Students
Sloan Alumni
Joshua Benjamin, Ph.D.
2021 Environmental Engineering
Major Professors: Mauricio Arias, Ph.D., Qiong Zhang, Ph.D.
Dissertation: 鈥淧ressure Retarded Osmosis: A Potential Technology for Seawater Desalination Energy
Recovery and Concentrate Management鈥�
Sabrina Rosa Ortiz, Ph.D.
2021 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Arash Takshi, Ph.D.
鈥滳opper Electrodeposition Assisted by Hydrogen Evolution for Wearable Electronics:
Interconnections and Fiber Metallization"
Troi Williams, Ph.D.
2021 Computer Science and Engineering
Major Professor: Yu Sun , Ph.D.
鈥淟earning State-Dependent Measurement Models to Improve Robot Localization鈥�
Kiesha Pierre, Ph.D.
2021 Environmental EngineeringMajor Professor: Andres Martinez-Tejada-Martinez, Ph.D.
Dissertation: "Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis of the Hydraulic Performance and Bio-kinetics
in a Full-scale Oxidation Ditch"
William Serrano Garcia , Ph.D.
2021 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Sylvia W. Thomas, Ph.D.
Dissertation: "Advanced Organic Polymers for the Nanoscale Fabrication of Fiber-based Electronics
Using the Electrospinning Technique"
Francesca Toledo Cossu, M.S.
2021 Geosciences (MS)
Major Professor: Ping Wang, Ph.D.
Nicole Febles, Ph.D.
2021 Biomedical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Robert Frisina, Dr. Nathan Gallant
Dissertation: "Alternative Approaches to Protect Sensory Inner Ear Tissue Against Cisplatin-induced
Ototoxicity"
Andrea Wright, Ph.D.
2020 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Nasir Ghani
Dissertation: "Analysis of Denial of Service Attacks in Emerging Software Defined Network Infrastructures"
Maya Carrasquillo, Ph.D.
2020 Environmental Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Maya Trotz
Dissertation
Shamaria Engram, Ph.D
2020 Computer Science and Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Jay Liggati
: "Unifying Security Policy Enforcement: Theory and Practice"
Ufuomaroghene Ikoba, Ph.D.
2020 Biomedical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Ryan Toomey, Dr. Nathan Gallant
Dissertation
Anthony Windmon, Ph.D.
2020 Computer Science and Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Sriram Chellapan
"Detecting Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
and Congestive Heart Failure via Cough and Wheezing SoundsUsing Smart-Phones and Machine
Learning"
Jorge Calabria, Ph.D.
2019 Environmental Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Daniel H. Yeh
Dissertation: "Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor for Wastewater Nitrogen Recovery"
Dinorah Chacin, Ph.D.
2019 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Christopher Stallings
"Investigation of seascape heterogeneity and ecological responses in tropical and
subtropical systems"
Emma Lopez-Ponnada, Ph.D.
2019 Environmental Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Sarina Ergas, Dr. James Mihelcic
"Innovating Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Nutrient Management: Long-Term Field
and Modeling Studies of Conventional and Modified Denitrifying Bioretention Systems"
Lorena Sanchez-Vivas, Ph.D.
2019 Environmental Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. James Mihlecic
"Bamboo as a Sustainable Engineering Material: Mechanical Properties, Safety Factors,
and Experimental Testing Properties, Safety Factors, and Experimental Testing"
Evans Bernardin, Ph.D.
2018 Biomedical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Stephen E. Saddow
"Demonstration of Monolithic-Silicon Carbide (SiC) Neural Devices"
Shamara Collins, Ph.D.
2018 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Chris Ferekides
"The Effect of Processing Conditions on the Energetic Diagram of CdTe Thin Films
Studied by Photoluminescence"
Pacia Diaz, Ph.D.
2018 Environmental Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Daniel Yeh
"Pursuing Resilience of Coastal Communities Through Sustainable and Integrated Urban
Water Management"
Ileana Freytes-Ortiz, Ph.D.
2018 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Chris Stallings
"An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Predator-Prey Relationships in a
Changing Ocean: From System Design to Education"
Tamina Johnson Jeffers, Ph.D.
