Graduate Student of the Month

Claassen’s research focuses on retrofit solutions for strengthening existing concrete columns, specifically, conducting a comparative analysis of fiber-reinforced polymer wrapping and steel jacketing systems. Claassen is from Wichita, Kansas, and his favorite hobbies include reading and working out. His favorite food is firecracker chicken, and his top bucket list item is to travel abroad after graduation.

Tumwesige’s research focuses on using in-situ sensors, particularly crop canopy temperature measurements, and evapotranspiration modeling to assess crop water stress and improve irrigation water management in water-limited environments, particularly across the High Plains region overlying the Ogallala Aquifer. Tumwesige is from the Kagadi district of Western Uganda, and his hobbies include playing chess and soccer. His favorite Ugandan food is matooke, and his favorite American food is Raising Canes. His top bucket list item is to go sky diving.

Mahfuz’s research revolves around protein engineering, biosensors and synthetic biology, specifically, studying functions of enzymes and designed proteins in specific applications. Mahfuz is from Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and his hobbies include reading, watching movies, working out and outdoor activities. His favorite food is beef curry, and his top bucket list item is to travel to all of the continents.

Gharaibeh’s research investigates the structural behavior of normal-weight and lightweight aggregate concrete members reinforced with GFRP bars. It focuses on mechanical performance, including flexural strength and bond behavior; serviceability, including deflection and crack control; and durability, including freezing and thawing resistance, shrinkage, and chloride penetration. Gharaibeh is from Jordan, and his hobbies include football, tennis, watching documentaries and learning about history, geography and astonomy. His favorite food is Jordanian cuisine, especially mansaf, makmoura, maftoul, kibbeh and maqluba, and his top bucket list item is to travel around the world exploring famous historical sites, different cultures and natural landmarks.

Gautam’s research focuses on modernizing USDA/NRCS engineering software applications from legacy Visual Basic 6 to C#/.NET with WinUI 3. The goal is to keep the original engineering calculations intact while rebuilding the interface, plotting and file handling on a supported 64-bit platform. Gautam was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, but grew up in Goa, India. His hobbies include soccer and music, and his favorite foods are momo, Mughlai cuisine and Mexican food. His top bucket list item is to watch soccer matches across all of Europe’s iconic stadiums.

Samaei’s research explores the intersection of network science, stochastic processes and AI with a focus on epidemic modeling and health. He developed EpidemIQs, agentic AI systems to automate epidemic modeling, and FastGEMF, a scalable simulator for stochastic spreading processes over multiplex networks. Samaei is from Iran, and his hobbies include hiking, reading, swimming and movies. His favorite food is kabab koobideh, and his top bucket list item is to visit all of the national parks.

Syed’s research develops a risk-sensitive optimization framework for the U.S. manganese supply chain, connecting global suppliers with U.S. ports through an adaptive MILP transshipment network. The model explores how supplier disruptions, port capacity losses, geopolitical and transportation risks, and supply concentration reshape material flows. By combining optimization, disruption scenarios and risk sensitivity analysis, the research reveals when the lowest-cost route is no longer the smartest route and how strategic rerouting can build a more resilient and diversified critical-mineral supply chain. Syed is from Pakistan, but was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. His hobbies include traveling, trying new cuisines and music. His favorite foods are mandi and chicken faham, and his bucket list includes experiencing Tomorrowland next year in Las Vegas, taking a cross country motorcycle road trip and holding his soon-to-be-born baby.

Lederhos’ research focuses on developing electrodeposition methods for producing thin actinide films for Micro-Pocket Fission detectors in high-temperature Gen IV nuclear reactors. Lederhos is from Goddard, Kansas, and his hobbies include cooking, building LEGOs and playing the tuba. His favorite food is steak and potatoes, and his top bucket list item is to travel to Italy and put his Duolingo streak to good use.