Rossin College · Graduate Studies
Graduate Student Spotlight
Fellowships, best-paper awards, startups, patents and first conference talks. These are the graduate students of the Rossin College, in their own words and their own work.
Latest stories
Most recent
Brian Leard ’20 PhD ’26 selected for DOE fusion energy postdoctoral program
Lehigh mechanical engineer will continue research aimed at advancing the modeling and control of fusion plasmas
Two 2026 national doctoral awards won by Lehigh ISE Ph.D. students
Sharmine Akther Liza wins a 3-minute thesis pitch at the IISE Annual Conference, while Dr. Man Yiu (Tim) Tsang secures a 3rd place at the prestigious Pritsker Doctoral Dissertation Award
Kaja Skerlj ’21 M.Eng. ’22 launches AI career with Lehigh scholarship
A Technical Entrepreneurship master’s graduate on moving into AI product management, and the scholarship that made the degree possible.
alumni.lehigh.edu
Two engineering PhD students named Koerner Family Foundation Fellows
Bioengineer Joshua Graham and mechanical engineer Brian Leard ’21 named to 2025-2026 cohort
MechE PhD student Ruixiao Xue earns scholarship from Society of Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers Philadelphia Section
Ruixiao Xue, a PhD student in mechanical engineering and mechanics at Lehigh University, was awarded a 2025 academic scholarship from the Society of Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Philadelphia Section. Xue i
How Lehigh University’s career center helps international graduate students thrive
From career coaching to community connections, the Center for Career and Professional Development empowers students—like Ojaswi Joshi MS’25—build confidence and succeed in the U.S. job market
Read more...
Earlier stories
Mechanical engineering master’s student earns DeRocco Fellowship for women in manufacturing
IDEAS graduate Genevieve Powell ’25 explores pathways in medical device and tech-startup manufacturing through industry experience and mentorship
Lehigh-Siemens partnership advances microgrid research for AI data centers
PhD student Saskia Putri explores real-time monitoring and control tools to help data centers manage growing power demands from artificial intelligence
Technical Entrepreneurship grad students explore Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem
Graduate students in Lehigh University’s Technical Entrepreneurship (TE) program recently immersed themselves in Pittsburgh’s thriving innovation and startup ecosystem during a three-day, hands-on learning trip. “TE prov
11th Annual ChBE Graduate Student Symposium
“This symposium continues to grow in impact and scope”
Lehigh ISE PhD Student wins awards for research in semidefinite optimization and quantum computing
Pouya Sampourmahani recognized at IISE and YinzOR conferences
Summa Cum Laude award for our PhD Student Chapter
Lehigh ISE chapter was a winner of the 2025 INFORMS competition
Taking on the challenges of quantum computing
Mohammad Mohammadisiahroudi ’24 PhD advanced cutting-edge research—and discovered his passion for teaching—thanks to the mentorship and resources he found as a Lehigh ISE doctoral student
George Awad ’22 ’25G: Savoring success
Technical Entrepreneurship student’s startup, Aroi Mango, LLC, brings Thai flavors—and fresh ideas—to the Lehigh Valley’s food scene
Defending water systems from cyber attacks
Lehigh PhD student Nazia Raza ’24G develops first-of-its-kind machine learning framework to detect, locate, and assess cyberattacks on water distribution networks
Lehigh Polymer Science and Engineering master’s student takes STEM advocacy to the U.N.
