Junior Fellows Projects
Current Seniors
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Colleen Crabtree
Colleen Crabtree is a senior majoring in Rhetoric & Writing and Geography through the Liberal Arts Honors program. Last year, she conducted an independent research project through the LBJ School’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, studying how local newspapers connect medical risk factors to disparate COVID-19 outcomes. Colleen is thrilled to start this year by diving into her Rhetoric Honors Thesis, which focuses on how disability rhetoric imbues discussions of homelessness. After graduating and working for a few years, Colleen plans to pursue a Master’s in Public Administration. She eventually hopes to work with non-profit organizations and local governments to facilitate concrete change in her community.
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Alessandra Dominguez
Alessandra Dominguez is a senior majoring in Art History and Anthropology with minors in Italian and Archaeology, as well as a Bridging Disciplines Program certificate in Museum Studies. Her thesis broadly explores the intersection between archaeology, particularly paleoclimatology, and art historical analysis. She is specifically researching how the volatile paleoclimate influenced Nasca perceptions of landscape in southern coastal Peru, as well as how this correlation manifested as Naturalism on ceramic vessels. Alessandra has interned with the Dallas Museum of Art and the Visual Arts Center. Currently, she is interning with the American Association of Museum Directors at the Blanton Museum of Art. In her spare time, she paints and grows her own herbs and vegetables.
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Hannah Engebretson
Hannah Engebretson is a senior majoring in Biology and minoring in Religious Studies through the Health Science Scholars Honors Program. Her primary research focus is on the mechanisms by which metastatic cancer develops and spreads. This interest led her to Dr. Linda de Graffenried’s lab. Her honors thesis focuses on how a hypoxic tumor microenvironment can contribute to the development of a metastatic breast cancer phenotype by modulating endogenous lipid production. When she’s not in the lab, she normally runs the trails around campus with Texas Running Club, volunteers at Dell Children’s Hospital, plays her clarinet in the Longhorn Pep Band, and searches for the best ice cream place in Austin.
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Katherine Faulkner
Katherine Faulkner is a senior majoring in Environmental Science and Biological Sciences through the College of Natural Sciences’ Dean’s Scholars Honors Program. Her interests lie at the intersection of paleontology, geology, and human-environment interactions. She is working with Dr. Rowan Martindale and Dr. Chris Lowery on a micro-invertebrate paleontology project using foraminifera as proxies for climatic changes over geologic time. In summer 2021, she researched abroad in the Dr. André Bahr lab at Heidelberg University in Germany where she collected geologic isotope measurements from foraminifera. As a 2021 NOAA Hollings Scholar, she interned with the agency in summer 2022 where she assisted in an Obama Administration Arctic Action Plan ice model project. Katherine is involved with Texas Undergraduate Research Journal, Dean’s Scholars Student Association, and Campus Environmental Center. In her free time, she likes to read, draw, and write.
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Holland Frieling
Holland Frieling is a senior majoring in Physics and Plan II major through the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program. Her research focus is on experimental condensed matter, specifically on probing the electronic and magnetic properties of quantum materials. At UT Austin, she works with the Markert Superconductivity Lab experimenting with metal-insulator transition materials. In the summer of 2022, she completed a research project on Scanning Tunneling Microscopy at the California Institute of Technology. She is also interested in the intersection of physics and public policy. She spent the spring of 2022 in Washington D.C. as an intern at the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy at NASA Headquarters to explore this interest.
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Hebah Goderya
Hebah Goderya is a fourth-year Physics and Electrical & Computer Engineering student. Her research interests are in quantum computing, including superconducting quantum hardware quantum simulation techniques, and quantum optimal control theory. Hebah enjoys the interdisciplinary nature of her field and is particularly motivated by computational work. Currently, she is working to develop simple states in a storage cavity quantum memory device via simulation. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion in STEM and is a member of the Gender Minorities in Physics organization.
