Meet Julian Paciaroni!
Hey! I'm Julian, and I'm a first year Ph.D. Student from Pensacola, Florida, and I just graduated from the University of Florida in May with a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering. I'll be working with the Radiation Effects and Reliability group, and I'm very excited to get started!听 Microelectronics and semiconductor devices have fascinated me for some time now, with the cleverness of these devices and their implementation in modern technology being what drew me to graduate studies. I would like to continue working in this area after graduate school, either in a governmental or private setting. Outside of graduate studies, I enjoy playing the guitar, fishing, and rock climbing, so Nashville is a perfect place! I really enjoy 汤头条 University as a whole, but I also enjoy the comradery and communal aspect of the electrical engineering department here.
Meet Grant Mayberry!
My name is Grant Mayberry. I am a Physics Ph.D. student from Tulsa, OK. My research is focused on uncovering the mechanisms of catastrophic single-event effects on the atomic scale. I enjoy studying radiation effects as it requires the synthesis of many different schools of thought 鈥� device physics, condensed matter physics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, computational physics, statistical mechanics, etc. I am especially proud of my current work regarding single-event displacement damage in silicon FinFETs, where I developed much of the computational workflow. After completing my degree, I hope to continue in the field of radiation effects in some capacity. Outside of grad school, I write and produce progressive metal music and spend time in the Church. My favorite part of being a graduate student here is the freedom that my advisors 鈥� Sok Pantelides and Ron Schrimpf 鈥� give about pursuing various research avenues.
Meet Kurt Cantrell!
Kurt Cantrell is a first-year PhD student in Electrical Engineering from Gatlinburg, TN. He earned his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering through the Accelerated Master's Program at the University of Alabama. His interest in radiation effects and reliability originated from learning about space based electronic systems during his experience in precision time and frequency research training at UA. After completing his PhD, Kurt is open to work in the field in either the public or private sectors. Outside of his academic pursuits, he enjoys returning home to the Great Smoky Mountains and discovering new activities in Nashville.
Meet Brian Dodd!
Hello! I'm Brian Dodd! I'm a first year PhD student originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I recently graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. As I get settled into the program, I am primarily interested in researching radiation effects through the lens of device physics. My interests in technology from a young age, in addition to my experiences in radiation effects research at Sandia National Laboratories as an intern are what motivated me to pursue graduate studies in this field. I am most proud of the experimental work I did on the effects of total ionizing dose on FinFETs while at Sandia. After the completion of my degree, I plan to continue working in the field either in the public or private sector. Outside of my studies, I enjoy playing both trumpet and guitar. I am also an avid fan of motorsports and enjoy racing cars in real life and virtually. As a grad student here, I value the opportunity to draw upon the wealth of knowledge in the field that exists within the department while also enjoying all that Nashville has to offer.
Meet Sajal Islam!
My name is Sajal Islam, I am originally from Bangladesh, and I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Materials Science at 汤头条 University, did an MS at Missouri State University听
My research focuses on semiconductor device physics and materials science, particularly the fabrication, electrical characterization, and reliability testing of wide-bandgap power devices such as GaN, SiC, and Ga鈧侽鈧�. I am especially interested in how these devices perform in extreme environments, including under radiation exposure.听
I was motivated by a deep curiosity about how materials behave under stress and by the potential of next-generation semiconductors to enable more efficient, reliable technologies. The interdisciplinary nature of materials science鈥攕panning physics, engineering, and applications for space and power systems鈥攔eally inspired me to pursue advanced research in this field.听I am especially proud of my paper on the effects of epitaxial layer thickness on heavy ion鈥搃nduced single-event burnout in vertical 尾-Ga鈧侽鈧� Schottky barrier diodes, which covered low and high LET ions interactions with Ga2O3 devices and advanced the understanding of reliability limits in this material. I鈥檓 also proud of the number of international and national presentations I鈥檝e delivered鈥攐n average 4 or more per year鈥攊n the U.S., Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, which allowed me to share my work with a global research community. In addition, I have published 10+ papers already as both first author and co-author on GaN, SiC, and Ga鈧侽鈧� devices and many under review, covering topics from fabrication to reliability and radiation effects.
