Graduate Student Dissertation and Thesis Defense Notices

G Protein-Coupled Receptors Modulate Detrusor Smooth Muscle Phasic Contractility in the Urinary Bladder

Defense: November 13, 2026, 9:45 a.m., Stafford 101 and Teams

Advisor: Mark T. Nelson

Degree: Doctor of Philosphy

Department: Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences

Amplifying the Agronomic and Ecological Benefits of Legumes with Legume-Legume Intercrops

Defense: November 13, 2026, 10:00 a.m., Jeffords 234 and Teams

Advisor: Eric von Wettberg

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Plant and Soil Science

The Neurodegenerative Effects of Alcohol on College Student Health and Development

Defense: November 12, 2026, 10:00 a.m., Waterman 432 - CESS SW Conf Room and Teams

Advisor: Cris Mayo, Ph.D.

Degree: Master of Education

Department: Interdisciplinary Educational Studies

A Stylus Profilometry Methodology for Graphite Specimens of Varying Geometry and Exposure History: Toward Boundary-Layer Transition Characterization 

Defense: November 10, 2026, 4:20 p.m., Teams

Advisor: Douglas Fletcher, Ph.D.

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Mechanical Engineering

“Walls Turned Sideways Are Bridges”: Power, Collaboration, and Story in Climate Justice Philanthropy

--Quote from Angela Davis (Davis, 2016)

Defense: November 9, 2026, 9:00 a.m. PT | 12:00 p.m. ET, Zoom

Advisor: Luis Vivanco, Ph.D.

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Transdisciplinary Leadership and Creativity for Sustainability

Identifying Cell Adhesion Molecules that Modulate Synapses in the Caenorhabditis Elegans Salt Sensing Circuit

Defense: November 9, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Rowel 118 and Teams

Advisor: Leo Tang

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Biology

Narrative Emergence: Describing the Social and Temporal Dimensions of Storytelling Across Scales

Defense: November 6, 2026, 2:10 p.m., Pomeroy Hall 304  or Teams

Advisor: Michael S. Cannizzaro, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Interprofessional Health Services

Effects of Tryptophan-synthesizing Bacteria on Brain and Behavior

Defense: November 6, 2026, 11:00 a.m., HSRF 400 or Teams

Advisors: Brigitte Lavoie, PhD and Sayamwong Hammack, PhD

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Neuroscience Graduate Program

Regulation of Gamma Delta T Cell Activation and Function in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Defense: November 5, 2026, 10:30 a.m., MedED 200 or Teams

Advisor: Jonathan Boyson, Ph.D.

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Cellular Molecular and Biomedical Sciences

Helping [Out]: Alchemies of Becoming Through Expertise and Experience

Defense: November 4, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Teams

Advisor: Cris Mayo, Ph.D.

Degree: Master of Education

Department: Interdisciplinary Educational Studies

Women in Media: Data Scientific Case Studies on Representation and Health

Defense: November 2, 2026, 1:00 p.m., E100 and Teams

Advisors: Professor Christopher M. Danforth and Professor Peter Sheridan Dodds

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Complex Systems and Data Science

From Microbes To Models: Understanding and Forecasting Adaptive Resilience of Marine Invertebrates To Global Change

Defense: November 2, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Rowell 188

Advisor: Melissa H. Pespeni

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Biology

Off Season: Climate, Culture, and Wild Meat in New England's Food Future

Defense: October 30, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Waterman Memorial Lounge (Waterman 338), go.uvm.edu/kbtdefense

Advisor: Dr. Teresa Mares

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Food Systems

Workplace Violence in the Emergency Department: Characterizing Incidents and Distinguishing Patterns of Single and Recurrent Violence

Defense: October 30, 2026, 12:00 p.m., HSRF 200

Advisor: Daniel Wolfson, M.D.

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Clinical and Translational Science

Behavioral Economic Profiles of Dual Use: Investigating Substitution and Complementarity Between Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes Under Varying Price and Budget Constraints

Defense: October 28, 2026, 3:00 p.m., Teams

Advisor: Elias Klemperer, PhD.

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychological Sciences

Functional Assessment of STK11 Missense Variants Reveals Pathogenic Mutations in C-Terminal Polybasic Motif

Defense: October 21, 2026, 9:00 a.m., MedEd 200 

Advisor: Dr. Paula Deming

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Cellular and Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences