About the Fellows

Amir Ashkezari

Amir Ashkezari, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Sharif University in Iran. Inspired by a growing interest in biophysics, he joined Georgia Tech as a Ph.D. research assistant at the Woodruff School. In the laboratory of Cheng Zhu, a Regents’ professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and adjunct professor in the Woodruff School, he studies receptor-mediated biological phenomena governing B cells and platelets signaling. Ashkezari was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of his efforts to actively support and mentor women students in the lab.

“I was encouraged by my advisor, Dr. Zhu, to apply for the fellowship because of my work mentoring female undergrads,” Ashkezari said. “I’m thrilled with the support from WoW. The organization has broadened my perspective and introduced me to new people.”

Emmeline Evans

Emmeline Evans is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering and a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities Fellow. Her research focuses on acoustic in-situ process monitoring methods for powder metal additive manufacturing. Her co-advisors are Aaron Stebner, Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. Chair in Manufacturing and professor, and Larry Jacobs, senior vice provost for education and learning and professor in the Woodruff School. In addition to serving as vice president of the Woodruff School Graduate Women from 2022 to 2023 and president from 2023 to 2025, she represented the School on the College of Engineering Graduate Student Council from 2023 to 2024. Evans considers her time spent building community with and advocating for graduate women in the Woodruff School among the most meaningful parts of her graduate career. She is currently conducting a visiting technologist stay at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. She was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of her multiple leadership roles on campus that help to uplift women students.

Sebastian Mettes

Sebastian Mettes is a fifth-year Ph.D. student at the Woodruff School, where he works under the supervision of Ellen Mazumdar, assistant professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow, in the Sensing Technologies Lab. His research focuses on developing advanced additive manufacturing systems that integrate conductive nanoparticle inks, insulating plastics, and PCB components within a single, seamless print process. Using these novel manufacturing techniques, Mettes has successfully demonstrated the complete additive fabrication of radial- and axial-flux electric motors, as well as frequency- and energy-filtering radio-frequency metamaterials. Mettes was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of his consistent support for and mentoring of women graduate and undergraduate students.

“It’s amazing to be recognized for my work with undergrads and supporting their journeys to grad school,” Mettes said. “This recognition is particularly meaningful to me because it acknowledges my efforts to encourage research and enthusiasm among students. This unexpected honor serves as a motivator for me to continue inspiring others in their academic pursuits.”

Madeline Morrell

Madeline Morrell is a third-year Ph.D. student working with Assistant Professor Akanksha Menon. As an IBUILD Graduate Research Fellow, Morrell is researching thermochemical energy storage at the material and building scales. Her work is focused on integrating durable materials for building thermal storage for space heating, cooling, and dehumidification. Morrell is passionate about fostering community and mentoring students and has been involved with the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA), the Mechanical Engineering Grad Student Mental Health Committee, and the Society of Women Engineers. She was named a WoW Fellow for her contributions to improving student mental health on campus.

“I've had a lot of impactful women engineers in my life, whether it be my advisor or my mother, so this fellowship means a lot to me,” Morrell said. “I'm honored to be following in the footsteps of the woman before me.”

Gianna Slusher

Gianna Slusher is a fourth-year bioengineering Ph.D. student in the Woodruff School. She is advised by Andrei Fedorov, who serves as associate chair for graduate studies, professor, Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Chair, and Regents' Entrepreneur in the School. Her research focuses on developing nanoscale technologies to improve the manufacturing and monitoring of cell-based therapeutics. Her work has resulted in two first-authored peer-reviewed publications, and she is the lead inventor on a U.S. patent. Slusher is an ARCS Scholar and has mentored three undergraduate and technical college students, supporting their development in engineering research. She was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of her commitment to supporting women personally, professionally, and through the impact of her research.

“I’m really honored to receive the WoW fellowship,” Slusher said. “There are a lot of great women who represent the school, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Abby Taylor

Abby Taylor is a third-year Ph.D. student in nuclear and radiological engineering who works with Nuclear and Radiological Engineering and Medical Physics Program Chair Steven Biegalski. She holds bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and Spanish from Whitworth University, where she gained her first research experience analyzing explosive chemicals using ion mobility spectrometry. Before graduate school, she held a post-bachelor position at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she gained experience in tritium handling and developed a passion for nuclear engineering. Taylor earned her master’s in nuclear engineering from Georgia Tech last year, with research focused on radiological tank waste clean-up at the Hanford Site in Washington State, for which she received the Woodruff School’s Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship. Taylor was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of her involvement in the Georgia Tech community as a graduate student senator, co-president of the newly formed Grad Nukes networking club, and a mentor for prospective and first-year mechanical engineering graduate students.

“It’s really exciting to be named a WoW Fellow,” Taylor said. “I enjoy making an effort to be involved in things in the Woodruff School and being a mentor. It’s nice to be recognized for my work and to meet women whom I otherwise wouldn’t have met.”

Talia Thomas

Talia Thomas is a third-year mechanical engineering Ph.D. candidate advised by Matthew McDowell, associate chair for research, Carter N. Paden, Jr. Distinguished Chair, and professor in the Woodruff School. In the McDowell Lab, she researches sustainable carbon materials for next-generation lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. Her work explores a variety of biomass precursors, including lignin and cellulose, to develop high-performance anodes while integrating life cycle and techno-economic assessments to evaluate scalability and environmental impact. Beyond her research, Thomas is an active leader in the graduate community, organizing initiatives that enhance inclusion, culture, and student engagement. She is passionate about working at the intersection of sustainability, environmental equity, and justice, advancing technologies that contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive future. Thomas was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of her leadership on campus and her advocacy for women graduate students. She has a leadership role in her lab as the safety manager and has held multiple leadership roles on campus, including president of MEGA and a member of the Woodruff School Community and Culture Advisory Board.

“I’m so proud to have this community of culture,” Thomas said. “It warms my heart to be named a WoW Fellow, and I’m full of pride for all of my fellow recipients.”

Xiaoqing Yu

Xiaoqing Yu is a second-year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at the Woodruff School and is advised by Professor Tequila A. L. Harris. Her research with the Highly Advanced Roll-to-Roll iManufacturing Systems (HARRiS) Group investigates thin-film coatings and advanced manufacturing of renewable polymers, emphasizing rheological behavior, interfaces, and structure–property–processing relationships for biomedical applications. She is a co-inventor on two pending patents on sustainable paper-based packaging and water-driven softening mechanisms in semi-crystalline polysaccharide films. In addition to her work, Yu mentors three undergraduate researchers, co-leads a Chinese dance group called 5K Dance, and previously served at the Materials Innovation and Learning Laboratory (MILL). She was named a WoW Fellow in recognition of her commitment to community in the lab and through campus engagement.

“I’m honored to receive this fellowship and be recognized for all my hard work,” Yu said. “I really appreciate all my past collaborators, my colleagues, the School, and the WoW members. This means a lot, and I would like to carry the spirit of WoW with me no matter where I go.”

To make a gift or commitment to the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, contact Senior Director of Development Jaimie Hayes at jaimie.hayes@me.gatech.edu.

All gifts to WoW are included in Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech, a more than $2 billion comprehensive campaign through 2027 designed to secure the resources that will advance the Institute and its impact — on people’s lives, on the way we work together to create innovative solutions, and on our world — for decades to come.