"Akash is taking the necessary steps to be a successful data mining researcher with expertise in health-related data. This fellowship will help continue his growth by giving him more time to improve his research skills. He has demonstrated that he can actively collaborate with medical domain experts and get to the crux of the medical problem that needs to be addressed. As a computer scientist, this skill is quite important for developing computational solutions to health-related problems. He is already hard-working, but this fellowship will motivate Akash further. I will happily help him with all aspects of his research as he continues his journey towards independent research. "
-Prof. Bijaya Adhikari
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science
"Bekir has demonstrated remarkable growth throughout his graduate studies. His intellectual curiosity, persistence, and self-driven approach to research have consistently impressed me. These fellowships will give him the dedicated time and resources to make significant progress on his dissertation. 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. These fellowships will allow Bekir to focus fully on his research without the competing demands of coursework or teaching. I see this time as a turning point where his ideas can lead to substantial results. During these periods, I’ll continue providing regular mentorship, offering feedback on his research, and helping him strategize for future publications and funding opportunities."
-Prof. Ibrahim Demir
Associate Professor, College of Engineering
"Alex is a creative researcher, who has shown dedication to developing both his research and teaching skills over his time at UI. He's focused not only on his own development, but also contributed to peer mentoring and infrastructure for the rest of the CLC. The Ballard and Seashore Fellowship will give Alex the freedom to focus on the last (and most significant) technical challenges of his dissertation, and the flexibility to find opportunities to continue his academic career."
- Prof. Garret Morris
PhD Advisor
About the Fall 2025 Fellows
PhD candidates Akash Choudhuri (PhD Computer Science - 3rd year) and Bekir Demiray (PhD Computer Science - 5th year) were awarded Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship for Fall 2025.
Fellow doctorate student Alex Hubers (CS - 5th year) received the Ballard and Seashore Dissertation Fellowship.
"I am extremely grateful for the Department and the Grad College for warding me with this fellowship. At the same time, I am excited to receive this fellowship as it will allow me to focus on my research on using machine learning and data mining techniques to accurately estimate patient risk in healthcare facilities. This fellowship not only supports my research efforts but also affirms the relevance and potential impact of my work, further motivating me to push the boundaries of innovation in this field. The recent focus on integrating AI into healthcare has become an impactful and rapidly evolving area, and it deeply inspired me to apply for this fellowship. Applying for this fellowship felt like a natural step toward advancing my work, gaining support to pursue meaningful research, and exclusively dedicating all my time to do something good for the society."
-Akash Choudhuri
Advisor: Bijaya Adhikari
"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
"I am very honored to receive the Ballard and Seashore fellowship, which will help me focus on the completion of my dissertation on mechanized row type theories. The fellowship grants me an opportunity to focus exclusively and without distraction on this important work."
- Alex Hubers
Advisor: Garret Morris
About the Fellowships
Ballard and Seashore Dissertation Fellowship
This fellowship program provides an opportunity for Ph.D. students to benefit from a final semester of protected and supported time to focus on completing their scholarly research activities and the writing of their dissertations.
Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship
This fellowship program provides an opportunity for advanced PhD students to benefit from protected and supported time to pursue their scholarly research activities. The fellowship is intended to recognize students with distinguished academic achievement during their early graduate training. These achievements should be evident from a combination of outstanding academic performance in coursework, as well as early scholarly research activities. Students who have held teaching assistantships in the previous two semesters will have priority.