December 2024: Doctoral students graduate with distinction

This December, thirty-nine Yale doctoral graduates were awarded distinction for their dissertations. Dissertations are awarded with distinction only when all readers unanimously recognize the work as outstanding scholarship. Twenty-one percent of graduating doctoral students received this honor. The distinguished graduates come from across the graduate school, with projects ranging from neuroscience to English literature. 

Several programs saw a notable number of graduates earn distinction. In Chemistry, Benjamin Groff used kinetics and thermodynamics to study proton-electron transfer. Phillips Hutchison used density functional embedding theory to explore surface chemistry. Soren Rozema studied aminoxyl radical catalysis. Hannah Nedzbala studied photoeletrocatalytic CO₂ reduction, while Conor Rooney studied the electrochemical conversion of CO₂ to liquid fuel. 

Another cohort of five from the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program received distinction for their research. Two projects focused on hibernation, with Madeleine Junkins researching the neural roots of hibernation in mammals and Sarah Mohr exploring the neurohormonal aspect of hibernation in squirrels. Other Neuroscientists honored include Paul Lee, who studied neuronal mRNA; Yao Xue, who researched mouse retina; and Ziolkowski, Luke, who studied mechanoreceptors in mallard ducks. 

Cell Biology graduates with distinction include Philip Mannino, who explored the nuclear envelope; Kevin Parducho, who researched host-microbe interactions; and Grace Swaim, who researched axonal transportation.

Other doctoral graduates who received distinction for their work in the medical field include Praveen Honhar, Biomedicine, who uses multimodal neuroimaging to study Parkinson’s disease, and Prisca Obi, Immunobiology, who studied circRNA in viral infections. 

Further doctoral projects addressed the social aspects of medicine and care. Brianna Jackson, Nursing, studied the transition from foster care to adulthood. Kelsey Henry, American Studies, investigated the history of antiBlack racism in studies of developmental disability. Manon Lefevre, Anthropology, explored the concept of personhood in the work of IVF embryologists.

Still other research focused on the earth and environment. Inhyeong Jeon, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, analyzed methods for decarbonization and decentralization of water supply systems. Jonathan Wolf, Earth and Planetary Sciences, used seismic waves to model the deformation of the Earth’s crust.  

The humanities are also represented among dissertations awarded distinction. In English, graduate Eve Houghton, English researched awkwardness in early modern English literature. In Italian and Renaissance Studies, Giacomo Berchi explored representations of a tempestuous sea in the Early Modern Period. And in Religious Studies, Lillian McCabe studied occult sciences in Islamicate society. 

The range of dissertations awarded with distinction reflects the diversity of study here at Yale. The newest cohort of GSAS doctoral graduates demonstrates ongoing groundbreaking research in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Congratulations Bulldogs! We can’t wait to see where your journey takes you after Yale. 

Written by C.R. Davis