2026 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients

Iwinosa Aideyan

Clemson University

Aideyan is a Ph.D. candidate in computer engineering at Clemson University, specializing in cybersecurity, secure software supply chains, and distributed trust systems. Her research focuses on protecting over-the-air software updates and ensuring the integrity, provenance, and reproducibility of software deployed in connected and safety-critical systems.

Fatimah Alkhameys

University of Kansas Medical Center

Alkhameys is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her work centers on improving the long term health and safety of breast cancer survivors by addressing the cognitive challenges that often persist after treatment.

Mercy Dafong

The University of Alabama

Dafong is a Ph.D. candidate in African francophone literature at the University of Alabama, specializing in migration narratives, gender studies, and contemporary African cultural production. Her dissertation examines the ways in which female writers and filmmakers from Africa use storytelling to influence how people understand migration and insecurity.

Robert Dawson

University of Florida

Dawson is a Ph.D. candidate in medical physics at the University of Florida as a visiting student at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on three-dimensional computational modeling of human anatomy and Monte Carlo radiation transport simulation, with the goal of developing patient-specific digital twins for use in radiation therapy planning and assessment of second cancer risks and normal organ toxicities.

Lorise Diamond

Claremont Graduate University

Diamond is a Ph.D. candidate in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Her research examines how individuals and communities learn to read scenes of power, travel ethically across difference, and grow shared worlds through documentation, coalition, and repair.

Farzaneh Ebrahimzadeh Holasu

Michigan State University

Ebrahimzadeh Holasu is a Ph.D. candidate in film studies with digital humanities and women and gender studies specialization at Michigan State University. Her research is centered on global cinema, feminist film and media historiography, film restoration and preservation, archival practices, and videographic criticism.

Taewoo Kang

Michigan State University

Kang is a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University. His research examines how digital platforms shape civic and political life, with a focus on quantitative and computational approaches.¹

Farida Bibi Mughal

University of Michigan

Farida is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Her research focuses on understanding trauma recovery among immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, with particular attention to culturally grounded pathways of healing.

Kushal Naharki

West Virginia University

Naharki is a Ph.D. candidate at West Virginia University. Their research focuses on detection and management of invasive species using drone technology.

Ekaterina Oparina

Florida International University

Oparina is a Ph.D. candidate at Florida International University. Her research seeks to better understand the psychological and environmental factors that influence engagement in green exercise.

Ellie Xu

University of Southern California

Xu is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California. Her research investigates how difficulties with emotion regulation contribute to risk for depression.