Korka Fall ’25G shares her academic journey—and the power of mentorship—on an international stage
Prince Sharma: Seeing the wider picture
Mechanical engineering doctoral candidate tackles theoretical challenges in materials development while gaining industry-focused experience through Lehigh’s Pasteur Partners PhD (P3) program
BioE Student Spotlight: Olivia Carsia
BioE Student Spotlight: Olivia Carsia
Heng Tan ’22G: Algorithms in action
CSE doctoral student wins best paper award at 2023 ACM international Conference on Information and Knowledge Management for his work on micromobility systems
BioE Student Spotlight: Peter Jensen
BioE Student Spotlight: Fall 2023 Name: Peter Jensen Where are you from / Where is your hometown? Severna Park, Maryland What degree type are you pursuing? MS Bioengineering What is your specialization, OR, do you have a
Xingjian Wang ’19G: Optimizing concrete construction
Structural engineering PhD student works on innovative approach that combines topology optimization and concrete 3D printing to push boundaries in concrete building design while reducing carbon footprint
Li wins second place at AIChE poster competition
Aojie Li, a third year graduate student in the Lehigh research group of Professor Srinivas Rangarajan, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, won 2nd place in the student poster competition at the 2023 Amer
BioE Student Spotlight: Seonghan Kim
BioE Student Spotlight: Fall 2023 Name: Seonghan Kim Where are you from/Where is your hometown: Seoul, South Korea What degree type are you pursuing? PhD Bioengineering What is your specialization, OR, do you have any ot
PhD student Lida Yan ’20G to compete in Hack3d Challenge finals
Mechanical engineering PhD student Lida Yan ’20G is a finalist in the 2023 Hack3d Challenge, a manufacturing cybersecurity competition hosted by New York University. The competition “serves to raise awareness and generat
Lehigh ISE doctoral students excel in competitions and programs
Lehigh ISE PhD students recognized by INFORMS, IISE, Chicago Quantum Exchange and QuantX
Using machine learning to help mitigate water crises
Having seen first-hand how weak infrastructure impacts communities, PhD student Oluwabunmi Iwakin strives to make water systems more resilient
Magargal ’21 awarded selective DOD graduate fellowship
Mechanical engineering PhD student’s computational research seeks to drastically streamline the process of creating high-fidelity simulations for physics modeling of fluids
MSE, EES double-major earns prestigious NSF graduate fellowship
2023 NSF GRFP recipient Henry Price ’23 will continue on research track as a Lehigh master’s student focusing on semiconductor fabrication
Lehigh Hacks for Change event sparks creativity around sustainability challenges
Student-run 24-hour hackathon draws 100 computer science undergrads to build innovative apps—and a sense of community
Lauren Llantero: Running toward the challenges of studying fire
Structural engineering PhD student researches the effects of fire on structural systems, focusing on fiber-reinforced concrete and concrete-steel mixtures
Setiawan and Sobchinsky receive NACS Kokes 2023 travel awards
The 28th North American Catalysis Society (NACS) meeting will be held in Providence, RI on June 18 - 23, 2023 where two PhD students, Adhika Setiawan and Erin Sobchinsky, both from the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineeri
ChBE grad student chosen to present rheology research findings for SoR
Feb. 23: "Characterizing phase transitions of microfibrillated cellulose induced by anionic and cationic surfactants"
Graduate student spotlight: Urinrin Otite
Before she moved to the United States from Nigeria for graduate school, civil engineering PhD student Urinrin Otite was fascinated by 3D-printing technology and, more specifically, its application in the field of constru
Fei Jia: Advancing the boundaries of laser technology
Electrical engineering PhD student finds the right steps as he fabricates components that could help unleash the potential of cutting-edge lasers in imaging, security, and communications
Margaret Huettner ’21 ’22G: Finding purpose in energy audits
Helping companies with their bottom line—and their carbon footprint—taught this mechanical engineering graduate student about a new path forward
Nick Yang ’21 ’22G: Launching an engineering career with the Navy
MSE master’s student studies materials that can improve the performance of ships
Catalysis Club of Philadelphia poster competition, awardee Rzepa
The Catalysis Club of Philadelphia’s (CCP) Annual Student Poster Session was held on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022, at the Inn at Villanova University, where Christopher Rzepa, ChBE’s John C. Chen Endowed Fellow, and Ph.D. C
PhD candidate Shen Wang earns Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers scholarship
MechE student recognized with 2022 academic award from STLE Philadelphia Section
ChBE graduate student awarded $1,500 Philadelphia STLE scholarship
The Philadelphia Section of the STLE is pleased to award a $1,500 scholarship to second year Lehigh University graduate student Jasreen Kaur, in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. Working under the dir
Natasha Hunt ’22: Researching biomaterials to heal knee injuries
Newly-minted Lehigh Bioengineer doubles down on research in Lehigh’s Chow Lab as a grad student
And the Robert Ridgeway Senior Cup winner is...
ChBE’s Kelby Anderson ‘22 earns title of engineering senior with the highest cumulative average
Jorge Hernandez: Brewing a business idea
Chemical engineer pursues a master’s degree in management science and engineering to pave the way for career aspirations in the breweries industry
Ryan Matthiessen ’21 ’23G: Reaching for the stars
Through Lehigh’s interdisciplinary master’s degree track in mechanical engineering, master’s student Ryan Matthiessen ’21 ’23G builds on his neuroscience background to propel his career interests in the aerospace industry.
Giavanna Tabbachino ’21 ’22G: An optimal education for systems improvement
Real-world projects and professional mentorship ready industrial and systems engineering master’s student to make an impact as a quality systems engineer
Jacob Nelson: Researching Remote Direct Memory Access technology
CSE doctoral student’s work on communications protocol that makes data sharing between computers faster and more efficient opens doors to a position at Google
Falling in love with biomechanics
As an undergraduate, Alicia Stein envisioned helping others as a physical therapist. With a master’s degree in bioengineering, she’s pivoting to R&D with the goal of creating better prostheses to improve quality of life for people who have lost a limb.
Study here
Put your own name on this page
Every student above arrived the same way you would: an application, a conversation with a faculty member, a research group that turned out to fit. The Rossin College runs 11 doctoral programs and 21 master’s programs across eight departments. Every PhD is fully funded, and the GRE is not required or considered at any level.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What do graduate students at Lehigh Engineering actually work on?
These 46 stories are the plainest answer: fusion plasma modelling, semidefinite optimization and quantum computing, structural fire engineering, topology optimization for 3D printing, microgrids for AI data centres, rheology, catalysis, biomaterials for knee injuries, and machine learning applied to water crises. Each story names the student, the department and the work.
Are these PhD students or master’s students?
Both. Of the 46 stories here, 27 feature doctoral students and 14 feature master's students, across all eight Rossin College departments and several interdisciplinary programs.
Can I talk to a current Lehigh Engineering graduate student?
Yes. Graduate ambassadors are current students available for a live chat or a scheduled virtual meeting, and the college’s graduate recruiting manager takes admissions questions. All three are free and need no application.
Do Lehigh Engineering graduate students publish and present their research?
Routinely. The stories here include best-paper awards at ACM international conferences, thesis-pitch wins at IISE, poster prizes from the Catalysis Club of Philadelphia and the North American Catalysis Society, presentations to the Society of Rheology, and national fellowships from the Department of Defense, the NSF and the Department of Energy.
Which departments do these students come from?
All eight Rossin College departments are represented, along with interdisciplinary programs. Departments named across these stories include College of Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Technical Entrepreneurship, Bioengineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and more.
Is the GRE required to apply?
The GRE is not required or considered for any Rossin College graduate program.
Are Lehigh Engineering PhD programs funded?
All PhDs at the Rossin College are 100% fully funded, though funding sources vary by department. Master’s applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships of up to 20% of tuition.
How do I apply to a Lehigh Engineering graduate program?
Every level — PhD, master’s and certificate — goes through one online graduate application. Graduate Admissions covers requirements, deadlines and fees for each program.
Contact
Talk to us
P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
19 Memorial Drive West
Bethlehem, PA 18015
engineering@lehigh.edu
Graduate recruiting
Angelo Lambroschino, graduate recruiting manager