Lehigh University Graduate Student Research Series (GSRS)

Who we are

Welcome Letter From the Chief Editor

Current Editorial Board

Editor Emeritus

Join Us

Current Editorial Board

Furat Mousa

Furat Mousa is my name. I am a proud First-generation non-traditional alumnus of the M.S. in Instructional Technology program at Lehigh University’s College of Education, Class of 2024. I joined GSRS because I want to promote unorthodox collaborations between the various disciplines and because I believe writing is an essential component of great communication. My top three research interests:

  • Distance Education experiences of First-generation higher education students
  • Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
  • Extended Reality (XR) for learning

Xinyue Wang

woman with dark hair, glasses, and a grey top

I’m a doctoral student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a major in Structural Engineering. My general research interests fall in infrastructure resilience against hazards such as hurricanes and wildfires. I’m also a seasonal sucker for ice cream and nuts (allegedly emotional or revenge eating).

Jonathan (Jonny) Valenzuela

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I am a 2nd year doctoral candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and a GEM Fellow, with support from Lehigh and Owens Corning. Before joining Lehigh, I completed a BS in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia in 2017. My research interests are in the growth of big crystals for high efficiency power electronics and the design of systems that can grow these crystals. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking for my partner, Laurel, running long distances, and hanging out with my 3 cats (Zen, Chicha, and Mielle).

Alexis Stansfield (she/her)

I am a PhD candidate in the EES department working with Dr. Bob Booth. At Lehigh I’ve been studying the expansion of Sphagnum moss in the Arctic tundra, the microbial communities that live in the water film on the moss, as well as modeling Sphagnum peatland development. When I’m not in the lab or traveling for my research, I’m usually camping, on a road trip, or playing adventure RPGs when I’m too broke for real life side quests.

Chin-Fei Chang

I am a PhD candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University. My research interests lie in computational molecular design and reaction networks. While I am still on my journey toward earning my doctoral degree (and hope it will conclude successfully!), I enjoy cooking for my family, gardening on the weekends, and traveling during holidays.

Zhuozhi Lin

I am a first-year doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at the College of Education. Before joining Lehigh, I earned a master’s degree in Mental Health from Johns Hopkins University and worked as a psychology teacher at an international high school in Nanjing, China. My passions lie in providing affordable and culturally competent mental health care for underserved populations. When I’m not immersed in academic endeavors, you’ll find me on the badminton court or dancing to the beats of Hip-Hop and Jazz.

Dr. Yvonne R. Lee

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I am the inaugural director of the Graduate Writers’ Studio, and I am beyond honored to be able to help these amazing graduate students and post-doctoral fellows spread the word about the important work they do here at Lehigh University!

Editor Emeritus

Dr. Shasha Feng, inaugural editor memeber

picture is of a young woman with dark hair, a blue t-shirt, and a black backpack. She is smiling and looking at the camera while leaning on what looks like a rock outcropping

I am a computational chemist who enjoys watching molecules dance. Their dances offer lots of information about drug mechanisms. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Biological Sciences department. In my downtime, I enjoy weight lifting, Zen meditation, and hiking.

Dr. Willy Das, inaugural editor memeber

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I am Willy Das, a postdoctoral researcher in the field of entrepreneurship. My research focuses on understanding the human dynamics of strategic-decision making and its impact on entrepreneurial performance. When not researching, I can be found exploring the culinary scene in Bethlehem. Also, I am a total dog enthusiast, so it’s entirely possible that I might say hello to your pup before acknowledging you.

Aarshi Singh, inaugural editor memeber

photo is of a young woman with dark hair. she is wearing a pink top underneath a maroon jacket.

I am a Chemistry Ph.D. student researching in the field of single membrane-bound particle analysis. Beyond my academic pursuits, I enjoy graphic designing during my leisure hours. 

Dr. Vamseedhara (VamC) Vemuri, inaugural editor memeber

photo is of a young man dressed in a light blue checkered dress shirt and a dark blue suit jacket. He has dark hair and is smiling at the camera

I’m Vamseedhara Vemuri, P.hD. student in the Materials Science and Engineering department. My research interests are growth and characterization of thin-films by atomic and molecular layer deposition for applications in semiconductor chips. I’m interested in being physically active by regularly participating in Jiu-jitsu and going for hikes when not working.

Theresa Schinkowitch, inaugural editor memeber

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I’m a current 2nd year PhD student in the School Psychology program at Lehigh University. Originally from Wisconsin, I moved to Pennsylvania for graduate school and have loved exploring the Lehigh Valley and the Northeast over the past couple of years! My professional interests include training and supporting teachers who serve students with autism, and working to recruit, support, and retain a more diverse body of school psychologists.

Jonathan Paulk, inaugural editor memeber

picture is of a young man with light brown hair and light brown facial hair. He is wearing a maroon shirt and smiling into the camera. Behind him is a painting of 3 small birds.

I am pursuing a Master’s degree in mathematics, en route to a PhD.  Prior to my graduate studies, I worked as a quant in finance for 8 years and then spent 4 as the CTO of a tech startup.  I’m planning to study geometry, though the exact variety is something I am still exploring.

Join Us

Graduate Student Research Series (GSRS) is a blog series that seeks to highlight high-quality, peer-reviewed research conducted in all disciplines by graduate students at Lehigh University. GSRS publishes articles written by the graduate students themselves to share their research in a way that is easy for the research community and general public to understand. The editorial board will share their diverse research backgrounds from social science to business to STEM to foster an inclusive and integrated research-oriented campus.

The role of each editorial board member is to solicit articles from the graduate student community in an assigned College, to peer review and edit the submitted article, to increase the visibility of research done at Lehigh, and to expand the scope of GSRS coverage. There is no requirement regarding field of study, or graduate level (Master/PhD). We will consider any graduate student with a passion for advocating for and promoting research. Comfort with writing in English is highly desired.

GSRS is sponsored by the Graduate Writers’ Studio and partners with the Officer of Research. We aim to foster strong communication and a collaboration culture at Lehigh. If you would like to join the editorial board, please fill this Google Form. We can be reached at ingsrs@lehigh.edu if you have any questions. Looking forward to hearing from you!