2024-25 PCE Graduate Fellowship Recipients
Nicholas Baker
ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Fellowship
Nicholas is going into his first year as a PhD student in chemical engineering, after completing his undergraduate degree here at the University of Utah. He is from here in Utah, and he is interested in working in computational fluid dynamics with Dr. Tony Saad. When not working on school, he enjoys playing piano, cooking, and sleeping.
Eric Constant
John C. Jackson Fellowship
Eric grew up in Charleston, West Virginia where he got his BS in biology and a minor in business administration from The University of Charleston. As one of the introductory recipients of the Russell and Martha Wehrle Innovation Colleague Scholarship, he further honed his skills in operational management, along with his start-up skills, by acting as the president of the scholar program and the student liaison for start-up interface with the Innovation Center. He then completed his master’s in biomedical engineering at Ohio University, where his research focused on developing naturally derived biomaterials for tissue scaffolds using polymer chemistry aimed to be processed using additive manufacturing. During his graduate studies, Eric accepted a Material Engineering Division Graduate Student Internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. He has had two stents in 2023 and 2024 totaling over a year of formulating polymeric multi-material volumetric additive manufacturing.
Eli Finlinson
Campbell Endowed Fellowship
Eli is a first-year PhD student in biomedical engineering, where he is focusing his research on developing and improving methods of neuromodulation. Eli received his bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from the University of Utah. During his undergrad, Eli assisted in animal trials using focused ultrasound to suppress seizures in epileptic animal models. Eli seeks to find and advance methods allowing for effective ways to improve human health. Eli loves all Utah has to offer and in his spare time is often skiing or hiking.
Ethan Gallup
ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Fellowship
Ethan is a chemical engineering student at the University of Utah studying ways to apply machine learning and optimization to improve efficiency in manufacturing and power generating operations. His next project involves analyzing potential energy and economic solutions for coal communities in southern Utah as the state transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Caden Hamrick
ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Fellowship
Caden is an incoming electrical engineering PhD student with a strong interest in neural engineering and robotics. He received his bachelor’s in computer engineering in 2023 from Mercer University in Macon, GA. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and was awarded the Outstanding Graduate in Computer Engineering Award. Since then, he worked as a Research Assistant at Mercer University's Machine Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory, focused primarily on developing curricula to teach machine learning to middle and high school students across the Southeast. He was recently awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and is beginning his graduate studies under Dr. Jacob George.
Ezra Johnson
Ernst R. & Marianne M. Friedrich Fellowship
Ezra graduated in 2023 from Utah State with a BS in biological engineering. He has participated in research ranging from SARS-CoV2 wastewater tracking systems, to biofuel & waste-plastics research. He interned at Nelson Labs as a lab analyst focused in healthcare reprocessing. After graduation, he worked in the tissue banking industry in product development and innovation. Working with orthopedic allografts led to the development of his interest in more effective methods of tissue repair and regeneration, specifically gene/cell therapy and targeted drug delivery. Aside from biomedical engineering, he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing and backpacking.
Britton Jordan
Shane & Robin Robison Fellowship
Britton graduated this spring with a bachelor’s in computer science at the University of Utah and will begin a PhD in robotics this fall. He loves engineering because it's exciting to use math and science to build things which will improve peoples' lives. His undergraduate research focused on novel metamaterial robot designs for use in medical and other applications. He will be joining Dr. Alan Kuntz's lab where he will work on surgical robot automation and continue his work in novel robot design. He plans to become a university professor.
Adam Losser
Ernst R. & Marianne M. Friedrich Fellowship
Adam graduated cum laude from the University of Utah with a BS in electrical engineering and a minor in mathematics. During undergrad, he helped conduct in-human clinical trials for Diadem—a new medical device that uses focused ultrasound neuromodulation to treat neurologic disorders non-invasively. Specifically, he helped investigate the effects of ultrasonic treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression and chronic pain. He hopes to continue this research by pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering at the U. He is excited about exploring the use of ultrasound to treat other neurologic disorders, including PTSD and Alzheimer's disease. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, mountain biking, traveling, and reading. He also enjoys playing pipe organs and composing his own musical arrangements.
Ellie Lundgreen
Gary M. Sandquist Endowed Fellowship
Ellie grew up in Kaysville, Utah - 30 minutes away from Salt Lake City. She will be graduating this May with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Utah. Ellie originally chose to attend Utah because of an offer to compete for the cross country and track and field team. She was lucky enough that her running dreams drew her to the only university in the state with a nuclear program and has spent the last few years gaining experience in the field through undergraduate research and internships. She has worked under the guidance of Dr. Tara Mastren since January of 2023, and will continue to work with Dr. Mastren as she completes her PhD. Ellie is interested in exploring the fundamental electrochemical behavior of actinides, primarily Protactinium and Actinium, and applying that knowledge to develop innovative technologies with applications in nuclear medicine and physics.
Nathan Searle
Campbell Endowed Fellowship
Nathan is an incoming mechanical engineering PhD student from Magna, UT. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah in chemical engineering with a minor in computer science. Nathan was also awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2024. During his undergraduate studies, Nathan analyzed low-cost air quality sensors while working in the KairLab under Dr. Kerry Kelly. He plans to pursue research under the guidance of Dr. Ashley Spear in computational solid mechanics and computational materials science in the Multiscale Mechanics and Materials Lab.
Syrus Vahdati
Gerald & Barbara Stringfellow Endowed Fellowship
Karen Walker
Gary S. & Patricia Watkins Fellowship
Karen is a mechanical engineering PhD student in the HGN Lab for Bionic Engineering. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver in 2022. After graduation Karen worked at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab, developing a device that superficially measures tendon force in vivo and investigating the relationship between the human ankle, arch, and toes during locomotion. Her research at Utah focuses on advancing bionic active ankle and foot prostheses.