May 8, 2024
D ear Doctoral Candidates,
On behalf of the Graduate School, the graduate faculty, and the university community I offer my sincere c ongratulations to all the doctoral candidates graduating at the end of the spring 2024 semester. I hope to se e you at the doctoral commencement on May 8, 2024, at Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall to c elebrate this significant academic achievement. Indeed, I am sure that you have encountered some c hallenging times during your doctoral studies, but you have persevered, accomplished your goals for the P h.D. and the Ed.D. degrees and are most deserving of this special recognition at this university-wid e hooding and graduation ceremony. Your contributions to the research and scholarly enterprise have e nabled the university to consistently be recognized as a Carnegie very high activity Rl research institution. We continue to have graduate programs ranked due to the quality and performance of the doctoral students t hat graduate from these programs and the exemplary graduate faculty that support students along the way.
More over, your hard work and contributions to the research and scholarly endeavors undertaken at uni versity has enabled faculty to secure more than $320 million in grants and contracts to support the re search enterprise at Mississippi State University this past academic year. The success of the faculty in se curing grants and contracts helps to support and train talented graduate students and in turn enhance the re search endeavors and reputation of Mississippi State University. So, thank you for the very important role y ou play in the faculty’s success. We wish you all every success with your future career endeavors. Please know that Mississippi State is always home, so come back and visit when you can. Mississippi State University takes care of what matters in graduate education.
Respectfully,
Peter Liam Ryan, PhD
Executive Vice Provost and Dean – The Graduate School
ORDER of CEREMONY
The Graduate School, Mississippi State University® Doctoral Commencement Ceremony
4:00 pm | Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | Lee Hall | Bettersworth Auditorium
Prelude
Mr. Trent Smith-Hawkins Organist
Processional “Pomp
and Circumstance”
Sir Edward Elgar
Welcome
Dr. Brien Henry
Associate Dean
The Graduate School
Dr. Peter Ryan
Executive Vice Provost and Dean of The Graduate School
Dr. David Shaw
Provost and Executive Vice President
Mississippi State University
Dr. Mark Keenum
President
Mississippi State University
THE DOCTORAL COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Dr. Scott Willard Dean
College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Rick Travis Dean
College of Education
Dr. Teresa Jayroe Dean
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
Dr. Jason Keith Dean
College of Forest Resources
Dr. Wes Burger Dean
College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Nicholas Frank Dean
Recessional
Mr. Trent Smith-Hawkins
Closing Remarks
Dr. Brien Henry
Associate Dean
The Graduate School
Please join us after the ceremony for a reception honoring our doctoral graduates. Foster Ballroom, Second Floor - Colvard Student Union
DOCTORAL CANDIDATES
Spring 2024
College of AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
MELANIE REBEKAH UGGEN
Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Identity status and identity style in the Emo subculture: Exploring identity between emo vs. non-emo emerging adults
Being hooded by Dr. Tommy Phillips
ROBBIE KAITLYN SALTERS
Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Preparing to come home, not recidivate: Juvenile offenders' perceptions of the juvenile justice system
Being hooded by Dr. Tommy Phillips
DIKSHA POKHREL
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Science Concentration - Poultry Science
DISSERTATION TITLE
Campylobacter jejuni survival under environmental stressors
Being hooded by Dr. Li Zhang
HUDSON TROY THAMES
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Science, Concentration - Poultry Science
DISSERTATION TITLE
Characterization of the behavioral patterns in salmonella biofilms across different serovars and environmental conditions
Being hooded by Dr. Li Zhang
College of AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
OVI FOZOL
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Science, Concentration - Poultry Science
DISSERTATION TITLE
Evaluating the effects of key virulence-associated genes in estimating the virulence of escherichia coli using embryo lethality assay and experimental infection studies
Being hooded by Dr. Pratima Adhikari
LAUREN COLBY NICKELS
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Science
Concentration - Agricultural and Extension Education
DISSERTATION TITLE
TummySafe©: The influence of student engagement and demographic variables on certification exam performance in an online food safety course
Being hooded by Dr. Michael Newman
BIKASH ADHIKARI
Doctor of Philosophy in Plant and Soil Sciences
Concentration - Horticulture
DISSERTATION TITLE
Response of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to salt stress
Being hooded by Dr. Raju Bheemanahalli
MARY ELIZABETH THORNE
Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Does attendance in Head Start and Early Head Start programs influence social and emotional development in young children?
