WSU-PNNL DGRP Welcomes Cohort 9
WSU’s Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP) welcomes its 9th Cohort
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University (WSU) Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP) is proud to introduce its ninth cohort of students this fall. WSU and PNNL research leadership, along with the students’ advisors, will formally celebrate the new cohort at an event in late October.
This year’s cohort is comprised of five exceptional students: Casey Dettlaff, Clara Ehinger, Jim Floyd, Evan Gonzalez, and Marshal Ruzvidzo.
For Casey Dettlaff, an Electrical Engineering student, a positive experience as an undergraduate researcher in Associate Professor Anamika Dubey’s lab was instrumental in his decision to continue studying at Washington State University. Dubey is also co-director of the WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute (AGI) which harnesses the expertise and capabilities of the two organizations to help modernize and protect the grid, supporting a more resilient and secure energy infrastructure for the nation. The DGRP affords Casey the unique opportunity to continue working with Dr. Dubey, while securing research experience at PNNL and through AGI with his advisor Md Touhiduzzaman. When asked what he finds most inspirational about his research, Casey noted “its potential to support more efficient use of resources and reduce waste when it comes to energy systems.”
Clara Ehinger completed her undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at WSU in Spring 2024 and will begin working toward her Ph.D. this fall. She is one of three 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholars attending WSU out of 437 Scholars selected nationally in 2024. When asked why she chose to continue her education at WSU despite several other attractive offers (including Purdue, UC Berkeley, and others), Clara said, “I liked my advisor (Member of the National Academy of Engineering and Regents Professor Yong Wang) for whom I worked the last 1.5 years of my undergrad degree. I knew that I would be able to continue pursuing research that I was interested in and passionate about with the support of both him and other researchers at PNNL [including her PNNL advisor Huamin Wang].”
Second year graduate student Jim Floyd is pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at WSU, and has previously worked on several projects that involved collaborators from PNNL. He says, “I gained immense admiration for the level of science they performed and wanted to emulate it in my own career [and] the best way to do this was to work as closely as possible with them.” As part of the DGRP program, Jim will be supervised by David Heldebrant, former Lab Fellow and the current Director of the Physical Sciences Division at PNNL.
Evan Gonzalez, a stand-out former student athlete for WSU’s track team, recently graduated with honors. Now pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering with Professor Jinwen Zhang, Evan looks forward to collaborating with PNNL scientists, including his advisor Wenbin Kuang, and gaining access to specialty equipment. In his words, “Participation in the program will improve my research and help me to match my goals of reaching the composite industry to improve people’s lives.”
For Marshal Ruzvidzo, eastern Washington is literally a world away from his childhood home in Zimbabwe. DGRP was a major factor in his decision to join WSU’s Ph.D. program. “The opportunity to collaborate with both WSU faculty and PNNL scientists on cutting-edge research in power systems was appealing to me,” Marshal explained, “as it bridges academic rigor with practical, high-impact research at a national laboratory.” He is studying Electrical Engineering with Professor Mani Venkatasubramanian and his PNNL advisor Wei Du, who is also a co-director of AGI. Marshal is researching ways to enhance the resilience of our electric power grid with AGI.
Prior DGRP graduates have gone on to research positions in their fields, including at leading research universities, Genentech, Intel, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the J. Craig Venter Institute, and more. The DGRP program is excited to welcome a new group of scholars to this prestigious community. “Their academic achievements, research ambitions, and commitment to innovation reflect the strength of the PNNL-WSU DGRP program,” said DGRP director Jack Zhang. “We look forward to the impact they will make as they begin this next chapter of their graduate journey.”
For more information, visit the current students page on the DGRP website.