2018 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Piyush Koria
"Elastin-Like Polypeptide Fusion Tag as a Protein-Dependent Solubility Enhancer of
Cysteine-Knot Growth Factors"
Abdiel Laureano-Rosario, Ph.D.
2018 Marine Biology and Biological
Major Professor: Dr. Frank E. Muller-Karger
"Evaluating Beach Water Quality and Dengue Fever Risk Factors by Satellite Remote
Sensing and Artificial Neural Networks"
Darline Lott, Ph.D.
2018 Geology / Hydrogeology
Major Professors: Dr. Mark Rains, Dr. Mark Stewart
"The Utility of the Conductivity Mass-Balance Method for Base Flow Separation in
Rivers and Streams"
Samuel Perez, Ph.D.
2018 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Sylvia Thomas
"Integration and Cross-Coupling of a Notched-Turbine Symbiotic Power Source for Implantable
Medical Devices"
Michael Grady, Ph.D.
2017 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Thomas Weller
"A High Accuracy Microwave Radiometric Thermometer to Measure Internal Body Temperature"
Amine Hafsi, Ph.D.
2017 Civil Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Andres Tejada-Martinez
"DNS and LES of Scalar Transfer Across an Air-water Interface During Inception and
Growth of Langumir Circulation"
Adonis McQueen, Ph.D.
2017 Molecuar Medicine
Major Professor: Dr. Dennis E. Kyle
"Synthesis, in vitro Characterization and Applications of Novel 8-Aminoquinoline
Fluorescent Probes"
Rafael Rodriguez, Ph.D.
2017 Mechanical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Rasim Guldiken
"Experimental Evaluation of Cooling Effectiveness and Water Conservation in a Poultry
House Using Flow Blurring庐 Atomizers"
Laura Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Ph.D.
2017 Environmental Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Sarina Ergas
"Advanced Treatment Technologies for Mitigation of Nitrogen and Off-flavor Compounds
in Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems"
Cristina Subt, Ph.D.
2017 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Brad E. Rosenheim
"Resolving chronological and temperature constraints on Antarctic deglacial evolution
through improved dating methodology"
Dagmara Urena Monfort, Ph.D.
2017 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Piyush Koria
"Recombinant Elastin Based Nanoparticles for Targeted Gene Therapy"
Michael Cross, Ph.D.
2016 Applied Physics: Biophysics
Major Professors: Dr. W. Garrett Matthews, Dr. Nathan Gallant, Dr. Ryan Toomey
"Biophysical Characterization and Theoretical Analysis of Molecular Mechanisms Underlying
Cell Interactions with Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogels"
Michael Martinez-Colon, Ph.D.
2016 Biogeochemical Oceanography
Major Professors: Dr. Pamela Hallock Muler, Dr. Carlos Green-Ru铆z
"Pollutants and Foraminiferal Assemblages in Torrecillas Lagoon: An Environmental
Micropaleontology Approach"
Natasha Mendez-Ferrer, Ph.D.
2016 Biological Oceanography
Major Professor: Dr. Pamela Hallock Muller
"Photic Stress in Symbiont-Bearing Organisms: Analyses of Photosynthetic Performance"
Maria Vega-Rodriguez, Ph.D.
2016, Marine Resource Assessment
Major Professor: Dr. Frank Muller-Karger
"Influence of Water Quality on Stony Coral Diversity and Net Community Productivity
in the Florida Keys"
Olukemi Akintewe, Ph.D.
2015 Chemical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Ryan Toomey, Dr. Nathan Gallant
"Fabrication of Tissue Precursors Induced by Shape-changing Hydrogels"
Veronica Aponte, Ph.D.
2015 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Sarina Ergas
"Ammonium Removal from High Strength Wastewater Using a Hybrid Ion Exchange Biological
Process"
Edikan Ogunnaike Archibong, Ph.D.
2015 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Anna Pyayt
"Optofluidic Spectroscopy Platform for Detection of Hemolysis"
Pablo Cornejo Warner, Ph.D.
2015 Environmental Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Qiong Zhang, Dr. James Mihelcic
"Environmental Sustainability of Wastewater Treatment Plants Integrated with Resource
Recovery: The Impact of Context and Scale"
Mutsaim Elsheikh, Ph.D.