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Zamira Harris-Ryden
Zamira Harris-Ryden is a senior majoring in Chemistry and minoring in History. She is a part of the Callmann Research Group where her research focuses on carbohydrate polymer chemistry. She also is involved in the Urban Ecosystems Research Stream as a peer mentor for the Molecular Source Tracking of Fecal Indicator Bacteria Project. Outside of research, Zamira is a teaching assistant for General Chemistry and a member of the Natural Sciences Council. In her free time, she enjoys long-distance running, sailing, and windsurfing.
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Sara Irvine
Sara Irvine is a third-year physics and Plan II student and is also in the Dean's Scholars Honors Program. She grew up in Athens, Georgia. Sara enjoys experimental physics and the grease stains that come along with it. Currently, she is working on synthesizing superconductors, which are materials when at low temperatures have interesting properties. She is also very passionate about making physics a welcoming environment and currently serves as an officer for the organization Gender Minorities in Physics.
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Emily May
Emily May is a senior Neuroscience major with a minor in Philosophy in the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin. She is broadly interested in research on ovarian hormones and brain/behavior. To learn neuroimaging skills, she is developing an integrated processing pipeline for real-time analysis of brain MRI scans, as well as comparing tools for measures of brain atrophy in patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Dr. Leorah Freeman’s lab at Dell Medical School Neurology. She is continuing her summer work with Dr. Annie Duchesne at the University of Northern British Columbia on biosocial influences effects on affective responses while using oral contraceptives. Emily is involved with the Dean’s Scholars Student Association as their previous Council Chair.
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Vivek Ramanathan
Vivek Ramanathan is a junior majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. He is currently interested in automated theorem proving and its applications in hardware and software verification. As a member of the Formal Methods Group, he is currently working under Dr. Warren Hunt Jr. on the formal verification and development of Rapid Single Flux Quantum circuits, a promising new technology for high-speed computing. In his free time, Vivek enjoys playing basketball at Greg, learning new tunes on his guitar, and photographing Austin’s wildlife and wildflowers.
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Vivian Rogers
Vivian Rogers is a first-year master’s student pursuing a BS/MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering. Under advisor Dr. Jean Anne Incorvia, Vivian’s research has focused on the development of magnetic nanodevices for novel computing and memory architectures. She has coauthored a paper on the properties of semiconducting scandium nitride in spintronic devices using computational chemistry techniques. In her undergrad, Vivian also chaired the Engineering LGBQTies, facilitating community for LGBTQ+ students in Cockrell. Outside of research, Vivian is interested in neuroscience, automation, labor history, and the interdisciplinary applications of electrical engineering towards humanist politics.
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Cameron Waltz
Cameron Waltz is a senior majoring in International Relations, Asian Studies, Government, and Chinese. He is a Dedman Distinguished Scholar, Boren Scholar, Clements Center Undergraduate Fellow, and a student in UT’s Liberal Arts Honors Program. His research centers on U.S-China and cross-strait relations, as well as East Asian international politics. He is an active participant in public discourse on U.S.-China relations, having published reports and commentary on security dimensions of the relationship. He is an avid rock climber, diver, and backpacker.
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Samara Zuckerbrod
Samara Zuckerbrod is a senior majoring in Sustainability Studies and English through the Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is also completing a Creative Writing and Business & Public Policy certificates. She is studying the climate security policy of E.U. nations, as well as circular economic policy more broadly. With Junior Fellow funding, Samara visited Amsterdam, Brussels, and Berlin this past summer to study the implementation of the “Doughnut Model”, a circular economic model developed by Kate Raworth, via city policy. In her spare time, Samara volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, designing informative, temporary signage for the gardens and its visitors.
Current Juniors
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Mihir Gupta
Mihir Gupta is a junior Health Science Scholar and Plan II student majoring in Biochemistry and Computer Science. He is also pursuing minors in French Studies and English, as well as certificates in Scientific Computation and Data Sciences. For his research, he is investigating the attractive and repulsive forces of DNA strands to better understand how DNA packs tightly within cells. In addition, he has conducted research on synthetic biology, during which he transferred genes between organisms to make bacterial sensors that detect and report the presence of specific molecular compounds. In his free time, Mihir likes to play the piano, read science fiction, go to the ballet, and hike outdoors.
