Friday), Christmas through New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), and Labor Day. Location 0120 Rackham Building 915 East Washington Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070 Contact Phone: 734.763.0171 Fax: 734.936.3335 Email: [email protected]
Yuning Zhang Program: Mechanical Engineering Dissertation Title: Reconfigurable Phononic Metastructures for Physical Computing and Mechano-Intelligence Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: 2540 GG BROWN, HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/95924950954 (ZOOM PASSCODE: 1234) Chair: Kon-Well Wang
Logan Forshee Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Chemical Characterization of Individual Aerosols in Urban Environments Using Single-particle Mass Spectrometry Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: CHEM 1706 Chair: Kerri Pratt
Miranda Reynaga Program: Psychology Dissertation Title: "Stop shaming us": A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Positive Sexuality Messages on Youth Television and Their Influence on Young Women?s Emerging Sexual Attitudes Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/7483669798 Chair: Lucretia M Ward
Jennifer Sescil Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Protein-based Tools for Monitoring Biological Activity Date: 13 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: LSI LIBRARY Chair: Wenjing Wang
Anna Halstenbach Program: Political Science Dissertation Title: Consumers Aligned – How Firms Communicate Their Political Sponsorships Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/96240706245 PW:335910 Chair: Rob Franzese
Joshua Lidtke-O'Callaghan Program: Nursing Dissertation Title: Barriers and Facilitators to Telemedicine Uptake by Gender-Affirming Care Providers Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: 426 N INGALLS ST., ROOM 1240 Chair: Erin Kahle and Jody Rae Lori
Qianqian Chen Program: Cell & Developmental Biology Dissertation Title: Perinuclear Gating of the Circadian Clock: From Chromatin Scaffolds to Repressive Condensates Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: MEDICAL SCIENCE 2 ? 3697 W LECTURE HALL Chair: Cheng-Yu Lee
Grace Zhang Program: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dissertation Title: Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Plant Herbicide Response in Agrochemical Environments Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 3150 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES BUILDING Chair: Regina S Baucom
Qize Chen Program: Economics Dissertation Title: Essays on Skills, Mobility, and the Long-Run Consequences of Work Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: NORTH QUAD 4325, ZOOM: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/98979975814, PASSCODE: 014247 Chair: Ana Reynoso and Jagadeesh Sivadasan
Emily Costa Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Aerosols, Ice Fog, and Clouds: Microscopic Analysis of Individual Particles Across High-Latitude Environments Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: CHEM 1706 AND HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/93015649241 PASSCODE: @EROSOL Chair: Kerri Pratt
Rebecca Malcore Program: Genetics and Genomics Dissertation Title: Regulation of Sex-biased Gene Expression by the Ancestral X-Y Chromosomal Gene Pair Kdm5c-Kdm5d Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 1020 BSRB (KAHN AUDITORIUM) Chair: Sundeep Kalantry
Hochul Woo Program: Macromolecular Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Coordination Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Metal?Organic Frameworks Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: CHEMISTRY BUILDING (CHEM1300) Chair: Adam J Matzger
Cara Waters Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Measuring Aerosol Acidity and Evaluating Its Impacts on Atmospheric Heterogeneous Chemistry Date: 14 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: CHEM 1706; HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/9193393916 PW:PH-D Chair: Andrew P Ault
Snehal Prabhudesai Program: Computer Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Uncertainty Communication for Responsible Human-AI Decision-making Date: 15 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: 4320 LEINWEBER (DOW EVENT SPACE), REMOTE: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/92794031692 PW:1234 Chair: Nikola Banovic and Xun Huan and Arvind Rao
