News: PSD Spotlights

2024

PSD in Practice: An interview with clean energy professional Sneha Vasudevan

December 23, 2024

Sneha Vasudevan

Sneha Vasudevan, who grew up in Chennai, India, and now lives in the Bay Area, earned her Master’s in Applied Data Science (formerly the Master’s in Analytics) in 2022. She is a Lead Technical Project Manager at Uplight, a technology company that “enables energy providers, ecosystem partners, and consumers to conserve, deploy, manage, and monetize energy resources.” We interviewed Sneha about her experiences at UChicago and her career path since.


Meet Abigail Poteshman, Committee on Computational and Applied Mathematics

November 20, 2024

Abigail Poteshman

Abigail Poteshman, a fifth-year PhD student in the Committee on Computational and Applied Mathematics, conducts research in method development for modeling and characterizing quantum materials, such as ferroelectrics and spin-defects in semiconductors.


Meet Chiza Mwinde, Geophysical Sciences

November 19, 2024

Chiza Mwinde

Chiza Mwinde, a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences, focuses on measuring element variations in evaporite minerals, which helps reconstruct factors like the pH and elemental composition of ancient seawater.


Meet Jihee You, Data Science

November 18, 2024

Jihee You

Jihee You, a first-year PhD student in Data Science, studies topics related to machine learning—specifically, explainable AI and graph neural networks.


STEM summer abroad

November 12, 2024

Fellows holding NTU signs

An exchange program between Chicago and Taiwan helps students gain cultural and research experience.


The duality of ice

October 14, 2024

Meghana Ranganathan

In July 2024, Meghana Ranganathan joined the University of Chicago as an assistant professor in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences. Meghana, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, was previously a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working in their Ice + Climate Group led by Dr. Alexander Robel. The focus of her work was uncovering couplings between brittle and ductile behaviors of ice and their implications for ice sheet change. During that time, she spent three months doing fieldwork in Antarctica. We interviewed Meghana about her interests and experiences.


PSD Spotlight: Jasna Jackson

September 24, 2024

Jasna Jackson

Originally from Bosnia, Jasna Jackson joined the PSD as Assistant Dean for Budgeting and Financial Planning in July 2024. Before joining the PSD, she served as Director of Budget and Financial Planning and Analysis in UChicago’s Office of Finance and Administration. We interviewed Jasna about her interests and experiences.
 


Introducing new faculty in the Physical Sciences Division 2024-25

September 19, 2024

new faculty members photo grid

Please welcome the faculty joining the Physical Sciences Division in the ’24–25 academic year.


PSD Spotlight: Megan Swartz

August 28, 2024

Megan Swartz

Originally from Blue Rapids, Kansas, Assistant Dean of Students Megan Swartz joined the PSD in June 2024 following two years in the Social Sciences Division. Before joining UChicago, she worked at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. We interviewed Megan about her interests and experiences.

"People can come to me for MS admissions and funding questions. You can also come to me if you want to talk about sports, particularly football and baseball!"


PSD Spotlight: Krissy Dulek

June 5, 2024

Krissy Dulek

Krissy Dulek is a Senior Grants & Contracts Administrator in the Physical Sciences Division at the Local Business Center. We interviewed Krissy about her interests and experiences.

"I spend most of my free time (and paychecks) caring for and rehabilitating animals."


PSD Spotlight: Andres Silva

May 15, 2024

Andres Silva

Andres Silva, who grew up in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side, is a Human Resources Coordinator for the Physical Sciences Division. Before joining UChicago, they were the freelance HR Coordinator for Big Ten Network in downtown Chicago. We interviewed Andres about their interests and experiences.

"Though many people know me as a tech-savvy person, I also know a great deal about auto mechanics, photo/video editing, carpentry, and music, to name a few."


PSD Spotlight: LinLin Jones

April 24, 2024

LinLin Jones

LinLin Jones, MPP’21, is a Grants and Contracts Supervisor in the Physical Sciences Division Local Business Center. She joined the University in 2019 and has a Master of Arts in Public Policy Analysis from UChicago. We interviewed LinLin about her interests and experiences.


Meet Pouya Mahdi Gholami, Computer Science

April 3, 2024

Pouya Mahdi Gholami

Pouya Mahdi Gholami, a fourth-year PhD student in Computer Science, studies adaptive operation and intelligence on energy-limited edge devices.


The science of computer security

March 26, 2024

Grant Ho in Switzerland

An interview with Grant Ho, Assistant Professor in Computer Science

In July 2023, Grant Ho joined the University of Chicago as an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. Grant, who grew up in South Florida, received a bachelor’s in computer science from Stanford University and a PhD in computer science from UC Berkeley. Before joining UChicago, he was a CSE Postdoctoral Fellow in the Sysnet group at UC San Diego and a visiting researcher at Corelight Labs. We interviewed Grant about his interests and experiences.
 


PSD Spotlight: Britni Ratliff

February 21, 2024

Britni Ratliff

Britni Ratliff is the Director of STEM Pedagogy for the Physical Sciences Division, Associate Master for the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division, and Senior Instructional Professor in the Chemistry Department.

"It is a unique privilege to work directly with PSD students as they discover their passions and carve out their academic paths."