2015 Mechanical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Jose L. Porteiro, Dr. Steven T. Weber
"A Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Flow Induced Noise In Hydraulic Counterbalance
Valves"
Maritza Muniz-Maisonet, Ph.D.
2015 Chemical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Ryan G. Toomey, Dr. Nathan D. Gallant
"Topographical Enhancement of Cell Adhesion on Poorly Adhesive Materials"
Alisha Peterson, Ph.D.
2015 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Vinay K. Gupta
"Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Nanomaterials: Gold Nanoshells with Organic-
Inorganic Hybrid Cores"
Mandek Richardson, Ph.D.
2015 Biomedical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Venkat Bhethanabotla, Dr. Patricia Kruk
"Theoretical and Experimental Investigations to Improve the Performance of Surface
Acoustic Wave (SAW) Biosensors"
Mark Santana, Ph.D.
2015 Environmental Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Qiong Zhang, Dr. James Mihelcic
"The Effect of Urbanization on the Embodied Energy of Drinking Water in Tampa, Florida"
Eric Tridas, Ph.D.
2015 Mechanical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Rudy Schlaf
"Experimental and Numerical Investigation of an Electrospray RF Ion Funnel"
Innocent Udom, Ph.D.
2015 Chemical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Yogi Goswami
"Investigation of Enhanced Titanium and Zinc Oxide Semiconductors for the Photodegradation
of Aqueous Organic Compounds"
Tarah Word, Ph.D.
2015 Biophysical Chemistry
Major Professor: Dr. Randy W. Larsen
"Photoacoustic Calorimetry Studies of the Earliest Events in Horse Heart Cytochrome-c
Folding"
Frank Alexander, Jr., Ph.D.
2014 Electrical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Andrew Hoff, Dr. Shekhar Bhansali
"RTEMIS: Real-Time Tumoroid and Environment Monitoring Using Impedance Spectroscopy
and pH Sensing"
Sennai Habtes, Ph.D.
2014 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Frank E. M眉ller-Karger
"Variability in the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Larval Scombrid Abundance in
the Gulf of Mexico"
Shara Pantry, Ph.D.
2014 Biological Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Peter G. Medveczky
"Persistent Infection with Human Herpesvirus-6 in Patients with an Inherited Form
of the Virus: A Newly Described Disease"
Issa Ramirez, Ph.D.
2014 Mechanical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Craig P. Lusk, Dr. Fernando Burgos
"Pseudo-Rigid-Body Models for Approximating Spatial Compliant Mechanisms of Rectangular
Cross Section"
Ana Arellano, Ph.D.
2013 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Paula G. Coble
"Investigation of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) Optical Properties, Nutrients,
and Salinity in Coastal Florida: Springshed to Estuaries"
David Cure, Ph.D.
2013 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Thomas Weller
"Reconfigurable Low Profile Antennas Using Tunable High Impedance Surfaces"
Regina Easley, Ph.D.
2013 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Robert H. Byrne
"The Spectrophotometric Analysis of Lead Carbonate Complexation and Carbonate Saturation
States in Seawater"
Yvonne Girard-Davis, Ph.D.
2013 Medical sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Subhra Mohapatra
"A Three Dimensional Scaffold for Anticancer Drug Development"
Eloy Martinez-Rivera, Ph.D.
2013 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Jose Torres
"Biochemical Aspects of the Thermal Sensitivity and Energy Balance of Polar, Tropical
and Subtropical Teleosts"
Luis Miranda, Ph.D.
2013 Chemical Oceanography
Major Professor: Dr. Robert H. Byrne
"Development of novel nano-composite membranes as introduction systems for mass spectrometers:
Contrasting nano-composite membranes and conventional inlet systems"
Brandon Richard, Ph.D.
2013 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Sylvia W. Thomas
"Thermal Infrared Reflective Metal Oxide Sol-Gel Coatings for Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Composite Structures"
Candice Simmons, Ph.D.
2013 Marine Sciences
Major Professors: Dr. Edward S. Van Vleet, Dr. Foday M. Jaward
"Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Sediments within the Hillsborough Bay Watershed"
Inia Soto-Ramos, Ph.D.
