"Yafan is making steady and impressive progress toward becoming an independent researcher in high-performance computing (HPC). This fellowship will provide him with dedicated time to deepen his work on fault tolerance and data reduction for exascale systems—critical topics for the future of HPC. Yafan stands out for his ability to communicate complex HPC ideas across disciplines, which fosters effective collaboration. He also has a remarkable talent for rapidly translating innovative concepts into working prototypes and peer-reviewed publications, especially in GPU-based data reduction. This fellowship enables Yafan to take intellectual risks and present his work at top venues, which will help build his academic reputation."
-Prof. Guanpeng Li
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science
"I believe they’ll be pivotal in helping him transition into the next phase of his academic career, whether that be a postdoctoral position or a role in research-intensive industry...Beyond his own research, he actively supports the work of other students in our research group, offering both intellectual and technical assistance. His combination of academic productivity, collaborative spirit, and commitment to research excellence made him a particularly strong candidate for these fellowships."
-Prof. Ibrahim Demir
Associate Professor, College of Engineering
"We are proud that Phuong Nguyen has recieved a Graduate College Summer Fellowship for Summer 2025. Phuong's doctoral research focuses on developing computational methods, including deep learning, to identify genetic markers and understand their impact on human diseases and traits. The insights gained from her work are pivotal to advancing personalized medicine, enabling healthcare providers to tailor treatments based on each patient's unique genetic profile and ultimately improving patient outcomes."
-Prof. Erliang Zeng
Associate Professor in the Division of Biostatistics and Computational Biology — College of Dentistry and Department of Biostatistics
About the Summer 2025 Graduate College Summer Fellows
PhD candidates Kowsar Hossain (Computer Science - 7th year), Yafan Huang (Computer Science - 4th year), and Phuong Nguyen (IGPI | Informatics - 4th year) were awarded Graduate College Summer Fellowships.
In addition to his summer fellowship from the Graduate College, fellow doctorate student Bekir Demiray (IGPI - 5th year) has received a Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship for Fall 2025.
"I am excited to accept the Summer Fellowship, which will allow me to focus exclusively on completing my ongoing research and dissertation. Through this opportunity, I will develop scheduling strategies aimed at ensuring reliable and efficient data delivery in real-time wireless networks."
-Kowsar Hossain
Advisor: Octav Chipara
"I am truly honored to receive this prestigious Graduate College Summer Fellowship. This support enables me to devote my efforts to advancing research in compression-accelerated and faulty-tolerant high-performance computing systems — work that will ultimately benefit the broader scientific community."
- Yafan Huang
Advisor: Guanpeng Li
"I’m truly honored to have been selected for both fellowships. Personally, it feels like a meaningful recognition of the time and effort I’ve put into my research. Professionally, the support gives me the chance to fully focus on my dissertation and continue growing as a researcher. It’s a great motivator and a reminder of the strong support system within our academic community. I saw them as a valuable opportunity to dedicate protected time to my research without competing responsibilities. I had also seen how these fellowships supported other students in making real progress. With encouragement from my advisors and peers, I decided to apply—and I’m very grateful it worked out."
-Bekir Demiray
Advisor: Ibrahim Demir
"It is my honor to receive the Graduate College Summer Fellowship for Summer 2025. This award will allow me to focus on developing computational tools using deep learning for genomics research related to diseases, advancing progress toward my dissertation. I sincerely appreciate the support of the department and my advisor."
-Phuong Nguyen
Advisor: Erliang Zeng
About the Fellowship
Graduate College Summer Fellowship
This fellowship program provides an opportunity for advanced Ph.D. students to benefit from protected and supported time to pursue their scholarly research activities. It is intended to facilitate completion of the doctoral degree in a timely manner. Students must have successfully completed their comprehensive examinations prior to submission of an application for this fellowship.