Graduate Student

Keerthi Koneru: Alumna

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Portrait of Keerthi Koneru

Keerthi Koneru is a UC Santa Cruz class of 2024 computer science Ph.D. graduate. Drawn to UCSC’s Computer Science and Engineering Department for its focus on combining conceptual learning with practical application, her research focused on securing electrical substations against cyber threats by analyzing real-world vulnerabilities and developing tools to study malware interactions.

Two Baskin Engineering graduate students advance to 2025 UCSC Grad Slam finale

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Ph.D. students Juanita Gomez, Prajna Hebbar, and Associate Dean for Graduate Experience and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Roberto Manduchi

Baskin Engineering graduate students Juanita Gomez and Prajna Hebbar have advanced to the final round of the 2025 UC Santa Cruz Grad Slam. They will compete against finalists from other UCSC academic divisions in the campus-wide Grad Slam finale on March 1.

Shourya Bose: Graduate Student

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Portrait of Shourya Bose

Shourya Bose is completing his last year as an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student and is one of three recipients of the Dissertation-year Fellowship. Drawn to Baskin Engineering for its proximity to Silicon Valley and focus on innovation for social good, Bose’s research applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimize power grids.

Haofan Cai: Alumna

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Haofan Cai, Ph.D. alumna

Degree Program: Computer Science and Engineering, Ph.D.
Department: Computer Science and Engineering
Undergraduate Institution: Southern University of Science and Technology, China, Communications Engineering, B.S.
Advisor: Chen Qian

“The most important thing is to have confidence in yourself. Although you will encounter many challenges and become frustrated at times during your program, you need to remain confident in your capabilities as an engineer.”

Anuj Kumar: Alumnus

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Anuj Kumar, Ph.D. applied mathematics alumnus

Degree Program: Applied Mathematics, Ph.D.
Department: Applied Mathematics
Undergraduate Institution:Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Mechanical Engineering, B.S.
Graduate Institution: Indian Institute of Technology, Bangalore, Mechanical Engineering, M.S.
Advisor: Pascale Garaud

“One of the best parts of my research is getting to blend different interdisciplinary concepts together like math, engineering, and physics and collaborate with different researchers across different fields.”

Alec Dektor: Alumnus

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Alec Dektor

Degree Program: Applied Mathematics, Ph.D.
Department: Applied Mathematics
Undergraduate Institution: UC Santa Cruz
Graduate Institution: UC Santa Cruz
Advisor: Daniele Venturi

“As a researcher, I am constantly trying to think of new ideas. Most of them take a lot of effort to explore and oftentimes they do not work. One day, I decided to carry out an idea that had popped into my head. I quickly coded it into my computer and pressed “run.” I sat there and watched the animations appear on the screen, proving that my new idea worked even better than I had anticipated. It was such a good feeling to achieve this research breakthrough from an original idea.”

Genomics Institute postdoc mentors budding entrepreneurs through Clinton Global Initiative University

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Adriano de Bernardi Schneider (center) with his Clinton Global Initiative University mentees Michael Li (left) and Benjamin Voller-Brown (right).

Schneider has been a mentor for the Clinton Global Initiative University in the area of infectious diseases since 2018, helping students take their ideas for making a positive impact on the world from conception to reality. Each year, he receives a cohort that ranges in size from 15 to 30 students, who come to him virtually from all over the world.