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Neerul Gupta
Neerul Gupta is a junior majoring in Psychology and Rhetoric & Writing through the Liberal Arts Honors program. She is also completing a Health Communications minor. She is a research assistant and lab manager for the Lewis-Peacock Lab, where she is conducting an independent research project on intrusive emotional thinking in working memory by investigating the relationship between anxiety and intrusive thinking. Her current research focuses on both cognitive neuroscience and psychopathology. In her free time, she enjoys writing and performing slam poetry, watching true-crime movies and documentaries, and Face Timing her dog.
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Om Joshi
Om Joshi is a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering, Plan II Honors, and Mathematics. He is currently working in a research lab engaged in building superconducting microwave circuits for quantum computing applications. He loves solving puzzles, especially ones that require an unorthodox reframing or inspire some deeper mathematical insight. He is also fascinated by engineering history and science fiction and exploring the political and societal implications of technology advancements through these fields. In his free time, Om enjoys listening to the soundtracks of his favorite movies, playing pick-up basketball, biking, and playing the violin.
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Mahi Kovvuru
Mahi Kovvuru is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Humanities Honors on the pre-med track. She previously volunteered at Dell Children’s Hospital and currently volunteers at the Saheli center. She worked as a research assistant in Paige Harden’s Texas TwinLab and works as a peer mentor in the Virtual Cures FRI stream. Mahi wants to become a surgeon with a long-term goal of starting a medical nonprofit. In her free time, she enjoys watching Netflix shows and spending time in the city with friends.
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Samuel Mills
Samuel Mills is a junior majoring in International Relations and Global Studies and Asian Studies as a part of the Liberal Arts Honors Program. He is also earning minors in Korean and Philosophy in addition to certificates in Business Spanish and Security Studies. His primary research interests include the anthropology, politics, and history of Korea and Japan, as well as Northeast Asian international relations, the Pacific War, and American foreign policy. He is also enamored with philosophy, particularly ethics, political philosophy, post-Enlightenment intellectual history, and metaphysics.
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Andres Paredes
Andres Paredes is a junior majoring in Chemistry. He is a TIDES Advanced Fellow and a member of the Urban Ecosystems Research Stream where he studies the effects of anthropogenic chemicals on urban waterways. Currently, his research focuses on determining if the vascular plants of Waller Creek are capable of up taking Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons as a method of bioremediation. In addition to research, Andres also enjoys exploring the city of Austin, running, and practicing the cello.
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Nicolas Silva
Nicolas Silva is a junior majoring in English and History through the Liberal Arts Honors and the English Honors programs. His current research focuses on eighteenth and early nineteenth-century British literature, particularly the works of British Romantic poets such as Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. He has also interned with UT’s Texas Studies in Literature and Language, conducting interviews with literary criticism authors for the academic journal. Currently, Nicolas is participating in a semester-long exchange program at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland for Fall 2022.
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Britney Tran
Britney Tran is a junior double-majoring in International Relations and Government through the Liberal Arts Honors Program. Her academic interests are focused on international human rights, as well as the intersection between policy research and advocacy. For her thesis, she plans to conduct research on the language used to describe events such as genocides, war crimes, and mass atrocities. She wants to discover how the use of different words to describe a civilian mass killing event impacts the public’s perception of its victims. Outside of class, she is a proud member of Texas Orange Jackets and is a Fall 2022 Archer Fellow.
Alumni
- Anna Bardenhagen
- Mary Margaret Burniston
- Julieta Suárez Calderón
- Cody Chang
- Zoe de Beurs
- Milena Djordjevic-Kisacanin
- Brett Dolotina
- Brian Folkers
- Natalie Folli
- Brett Glasscock
- Prajwal Gowda
- Rabia Husain
- Tanvi Ingle
- Dhruva Karkada
- Harika Kollipara
- Grace Leake
- Catherine Li
- Meghan Mallya
- Dylan McKibban
- Daniel Mock
- Lois Owolabi
- Ishani Pandya
- Zoe Roden
- Nicholas Romanow
- Faiza Sarwar
- Alison Villasana