Defense Announcements

04/15/2026 | Margarita Chouliara, MS, Nutrition

2:00PM, Borlaug, Room 101

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
A Formative Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Culturally Tailored Bilingual AR/AI Digital Menu Prototype in a Hispanic Restaurant Setting

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Nutrition

Chair: Hyunjung Lee
Co-Chair: Po-Ju Chen

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25938


04/17/2026 | Kadie L. Graves, MS, Animal Science

11:15AM, Kleberg

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Metabolome development of raw and cooked Biceps femoris, Semimembranosus, and Gluteus medius muscles under extended aging times impacts on Beef Flavor

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Animal Science

Chair: Christopher Kerth
Co-Chair: Rhonda Miller

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25922


04/17/2026 | Aayushman Sharma, PHD, Aerospace Engineering

1:00PM, HRBB 210

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Data driven control for high-dimensional systems

Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

Chair: Suman Chakravorty

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25942


04/17/2026 | Ricardo Jose Penaloza, PHD, Geology

2:00PM, Halb 354

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
LOWER-MIDDLE PALEOZOIC PETROLEUM SYSTEMS CHARGE IN THE SOUTHEAST DELAWARE BASIN-CENTRAL BASIN PLATFORM

Arts and Sciences
Geology & Geophysics

Chair: Yuefeng Sun
Co-Chair: Mauro Becker

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25937


04/21/2026 | Collin David Valentin, MS, Entomology

1:00PM, HEEP 413

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
TRANSGENE ELIMINATION THROUGH UTILIZATION OF THE SINGLE-STRAND ANNEALING DOUBLE-STRANDED DNA REPAIR PATHWAY IN TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Entomology

Chair: Zachary Adelman

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25918


04/22/2026 | Sara Rachel Kent, PHD, Counseling Psychology

12:00PM, Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4627104030?pwd=rKQporrXbTo9rQaRDUvsY3BkgZ4vf5.1&omn=81817032978

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Relationship Between Social Media Use, Social Media Self-Presentation, and Psychological Wellbeing in Bisexual and Straight Female College Students

Education and Human Development
Educational Psychology

Chair: Linda Castillo

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25920


04/22/2026 | Alecia Lynn Bell, EDD, Educational Administration

1:00PM, 527 HT

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Executive Leaders’ Perceptions and Operationalization of Sustainability within Prescriptive Transformation Models in an Urban-Intensive School District: A Phenomenological Study

Education and Human Development
Educ Admn & Human Resource Dev

Chair: Valerie Hill-Jackson

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25925


04/22/2026 | Calvin Jacob Young, MS, Ecology and Conservation Biology

2:00PM, WFES 236

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Stream fish movement in relation to mussel density and local environmental conditions.

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Ecology & Conservation Biology

Chair: Joshuah Perkin
Co-Chair: Kirk Winemiller

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25939


04/23/2026 | Sam Altan Cerezo, MS, Entomology

2:30PM, TBD

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Assessing the Cross Protective Efficacy of a Commercial Eastern Equine Encephalitis Vaccine against Madariaga Virus in a Murine Model

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Entomology

Chair: Tereza Magalhaes

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25929


04/23/2026 | Payton Payton Bow, MS, Nuclear Engineering

4:00PM, Zoom

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Analysis of the Implementation of Tantalum-Sensitive Systems in Whisper for Nuclear Criticality Safety Applications

Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

Chair: Craig Marianno

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25940


04/27/2026 | Kristen Dene York, PHD, English

9:00AM, LAAH 360

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Spells, Miracles, and Jests: Masks in Medieval English Poetry and Plays of the West Midlands

Arts and Sciences
English

Chair: Britt Mize

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25943


04/27/2026 | Jessica Aoi Bryan, PHD, Neuroscience

10:00AM, HPEB LL46

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Sympathetic signaling as a candidate mechanism underlying spinal cord injury-induced bone loss

Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
College of Medicine

Chair: Michelle Schapiro

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25921


04/27/2026 | Hailey Schmidt Melzow, PHD, Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management

11:00AM, HFSB 303

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Toward Multi-Scale, Data-Driven Monitoring of Woody Plant Encroachment in Rangelands

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Rangeland Wildlife & Fish Mgmt

Chair: Javier Leyton
Co-Chair: Sorin Popescu

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25934


04/27/2026 | Nicholas Gerald Larson, PHD, Medical Sciences

2:00PM, Bryan/College Station

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Magnetostatic design and considerations for special-purpose MRI: portable brain imaging and economical prostate cancer screening

Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
College of Medicine

Chair: Gregg Wells
Co-Chair: Diego Martin

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25932


04/30/2026 | Ashley Douthitt, PHD, Medical Sciences

10:00AM, MREB2, Rm 1403

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Characterization of Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Gut Pathology and the Use of Microbiome-Derived Metabolites to Modulate Locomotor, Systemic and Bowel Dysfunction

Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
College of Medicine

Chair: Michelle Schapiro

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25935


04/30/2026 | Grace Lily Martindale, MS, Ecology and Conservation Biology

1:00PM, TBD

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
INVESTIGATING PEROMYSCUS SPECIES IDENTIFICATION THROUGH EXTERNAL TRAIT MORPHOLOGY

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Ecology & Conservation Biology

Chair: Jessica Light

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25917


04/30/2026 | Suzanne R Peterson, PHD, Materials Science and Engineering

1:00PM, RDMC 208

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOMECHANICAL PROPERTY GRADIENTS IN MULTIPHASE POLYMER SYSTEMS BY USE OF AFM-BASED NANOINDENTATION

Engineering
Materials Science & Engr

Chair: Pavan Kolluru

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25941


05/1/2026 | Mthokozisi Ndhlovu, PHD, Communication

2:00AM, BTN 208

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
African leaders' rhetorical responses to US-China rivalry

Arts and Sciences
Communication & Journalism

Chair: Nathan Crick

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25936


05/4/2026 | Santiago Nicolas Radi Severo, PHD, Mathematics

11:00AM, BLOCKER 306

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Groups of finite type and fixed-point proportion

Arts and Sciences
Mathematics

Chair: Rostislav Grigorchuk
Co-Chair: Volodymyr Nekrashevych

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25927


05/5/2026 | Jeong Jae Han, PHD, Interdisciplinary Engineering

1:00PM, WEB232

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A HIGH-THROUGHPUT DRUG SCREENING PLATFORM TARGETING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANT MICROBES BASED ON DROPLET MICROFLUIDICS TECHNIQUE

Engineering
Multidisciplinary Engineering

Chair: Arum Han

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25914


05/6/2026 | Chun Yip Tong, PHD, Biology

1:00PM, TBD

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Decoding Circadian Rhythm Using Single-Cell Multiomics and Spatial Transcriptomics

Arts and Sciences
Biology

Chair: Yuchao Jiang

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25930


05/7/2026 | Isabella R. Villarreal, MS, Poultry Science

1:30PM, Kleberg

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
EFFECTS OF PROVISIONING A MOONLIGHT REGIMEN ON LAYER HEN FEAR AND STRESS SUSCEPTIBILITY, EGG PRODUCTION, AND GROWTH

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Poultry Science

Chair: Gregory Archer
Co-Chair: Nancy Ing

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25916


05/7/2026 | Gretchen Williams, PHD, Biomedical Sciences

2:00PM, VIDI 102

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Application of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning in Anatomy Education

Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Vet Integrative Biosciences

Chair: Nicola Ritter
Co-Chair: Michelle Pine

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25928


05/14/2026 | Nicklas Charles Day, PHD, Mathematics

3:00PM, Blocker 357

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
On the Local Geometry of Distributions: Symplectification, Prolongation, and Symmetry

Arts and Sciences
Mathematics

Chair: Igor Zelenko

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25926


05/18/2026 | Jared Patrick Lilly, PHD, Aerospace Engineering

2:00PM, TBD

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Modeling of Tow-Steered Composites Towards High-Speed Morphing Structures Design

Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

Chair: Darren Hartl

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25933


05/19/2026 | Randall Keith Andringa, PHD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

10:00AM, WFES 336

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Ecological Risk-factors and Ecotoxicological Consequences of Ingested Microplastics in Birds

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Ecology & Conservation Biology

Chair: Jacquelyn Grace

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25923


05/22/2026 | Shelby Ann Gunnells, PHD, Oceanography

9:00AM, OMB 112

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Impacts of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining on water column chemistry

Arts and Sciences
Oceanography

Chair: Jessica Fitzsimmons

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25915


05/29/2026 | Griffin T Best, PHD, Biology

9:00AM, MSC 2500

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Circadian Clock Control of Translation Fidelity in Neurospora crassa

Arts and Sciences
Biology

Chair: Deborah Bell-Pedersen

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25924


05/29/2026 | Kevin F. Lieb, PHD, Aerospace Engineering

10:00AM, HRBB 621

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Computational and Experimental Quantification of Cavity Noise Reduction via Hybrid Structural Morphing

Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

Chair: Darren Hartl
Co-Chair: Pablo Tarazaga

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25931


06/3/2026 | Priscilla C.A. Nizio, PHD, Aerospace Engineering

9:00AM, HRBB 210

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Shape Memory Alloy Torque Tube Based Heat Pipes For Adaptive Radiators

Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

Chair: Darren Hartl

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25919


06/4/2026 | Shelby Kerrin Kilpatrick, PHD, Entomology

1:00PM, HPCT 103

Tentative Title of Thesis / Dissertation / Record of Study:
Creating a Biodiversity Checklist, Documenting Bee Roadkill Mortality, and Exploring the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Within Entomology

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Entomology

Chair: Adrienne Brundage

| Direct Link: https://grad.tamu.edu/aggie-life/Defense-Announcements#da25944