Jiajia Fan Program: Sport Management Dissertation Title: Consumer Values in Consumption of Sport Non-Fungible Token Collectibles Date: 15 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: SCHOOL OF KINESIOLOGY BUILDING2200; WEBINAR: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/95116356106, PASSCODE:883354 Chair: Dae Hee Kwak
Anmol Panda Program: Information Dissertation Title: How Media, Engagement, and Identities Relate to Political Behavior among Asian Americans Date: 15 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: LEINWEBER-3-3470 HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/95603213033?JST=2 Chair: Libby Hemphill
Shivank Sharma Program: Aerospace Engineering Dissertation Title: An Adaptive Mesh Refinement Based Approach for High fidelity Simulations of Multiscale Problems Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: FXB 1044 (MCDIVITT), FRANCOIS-XAVIER BAGNOUD Chair: Venkat Raman
Danielle Smith Program: Epidemiological Science Dissertation Title: Toward an Epidemiology of Possibility: A Salutogenic Orientation to Epidemiological Science to Better Understand Stress and Preterm Birth and Trustworthiness in the Scientific Enterprise Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, HENRY F. VAUGHAN BUILDING, ROOM 1655 Chair: Miatta Buxton and Marie Sylvia O'Neill
Sanaa Elsayed Program: Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertation Title: Teleost Fish Evolution in the Cenozoic: New Insights from Paleogene Ichthyofaunas from the Eastern Desert of Egypt Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: NORTH UNIVERSITY BUILDING- ROOM 1528 Chair: Matt Friedman
Devin Gill Brant Program: Environment and Sustainability Dissertation Title: The Actionability of Climate Knowledge: Local Governance, Climate Migration, and Flood Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: DANA BUILDING ROOM 1028 Chair: Maria Carmen De Mello Lemos and Derek Brent Van Berkel
Debraj Bose Program: Biostatistics Dissertation Title: Statistical Methods for Gene-Level Inference and Causal Gene Prioritization in Human Genetic Studies Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: SPH1 1690 Chair: Michael Lee Boehnke and Xiaoquan William Wen
Sahar Amin Program: Medicinal Chemistry Dissertation Title: Chemoenzymatic and Synthetic Strategies for Late-Stage Functionalization of Bioactive Compounds Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: BUHL Chair: David H Sherman
Thanh Lai Program: Biophysics Dissertation Title: Computational Tools for Rational Kinetics-Oriented Drug Design Date: 16 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: ROOM 1706, CHEMISTRY BUILDING Chair: Charles L Brooks III
Tyler Eddy Program: Climate & Sp Sciences & Engin Dissertation Title: Design of a Compact Resource-Efficient and Charge-Resolving Spaceborne Mass Spectrometer Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: LEC (LEC 4231) – HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/93808172009 Chair: Susan Lepri and Jim Raines
Linda Zhang Program: Psychology Dissertation Title: Computational Approaches to Characterizing Cognition in Socioeconomic Contexts: Deprivation, Opportunity, and Neural Embedding in Development Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: EAST HALL 4448 Chair: Christopher Stephen Monk
Matthew Lynch Program: Nuc Eng & Radiol Sciences Dissertation Title: Exploration of the Design, Fabrication, Compositional Modification, and Irradiation-Induced Microstructural Response of Nanotube-Integrated Inconel 718 and 316L Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: 2906 MORTIMER E. COOLEY BLDG (BAER ROOM) Chair: Kevin Geoffrey Field
Zachary Nenaber Program: Music: Music Education Dissertation Title: Beliefs in Action: The Experiences of High School Ensemble Directors Teaching Jazz Date: 17 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: MOORE 2235, HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/94810557834 Chair: Colleen M Conway
Bailey Garb Program: Bioinformatics Dissertation Title: Molecular Heterogeneity Within HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer: Subtyping and Biomarker Approaches for Outcome Prediction Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: MEDICAL SCIENCE 1 4B700 Chair: Maureen Sartor
Yuan Zhu Program: Physics Dissertation Title: Transport and Magnetic Properties of Topological Quantum Materials Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: 267B WEST HALL (AP CONFERENCE ROOM) Chair: Lu Li
Amanda Wang Program: Materials Science & Engin Dissertation Title: Development and Application of First-Principles Methods for Electronic and Optoelectronic Properties of Semiconductors Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: DOW 1017, HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/93541086825 Chair: Emmanouil Kioupakis
