Defenses: Master's and Doctoral

Lauren Bystrom

Date: May 28, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

Location: Medical Campus, Lois Pope, 7th Floor Auditorium. 

Dissertation Title: The Role of Parabrachial CGRP Neurons in Opioid Reinforcement, Withdrawal, and Protracted Abstinence

Shayna Guttman

Date: May 28, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

Virtual Defense, Coral Gables Campus. 

Dissertation Title: From Cheating to Healing: Understanding Help-Seeking Couples and the Efficacy of Online Relationship Interventions

Giancarlo Tejeda

Date: May 29, 2026, 9:30 a.m.

Location: Medical Campus, Lois Pope Life Center, MP 7-05 Apex Center. 

Dissertation Title: Development of Therapeutic Anti-inflammatory Nanoparticles

Bowen Zhao

Date: June 1, 2026, 11:00 a.m.

Location: Coral Gables Campus, 1300 Campo Sano, Room 250. 

Dissertation Title: Engineering Programmable Polypeptides for Precision Therapeutic Delivery and Energy Applications

Chanakya Bagya Ramesh

Date: June 5, 2026, 11:00 a.m.

Hybrid Defense, Coral Gables Campus. In-Person: McArthur Engineering Bldg., Dean's Conference Room 289. Virtual: Please contact c.bagyaramesh@miami.edu to request virtual access via Zoom.  

Dissertation Title: Inorganic Particle Formation in Plasma Assisted Combustion

Zachary Benetatos

Date: June 18, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

Virtual Defense, Coral Gables Campus. Please contact zxb248@miami.edu to request virtual access via Zoom. 

Thesis Title: How University Students Evaluate AI Response Styles in Emotionally Difficult Scenarios: Implications for Coping-Aligned LLM Design

Kyrah Williams

Date: June 25, 2026, 11:00 a.m.

Hybrid Defense, Coral Gables Campus. In-Person: McArthur Engineering Bldg., Dean's Conference Room 289. Virtual: Please contact k.williams19@umiami.edu to request virtual access via Zoom.  

Dissertation Title: ...with Liberty and Water for All: Overcoming Water Scarcity through the Implementation of Water Conservation within the Urban Landscape

Nataly Pastor

Date: June 25, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

Virtual Defense, Coral Gables Campus. Please contact napastor25@gmail.com to request virtual access via Zoom. 

Thesis Title: Designing Assembly: Urban Form, Protest, and the Civic Landscape of Washington, D.C.

Jing Qin

Date: June 25, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

Hybrid Defense, Coral Gables Campus. In-Person: McArthur Engineering Bldg., Room 215. Virtual: Please contact jxq1143@miami.edu to request virtual access via Zoom.  

Dissertation Title: Water-Based Synthesis of Multi-Metal Prussian Blue Analogue Active Materials and Polymer Electrolytes for High-Performance Solid-State Supercapacitors

Michael Sacks

Date: June 29, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

Location: Coral Gables Campus, Ashe Administration Bldg., Room 427. 

Dissertation Title: The Portrayal of Urban and Rural Areas in Selected Works of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, and Sinclair Lewis