2013 Marine Biology and Biological
Major Professor: Dr. Frank E. Muller-Karger
"Harmful Algal Blooms of the West Florida Shelf and Campeche Bank: Visualization
and Quantification using Remote Sensing Methods"
Monica Wilson, Ph.D.
2013 Marine Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Mark E. Luther
Dissertation: "Synoptic to interannual variability in volumetric flushing in Tampa
Bay, FL using observational data and a numerical model"
Kathryn Bailey, Ph.D.
2012 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Sarina Ergas
"Assessing the Microbial Consequences of Remediation: Surrogate Microbial Screening
and Native Metabolic Signatures in Tc(VII) Contaminated Sediments"
Timetria Bonds, Ph.D.
2012 Medical Sciences
Major Professor: Dr. Javier Cuevas
"Store-Operated Calcium Channels in the Function of Intracardiac Neurons"
Prony Bonnaire Fils, Ph.D.
2012 Civil Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Jian John Lu, Dr. Pei-Sung Lin
"Modeling Travel Time and Reliability on Urban Arterials for Recurrent Conditions"
Natasha Cover Samuels, Ph.D.
2012 Biomedical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Susana K. Lai-Yuen, Dr. Anna K. Parsons
"A Novel Device and Nanoparticle-Based Approach for Improving Diagnosis and Treatment
of pelvic Inflammatory Disease"
Dayna Martinez-Torres.Ph.D.
2012 Industrial Systems
Major Professors: Dr. Tapas Das, Dr. Alex Savachkin
"Non-pharmaceutical Intervention Strategies for Pandemic Influenza Outbreaks"
Elisa Parker-Athill, Ph.D.
2012 Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology
Major Professor: Dr. Jun Tan
"Maternal Immune Dysregulation in the Pathogenesis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders:
Interleukin-6 as a Central Mechanism and Therapeutic Target of Flavonoids"
Dorielle Price, Ph.D.
2012 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Shekhar Bhansali
"Optimization of Bio-Impedance Sensor for Enhanced Detection and Characterization
of Adherent Cells"
Tony Price, Ph.D.
2012 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Thomas M. Weller
"Nonlinear Properties of Nanoscale Barium Strontium Titanate Microwave Varactors"
Justin Boone, M.S. (USF), Ph.D. (FIU)
2011 Electrical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Shekhar Bhansali, Dr. Scott Samson
"Through Wafer 3D Vertical Micro-Coaxial Probe for High Frequency Material Characterization
and Millimeter Wave Packaging Systems"
Camille Daniels, Ph.D.
2011 Biological Oceanography
Major Professor: Dr. Mya Breitbart
"Microbial Landscapes of Corals and Ctenophores"
LinkedIn Profile
Enrique Gonzalez-Velez, Ph.D.
2011 Civil Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Jian John Lu
"Safety Evaluation of Roadway Lighting Illuminance Levels and its Relationship with
Nighttime Crash Injury Severity for West Central Florida Region"
Eric Huey, M.S.
2011 Electrical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Shekhar Bhansali, Dr. Scott Samson
"Site Specifc Growth of Metal Catalyzed Silica Nanowires for Biological and Chemical
Sensing"
Ransford Hyman, Jr., Ph.D.
2011 Computer Science and Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Nagarajan Ranganathan
"Techniques for Enhancing Reliability in VLSI Circuits"
Erlande Omisca, Ph.D.
2011 Civil Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Maya A. Trotz
"Environmental Health in the Latin American and Caribbean Region: Use of Water Storage
Containers, Water Quality, and Community Perception"
Jose Rey, Ph.D.
2011 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Richard Gilbert
"Guiding Electric Fields for Electroporation Applications"
Andrea Rocha, Ph.D.
2011 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. James Mihelcic
"Computational Discovery of Phenotype Related Biochemical Processes for Engineering"
Al-Aakhir Rogers, Ph.D.
2011 Electrical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Shekhar Bhansali, Dr. Scott Samson
"Evanescent Wave Coupling Using Different Subwavelength Gratings for a MEMS Accelerometer"
John Shelton, Ph.D.
