Spotlight Stories
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Turner Jennings, PhD’25, Mechanical Engineering
Turner Jennings, PhD’25, mechanical engineering, authored a dissertation on improving helmet impact response that focused on using granular materials instead of polymeric foams to absorb impact energy. Following graduation, Jennings joined Northeastern as a postdoctoral research associate.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Lluvia “Weijia” Jing, PhD’25, Industrial Engineering
Lluvia “Weijia” Jing, PhD’25, industrial engineering, focused on optimizing global humanitarian supply chains. As part of a multi-year collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Jing led the development of advanced models to support decision-making for both pre- and post-disaster planning strategies in regions affected by food insecurity.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Ruyi Ding, Ph’25, Computer Engineering
Ruyi Ding, PhD’25, computer engineering, focuses his research on the intersection of artificial intelligence security and hardware security, following a software–hardware co design paradigm. In fall 2025, Ding will join the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Louisiana State University as an assistant professor.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Aria Masoomi, PhD’24, Computer Engineering, and Mathematics
Aria Masoomi, PhD’24, computer engineering, and PhD’24, mathematics, focused his dissertation research for computer engineering on “Making Deep Neural Networks Transparent.” His mathematics thesis was “Poisson Geometry of Flag Varieties and Representation Theory of Their Quantum Deformation.”
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Duschia Bodet, PhD’25, Electrical Engineering
Duschia Bodet, PhD’25, electrical engineering, conducts research at the forefront of wireless communications with a focus on modulation techniques and beam control for sub-terahertz, multiple antenna systems. In addition to being published, she won Best Paper Award at GLOBECOM and received the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award from the Marconi Society.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Justin Hayes, PhD’25, Chemical Engineering
Justin Hayes, PhD’25, chemical engineering, focuses on understanding how gut microbial metabolism impacts human health. He is an inventor on the pending patent and founder and CEO of Concordance Therapeutics Inc. He was awarded the Northeastern University chapter of the National Academy of Inventors Student Innovation Impact Award.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Joseph Rodriguez, PhD’25, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Joseph Rodriguez, PhD’25, civil and environmental engineering, conducted research funded by the Department of Energy on developing AI-based control strategies to improve transit reliability and efficiency. The proposed strategies and technologies have the potential to transform how frontline transit staff deliver service.
Jun 10, 2025
PhD Spotlight: Kyla Drewry, PhD’25, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Kyla Drewry, PhD’25, civil and environmental engineering, researched access to safe drinking water supplied by private wells. She presented at various conferences, was published in Environmental Science and Technology, and is starting a full time position in fall 2025 as a water resources engineer.