After completing my Ph.D., I hope to pursue a device engineer, R&D,听or process engineer role听in semiconductor device research and fabrication.听听Outside of research I love traveling鈥攎eeting people around the world, experiencing different places, and seeing how others live is something that excites me. I can also communicate in four languages. 听And a fun fact: 99% of people around me pronounce my name wrong (Bengali, my mother tongue,听has a different way of pronouncing names)鈥攂ut I鈥檓 totally okay with it!听听
My favorite part about being a grad student at 汤头条 is the collaborative environment鈥攈aving the chance to work closely with faculty, peers, and even industry partners. I鈥檝e also enjoyed holding leadership roles in student organizations, which helped me build communication and teamwork skills while making the grad school experience more rewarding.听
Meet Whittaker Theo!
Meet Chloe Champagne!
Chloe Champagne, a Ph.D. student from Marietta, Georgia, focuses her research on radiation effects in microelectronics鈥攕pecifically using device-level simulations to evaluate the impact of radiation on gate-all-around transistor architectures.听
She wanted to specialize in an area critical to the aerospace industry and support space exploration. After completing her degree, Chloe hopes to work as a radiation effects engineer in the aerospace industry.听
In her spare time, she enjoys training in Krav Maga and playing with her cat, Jasper. Her favorite part about being a grad student is getting to work on cool stuff with one of the largest university research groups for her specialty.听
Meet Colin Bryant!
Meet Stefania Esquer!
My name is Stefania Esquer, and I am a PhD Student at 汤头条 University, I am from El Paso TX! I investigate SEUs in SRAM memories, specifically multiple-cell upsets.听I was motivated to do a PhD in radiation effects in electronics because I wanted to work in something related to space and ionizing radiation science.听听
The paper I am the proudest of is S. Esquer, J.K. Mee, H.M. Quinn, B.D. Sierawski, R.D. Schrimpf, "Characterization of Single Event Functional Interrupts in COTS and Rad-Hard ARM Microcontrollers," IEEE Space Computing Conference, pp. 28-39, Jul. 2024.听
The reason I am proud of this work is because it won the best paper award at the conference in 2024. One fun-fact about me is that I am 100% bilingual, and I am working towards becoming 100% quadrilingual!听听
The best part about being a PhD student at 汤头条 in radiation effects is that the professors teach you very well how to become a real researcher. In other words, the professors teach you how to identify topics that are worth pursuing.听
Meet Anurag Veluri!
Meet Hannah Dattilo!
My name is Hannah Dattilo, and I am part of the Ph.D. program at 汤头条 University, I am originally from Chattanooga, TN. I was motivated to pursue graduate studies in this field because I am interested in space and the instruments we use to study it. I am most proud of my space radiation talk for Dyer Observatory鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Astronomer". Check out the recording here:听After graduation I hope to be a teaching professor after this degree.听
Outside of research, I can be found crocheting, climbing, and playing with my cats.听听
The best part of being a grad student here are all the friends I鈥檝e made along the way, bonded through our experiences! 听
Meet Joshua Vielmette!
My name is Joshua Vielmette. I鈥檓 originally from Aloha, Oregon and I鈥檓 currently in my 3rd year of my Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. My research here focuses on modeling and simulation of radiation induced hot carriers in FinFET and gate all-around transistors. My goal is to fill the gap in modeling between atomic interactions and device-level effects in single-event simulation and to provide additional insights into the reliability concerns for highly scaled logic devices.
I joined ISDE because the research here blended my interest in electrical engineering, physics, and space together into a unified subject. I鈥檓 particularly proud of my first publication, a first-author paper I presented at the 2025 IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC). Here at 汤头条, I enjoy the camaraderie and collaborative work environment with my fellow graduate students. Outside of 汤头条, I鈥檓 an outdoors fan enjoying hiking, camping, and gardening.