2011 Mechanical Engineering
Major Professor: Frank Pyrtle, III
"Thermophysical Characterization of Nanofluids Through Molecular Dynamic Simulations"
Quenton Bonds, Ph.D.
2010 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Thomas Weller
"A Microwave Radiometer for Close Proximity Core Body Temperature Monitoring: Design,
Development, and Experimentation"
Joseph Bonivel, Jr., Ph.D.
2010 Engineering Science
Major Professor: Dr. Ashok Kumar
"Consumable Process Development for Chemical Mechanical Planarization of Bit Patterned
Media for Magnetic Storage Fabrication"
Joniqua Howard, Ph.D.
2010 Civil Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Maya Trotz, Dr. Fenda Akiwumi
"Mercury in the Environment: Field Studies from Tampa, Bolivia, And Guyana"
Warner Ithier-Guzman, Ph.D.
2010 Chemical Oceanography
Major Professors: Dr. Ashanti Johnson, Dr. Robert Byrne
"Assessing the Ability of Soils and Sediment to Adsorb and Retain Cs-137 in Puerto
Rico"
Ophir Ortiz, Ph.D.
2010 Electrical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Ryan Toomey, Dr. Jing Wang
"Active surface topographies in constrained hydrogel films for biomedical applications"
Javier Pulecio, Ph.D.
2010 Electrical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Sanjukta Bhanja, Dr. Shekar Bhansali
"Field-Coupled Nano-Magnetic Logic Systems"
Jeffy Rey Jimenez, Ph.D.
2010 Chemical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Norma Alcantar
"Effects of Monoclonal Anti-Abeta Antibodies on the Amyloid Beta Peptide Fibrillogenesis
and their Involvement in the Clearance of Alzheimer's Disease Plaques"
Karyana Rosario-Cora, Ph.D.
2010 Marine Sceinces
Major Professor: Dr. Mya Breitbart
"Enhancing Virus Surveillance through Metagenomics: Water Quality and Public Health
Applications"
Nekesha Williams, Ph.D.
2010 Marine Science
Major Professors: Dr. Ashanti Johnson, Dr. Barnali Dixon
"Linking Soil Loss to Sediment Delivery in Two Estuaries in Puerto Rico"
Joshua Candamo, Ph.D.
2009 Computer Science and Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Rangachar Kasturi, Dr. Dmitry Goldgof
"Boundary profile representation for objects and their surroundings in outdoor videos"
Deidra Hodges, Ph.D.
2009 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Christos S. Ferekides
"Development of CdTe thin film solar cells on flexible foil substrates"
William Mondy, Ph.D.
2009 Biomedical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Les A. Piegl
"Data acquisition for modeling and visualization of vascular tree"
Roland Okwen, Ph.D.
2009 Civil Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Jeffrey A. Cunningham, Dr. Alexander Domijan, Jr
"Enhanced CO2 Storage in Confined Geologic Formations"
LaTia Scott Etheredge, Ph.D.
2009 Pathology and Celle Biology
Major Professor: Dr. John R. Hassell
"The Effect of Growth Factors on the Corneal Stroma Extracellular Matrix Production
by Keratocytes"
Helen Thomas Benjamin, Ph.D.
2009 Electrical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Andrew M. Hoff
"Non-Contact Characterization of Dielectric Conduction on 4H-SiC"
Jonathan Mbah, Ph.D.
2008 Chemical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. John T. Wolan
"Endurance materials for hydrogen sulfide splitting in electrolytic cell"
Meralys Reyes-Natal, Ph.D.
2008 Chemical Engineering
Major Professors: Dr. Stephen E. Saddow, Dr. John T. Wolan
"Modeling and growth of the 3C-SiC heteroepitaxial system via chloride chemistry"
Eduardo Veras-Jorge, Ph.D.
2008 Mechanical Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Rajiv Dubey
"Design and implementation of a hard real-time telerobotic control system using sensor-based
assist functions"
Auristela Mueses-Perez, Ph.D.
2006 Civil Engineering
Major Professor: Dr. Mark Ross
"Generalized non-dimensional depth-discharge rating curves tested on Florida streamflow"