Using a Formative Measurement Approach to Test the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP)

Defense: April 3, 2026, 12:00 p.m., John Dewey Hall, Room 11

Advisor: Keith B. Burt, Ph.D.

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Clinical Psychology

What Ecotourism Content Goes Viral? An AI-Driven Analysis of Content Salience, Cascades, and Virality for Policy and Practice

Defense: April 1, 2026, 9:30 a.m., Innovation E100 and Teams

Advisor: Pablo S. Bose

Degree: Doctor of Philosphy

Department: Complex Systems and Data Science

Determining REV-1 Inhibition-dependent In-vivo Autophagy Mechanisms

Defense: March 26, 2026, 11:30 a.m., HSRF 300 and Zoom

Advisor: Dr. Nimrat Chatterjee

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Pharmacology

Models and Methods for Optimization of Embodied Agents for Intelligent Behavior

Defense: March 25, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Innovation E325 and Teams

Advisor: Nick Cheney

Degree: Doctor of Philosphy

Department: Computer Science

Alone Together: On Love and Comedy

Defense: March 23, 2026, 1:15 p.m., Old Mill Annex A303

Advisor: Todd McGowan

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: English

Steady and Oscillatory Nanoparticle Transport In Hydrogels

Defense: March 20, 2026, 2:00 p.m., Innovation E432

Advisor: Jeffrey S. Marshall

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Mechanical Engineering

The Monstrous Form: Queer Narrative Form in Frankenstein and Dracula

Defense: March 20, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Old Mill Annex A303

Advisor: Sarah Alexander

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: English

North American Veterinarian Perceptions of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Dairy Cattle Practice

Defense: March 20, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Terrill Building 308 and Teams

Advisor: Julie Smith

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Animal Biosciences

Effect of 16 AT % Addition to Laser Powder Bed Fusion Printable Niobium Based Alloy C103 on Oxidation Behavior And Microstructure

Defense: March 20, 2026, 9:30 a.m., Votey 107

Advisor: Frederic Sansoz

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Mechanical Engineering

The Farmer’s Gaze: Temporal Shifts in Local Native Bee Communities and Farmer Perceptions of Pollinators Across Socio-Ecological Regions

Defense: March 20, 2026, 3:00 p.m., Innovation 105

Advisor: Taylor Ricketts

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Food Systems

Understanding the Cellular Mechanisms of Tau Induced Endothelial Dysfunction

Defense: March 20, 2026, 11:00 a.m., HSRF 200

Advisor: Dr. Kalev Freeman

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Pharamacology

A Unified Framework for Three 𝑞=1 Specializations of the Modified 𝑞,𝑡-Kostka Polynomials

Defense: March 20, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Lafayette 406

Advisor: Gregory Warrington

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Mathematical Sciences

The Benefits of Orthogonal Metrics in Determining the Performance of Symbolic Regression Algorithms, and Evolving Robots for Predictable Movement Behaviors

Defense: March 19, 2026,11:00 a.m., Innovation E219

Advisors: Joshua Bongard and James Bagrow

Degree: Master of Science 

Department: Computer Science

Cultivating Critical Food Literacy: A Case Study of Pedagogy, Transformative Learning, and Hope in an Undergraduate Food Systems Course

Defense: March 19, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Waterman 427A and Teams

Advisor: Cris Mayo, Ph.D.

Degree: Doctor of Education 

Department: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Simple, Abundant Precatalysts for the Facile Synthesis Of Pnictogen–Carbon Bonds in Neoteric Solvents

Defense: March 19, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Innovation E100 and Teams

Advisor: Rory Waterman, Ph.D.

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Chemistry

“O, Ye Daughters of Africa, Awake!” Maria W. Stewart, Mary Ann Shad Cary, and the Interconnected Web of the Radical Black Atlantic

Defense: March 19, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Teams

Advisor: Pamela Walker

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: History

Integrated GaN Resonators for Resonant Power Conversion

Defense: March 19, 2026, 10:00 a.m., Discovery Hall W205A

Advisor: Jackson Anderson

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Electrical and Biomedical Engineering

Early Smooth Muscle Functional Remodeling and Inflammatory Transcriptional Changes During Lithogenic-Diet Induced Gallstone Disease in Mice

Defense: March 19, 2026, 12:00 p.m., HSRF 400

Advisor: Brigitte Lavoie, Ph.D.

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Pharmacology

Seeing and Being Seen: Moments of Wonder and Environmental Receptivity in the Works of Rachel Carson and Annie Dillard

Defense: March 19, 2026, 1:30 p.m., Waterman 427A

Advisor: Professor Noah Warren

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: English

Frontiers in Energy Justice: Shedding Light on Forgotten Communities

Defense: March 18, 2026, 3:30 p.m., Aiken 311

Advisor: Bindu Panikkar, Ph.D.

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Natural Resources

Doll Dismembered: Interrogating the Passing Ideal through Transsapphic Extreme Horror Fiction

Defense: March 18, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Lafayette L307

Advisor: Anthony Magistrale

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: English

Computational Classics: Homer in Translation and the Science of Stories

Defense: March 18, 2026, 2:15 p.m., Aiken Center 102

Advisors: Peter Sheridan Dodds, Ph.D. and Chris Danforth, Ph.D.

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Complex Systems and Data Science

Health Equity at the Intersection of Public Policy and Economics: The Health Effects of Gender Identity Protections and Broadband Expansion in Underserved Populations

Defense: March 18, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Dean's Conference Room 104, Morrill Hall

Advisor: Anaka Aiyar

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Community Development and Applied Economics

Metal-Semiconductor Photonic Crystals: A Novel Platform for Band Engineering and Topological Photonics

Defense: March 18, 2026, 2:30 p.m., Votey Hall 305

Advisor: Dr. Matthew S. White

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Physics

Influence of Riparian Vegetation Structure on Floodplain Sediment and Phosphorus Deposition

Defense: March 17, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Farell Hall 006

Advisor: Rebecca Manners Diehl

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Geology

Bragdon v. Abbott: Disability, Feminist, and Queer Activist Expansion of Anti-Discrimination Protections through the Courts

Defense: March 17, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Teams

Advisor: Felicia Kornbluh

Degree: Master of Arts

Department: History

Privacy in Language Model Training, Inference, and Interaction

Defense: March 16, 2026, 2:00 p.m., Innovation E100

Advisor: Joseph Near

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Computer Science

Integrating Genetic and Ecological Data to Measure and Map Wildlife Connectivity Across the Northeastern United States

Defense: March 16, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Aiken Room 103 and Teams

Advisor: Dr. James Murdoch

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Natural Resources

Climate-Dependent Performance of a Bounded Vortex Cleaner for Photovoltaic Modules

Defense: March 16, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Innovation E100 Conference Room

Advisor: Jeffrey S. Marshall

Degree: Master of Science

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Optimization and Physical Realization of Computational Granular Metamaterials

Defense: March 16, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Innovation E325

Advisor: Joshua Bongard

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Computer Science

Biological Control of the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis): Evaluating Constraints Across Physiological, Observational, and Spatial Scales

Defense: March 12, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Leahy 102 and Teams

Advisor: Dr. Nicholas J. Gotelli

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Biology