Rosemary Glos Program: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dissertation Title: Barbed, Bitter, Sweet: How Microscopic Traits, Defense Synergisms, and Post-Floral Nectar Shape Plant-Insect Interactions Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 12:00 p.m. Location: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES BUILDING ROOM 1010 Chair: Marjorie Gail Weber
Violet Fu Program: Computer Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Learning and Adaptation in Interactive AI Agents Date: 20 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/MEETING/REGISTER/XYM01HXQQ1CH8K9A4YDFTA Chair: Honglak Lee
Easton Farrell Program: Biomedical Engineering Dissertation Title: Regulators of Synovitis and Mechanosensing-mediated Myofibroblastic Activation in Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis Date: 21 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: KAHN AUDITORIUM – BSRB Chair: Tristan Maerz
Carmen Castillo Program: Biological Chemistry Dissertation Title: Structural Insights into the Multi-modular Architecture of Methionine Synthase Date: 21 Jul 2026 Time: 11:00 a.m. Location: A. ALFRED TAUBMAN HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY Chair: Markos Koutmos
Lexie Wang Program: Electrical & Computer Engineer Dissertation Title: Robust and Scalable Ultra-Low Power Wireless Interfaces for the Internet of Things Date: 22 Jul 2026 Time: 12:30 p.m. Location: 3316 EECS Chair: David Wentzloff
Matthew Peris Program: Chemistry Dissertation Title: Synthesis and Characterization of Well-Defined Bimetallic Ni Complexes Towards Small-Molecule Activation and Oxidative Catalysis Date: 22 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: CHEM 1706, CHEMISTRY BUILDING, 930 N UNIVERSITY AVE, ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 Chair: Joshua Buss
Peter Hotvedt Program: Nuc Eng & Radiol Sciences Dissertation Title: High-Energy Photon Imaging Analysis, Applications, and Advancements in 3D-CdZnTe Detectors Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: LURIE JOHNSON ROOMS (3231AB) Chair: Zhong He
Giovanni Roman Torres Program: Sociology Dissertation Title: Placing The American Dream: Latino Geographic Dispersion, Socioeconomic Well-Being, And Belonging Across the American Landscape Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 500 S. STATE STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1382 Chair: Lauren Duquette-Rury and Alexandra Achen Killewald
Junghwan Kim Program: Computer Science & Eng Dissertation Title: Representation Learning for Linguistic Style: Method, Interpretation and Applications Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 3725 BEYSTER Chair: David Jurgens
Ankit Mathanker Program: Chemical Engineering Dissertation Title: Molecular-Level Insights into Organic Adsorption and Reactivity at Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces Date: 23 Jul 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: NCRC B32 AUDITORIUM Chair: Bryan Goldsmith
Can Yaras Program: Electrical & Computer Engineer Dissertation Title: Low-Dimensional Structures of Learning and Computation in Deep Learning Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: EECS 3316 Chair: Laura Balzano and Qing Qu
Eimeel Carolina Castillo Dona Program: History & Women's & Gender Stu Dissertation Title: Imperial Encounters: Gender Politics in US-Occupied Nicaragua, 1912-1933 Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: HTTPS://UMICH.ZOOM.US/J/94946375271 PW:437706 Chair: Sueann Caulfield
Ashley Mello Program: Immunology Dissertation Title: Hypoxia-Mediated Immune Suppression in Pancreatic Cancer Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: ROOM 3330 MEDICAL SCIENCE I Chair: Kyoung Eun Lee and Malini Raghavan
Abdullah Alwaleedi Program: Movement Science Dissertation Title: Behavioral and Metabolic Health in the Context of Ramadan Fasting Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: SCHOOL OF KINESIOLOGY BUILDING (ROOM 2140) Chair: Weiyun Chen
Brady Ryan Program: Biostatistics Dissertation Title: Statistical Methods for the Analysis and Interpretation of GWAS Data Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: 3755 SPH1 Chair: Michael Lee Boehnke and Jean Morrison
Xueting Tao Program: Biostatistics Dissertation Title: Date: 24 Jul 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: SPH1A 2690 Chair: Kelley Kidwell
