Graduate Students and Alumni

Elnaz Nikoumanesh Ph.D. ’27

Once obtaining her Ph.D. in chemical engineering, she hopes to apply her knowledge in soft matter and experience in industry to design innovative products.

Ali Rabiee Ph.D. Ph.D. ’27

Ali Rabiee is excited to build impactful, real-world applications, grow his industry experience, and ultimately launch a startup.

Jonathan Villada, Ph.D. ’26

Jonathan started at URI in 2016 as a freshman civil engineering major and is graduating with a Ph.D.

Xueshen Zhang, Ph.D. ’26

Following two internship experiences and multiple journal and conference publications, he is working at one of the leading companies in the semiconductor industry.

Patrick Daniele, M.S. ’26

A father of two, soon to be three, husband and a Naval Officer in the Civil Engineer Corps, Daniele completed a master’s degree through a selective military program.

Casey Egan, M.S. ’26

Casey Egan is graduating with his master’s degree in mechanical engineering through the accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program. Egan studied mechanical engineering with a focus on robotics and automation.

Zachary Notarianni, M.S. ’26

Following completion of his bachelor’s in computer engineering at the University of Rhode Island, he was awarded a scholarship in recognition of his hard work to pursue a master’s. Zachary secured a position as a software engineer after graduation.

Jaymes Connor Dionne Ph.D. ’25

Jaymes Dionne worked a lot with battery material research with a focus on next-generation batteries and novel materials like covalent organic frameworks.

Liyuan Gong, Ph.D. ’25

Liyuan Gong has received her doctorate from URI and she will begin postdoctoral training at the University at Buffalo in biomedical engineering.

Andrew Sheerin, M.S. ’23, Ph.D. ’25

Andrew Sheerin, civil and environmental engineering, pursues commercialization of his startup.

Carrie Ellis M.S. ’25

Carrie Ellis chose to forgo an industry career and instead chase a dream to work for a non-profit, Engineers Without Borders.

Jesse Duroha, Ph.D. ’23

After earning his Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering, Jesse became a post-doctoral fellow and lead researcher for a team of interdisciplinary of energy experts.