Nicholas Bentley is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology, studying under Dr. Michael Waters. He earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology with a minor in geography from Florida State University. Bentley first developed an interest in archaeology during an introductory archaeology course taught by Dr. Jessi Halligan. His passion for the field of archaeology deepened during a hands-on experience at a field site in eastern Oregon, where he participated in excavating a dry cave. For his dissertation, he is investigating the geoarchaeology of the Aucilla River Basin in northwest Florida, renowned for its rich deposits of PaleoIindian artifacts. Through his initial geoarchaeological survey of the Aucilla River, Bentley realized the potential of the site to inform researchers of archaeological preservation potential and human-environment interrelations during a time of rapidly changing climate and environmental upheaval. Bentley has recently completed his second and final field season of field research at the site and is now analyzing the collected archaeological and paleontological materials.

Sara Maynard is a Ph.D. candidate in the interdisciplinary Molecular Environmental and Plant Science (MEPS) program. She works in Dr. Larry Griffing’s lab in the Department of Biology. She completed a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology with a minor in Spanish at Texas A&M, joining the Griffing Lab as a senior. Maynard's dissertation focuses on how light-induced stress affects the cells and structures of plants. In her research, she uses high-resolution light microscopes to visualize these stress responses in real-time. Maynard has attended and presented her research at many national and international research conferences. In addition to working on her research project, she enjoys teaching and has been a teaching assistant for the Department of Biology for over 15 semesters, having taught over 500 undergraduate students. She regularly mentors undergraduate researchers in the Griffing Lab, helping coordinate the Department of Biology’s first research experience for undergraduates (REU). Maynard has also worked to promote the success of her fellow graduate students, serving on the Student Research Week planning committee and on the Biology Graduate Students’ Association for four years, two of those as president. She says she looks forward to a future career in academia where she can continue teaching and working on her research.

Junepyo Oh is a doctoral candidate studying a vector-borne plant disease under the advisement of Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy in the Department of Entomology. Oh graduated from Chungnam National University with a bachelor’s degree in applied biology and a master’s in plant pathology. His research focuses on how the potato psyllid transmits a devastating plant bacterial pathogen, Lso. His dissertation investigates how Lso proteins invade and manipulate plant cells and identifies the plant and insect proteins that interact with Lso. Oh has published four peer-reviewed articles and presented at local and national meetings, placing first in the Department of Entomology’s graduate student forum (2022). He is passionate about teaching and has completed both the GRAD Aggies Professional Development Certification and the CIRTL Associate Certification. In 2023, the Department of Entomology presented Oh with the Outstanding Graduate Student Award for a Ph.D. for excellence in research and teaching. Oh is also enthusiastic about mentoring, serving as the leader of a research team through the Aggie Research program. He currently works as a graduate teaching and research assistant.

Archita Sharma is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, working under the supervision of Dr. Feng Zhao. Originally from India, Sharma earned a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Jaypee University of Information Technology, where she studied the potential of quantum dots for tumor targeting and diagnostics. She furthered her education with a master’s in biotechnology engineering from Panjab University, focusing her thesis on synthesizing chitosan nanoparticles (microscopic sugars found on shellfish) for insect pest management. Before beginning her Ph.D. program, she worked as a research scholar at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology for two years, where she gained experience in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Her dissertation focuses on developing advanced materials that mimic the structure and function of skin to treat chronic wounds, specifically for people suffering from diabetic foot ulcers and third-degree skin burns. Sharma has presented her findings at numerous conferences and contributed to peer-reviewed publications. In fall 2023, she served as the team lead in the Texas A&M Innovation Corps training program, securing $5000 in funding to advance her doctoral research. She was also recognized with the 2022 American Society of Indian Engineers Scholarship, as well as the 2023 Department of Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Scholarship. She has previously mentored two undergraduate students through research theses and currently supervises three undergraduate students in the lab. Post-Ph.D., Sharma aims to continue her career in research and development, leveraging her expertise to significantly advance biomedical engineering research, particularly in healthcare.

Tiffany Sill is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry under the advisement of Dr. Sarbajit Banerjee. Sill earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from California State University, San Bernardino. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Texas A&M University Avilés-Johnson Graduate Fellow and the recipient of The Franc Roads Elliott Sesquicentennial Endowed International Scholar Award. She is also the recipient of numerous awards including the American Chemical Society Excellence in Leadership and Mentoring Award; the Ellen and Dr. Jan M. Troup ’74 Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Research, Teaching, and Service in Chemistry; and the Gerry Meisner ’78 and Robbie Peascoe ’90 Endowed Graduate Travel Scholarship. She served as the American Chemical Society (ACS) student delegate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland (2021) and as the ACS delegation mentor for COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (2022). Sill has also authored multiple articles published in journals such as as npj Materials Degradation. Her dissertation focuses on investigating corrosion inhibition mechanisms critical to the protection of strategic infrastructure components and the development of lightweight alloys in automotive applications. Sill’s research answers fundamental questions related to the influence of polymer molecular weight on corrosion inhibition. In collaboration with a major manufacturer of coatings, she is developing composite materials for commercial adoption.

Yuhao Zhong is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, advised by Dr. Satish T.S. Bukkapatnam. He earned a bachelor’s degree in safety engineering from China University of Petroleum (Beijing) and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M. Zhong’s research advances the theory and applications of machine learning in manufacturing and health sciences. In manufacturing, his research examines processes and measurement precision data to extract insights that improve production quality. In health sciences, he applies similar techniques for advanced disease and disorder detection and to promote wellness through physiological signal analysis. Zhong’s research is published in nine peer-reviewed journal articles. Additionally, he has won two Student Ambassador scholarships and the Best Student Paper Award at the 2023 Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineering Conference. Zhong has served as an instructor and teaching assistant for courses in computational data methods and has helped mentor five students, two through master's theses. He has reviewed for prestigious journals and conferences and has co-chaired technical sessions at national conferences. He is also vice president of the INFORMS student chapter at Texas A&M.