Being hooded by Dr. Louise Davis
College of AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
CARSON DAVID ROBERTS
Doctor of Philosophy in Plant and Soil Sciences
Concentration - Agronomy
DISSERTATION TITLE
The effects of cover crops and reduced tillage practices on soil moisture, cotton yield, irrigation water use, and profitability
Being hooded by Dr. Drew Gholson
AMILCAR VARGAS
Doctor of Philosophy in Plant and Soil Sciences
Concentration - Agronomy
DISSERTATION TITLE
Optimizing water, nitrogen, and row patterns for irrigated corn and soybean in the Mississippi Delta
Being hooded by Dr. Drew Gholson
MOHAMMAD KAMAL SHUSHARI
Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion
DISSERTATION TITLE
Adherence to a gluten-free diet and depression, and nutrient distribution in participants with celiac disease
Being hooded by Dr. Wen-Hsing Cheng
College of AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
College of ARTS & SCIENCES
BRITTANY OWENS WHITE DOTY
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration
DISSERTATION TITLE
State funding of higher education institutions: An analysis of equity
Being hooded by Dr. Michael Potter and Mr. Hal Parker, IHL Board of Trustees
LATARA MARIE ARTERBERRY
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration
DISSERTATION TITLE
The effects of work-life balance, teleworking, and DEIA on the U.S. federal employee job satisfaction: Towards developing a contemporary needs theory
Being hooded by Dr. Julius Nukpezah
ANDREW S. RENDON
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration
DISSERTATION TITLE
Generation Z's perception of public sector culture moderate their aspirations towards public service
Being hooded by Dr. Dragan Stanisevski
WEIWEI XIE
Doctor of Philosophy in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Spatial and temporal vulnerability analysis of natural disasters due to climate change
Being hooded by Dr. Qingmin Meng
College of ARTS & SCIENCES
SHELLEY DAVID HEBERT
Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematical Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Derivations on smooth Hansel-Steinitz algebras
Being hooded by Dr. Matt McBride
ADRIAN SHONNA TILLMAN
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration
DISSERTATION TITLE
A seat at the table: A study of grassroots organizations political training program and black women interests to run for local government
Being hooded by Dr. Leslie Baker
RABINA KUMPAKHA
Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Evaluation of occidiofungin activity on yeast-hyphae morphogenesis and biofilm formation by Candida species
Being hooded by Dr. Donna M. Gordon
DANIEL ZILEVU
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry
DISSERTATION TITLE
Synthesis of colloidal nanomaterials of emerging semiconductor chalcogenide perovskites and related structures
Being hooded by Dr. Sidney Creutz
College of ARTS & SCIENCES
MARY ATKINSON SMITH
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration
DISSERTATION TITLE
The performance of participation in the Medicare quality payment program
Being hooded by Dr. Sawsan Abutabenjeh
ROBERT E. JONES
Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences
DISSERTATION TITLE
Using phylogenomics and environmental metabarcoding to understand the distribution and evolutionary histories of amoebae
Being hooded by Dr. Matthew W. Brown
SARAH MARIE ISRAEL
Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Psychology
Concentration – Clinical Psychology
DISSERTATION TITLE
Improving cultural safety: A thematic analysis of older rural African Americans' experiences with the U.S. healthcare system
Being hooded by Dr. Carolyn Adams-Price
XAVIER E. SIVELS
Doctor of Philosophy in History
DISSERTATION TITLE
“Freakish Man”: Sexual blues, sacred beliefs, and the transformation of Black queer identity, 1870-1957
Being hooded by Dr. Joseph Thompson
College of ARTS & SCIENCES
RYAN REYNOLDS
Doctor of Philosophy in History
DISSERTATION TITLE
The transnational beat: Paramilitary policing and America’s associational defense state
Being hooded by Dr. Kathryn Barbier
RAYMOND FEMI AWOYEMI
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry
DISSERTATION TITLE
Polyaniline analog polymers and nanocomposites coating for corrosion protection applications
Being hooded by Dr. David Wipf
PRASHAN MADUSHA RODRIGO
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry
DISSERTATION TITLE
Magnetite-laden Douglas fir biochar for arsenic and perfluoroalkyl substances contaminated water remediation and struvite/struvite-k rich Douglas fir biochar for soil remediation
Being hooded by Dr. Todd Mlsna
HEM BHATT
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
DISSERTATION TITLE
A study of charge symmetry violation in fragmentation functions extracted from semi-inclusive electroproduction of charged pions from protons and deuterons
Being hooded by Dr. Dipangkar Dutta
College of ARTS & SCIENCES
AHMAD SOHANI
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
DISSERTATION TITLE
The role of subsurface dynamics in cometary outbursts
Being hooded by Dr. Donna Pierce
College of ARTS & SCIENCES
College of EDUCATION
ASHLEY LASHI SWIFT
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership Concentration – Higher Education Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
Understanding black student affairs professionals’ perceptions of racialized incidents in sorority and fraternity life
Being hooded by Dr. Kaleb Briscoe
DAWN MICHELLE LATIKER
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction Concentration – Special Education
DISSERTATION TITLE
Adolescent black girls anger and aggression: What we can learn
Being hooded by Dr. Dana Franz and Dr. Patricia Hampshire
HEATHER MARIE WOOD
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction
DISSERTATION TITLE
Choosing a foundational mathematics course in higher education: How is the decision made?
Being hooded by Dr. Dana Franz
PATRICIA CARNELLA RATLIFF
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction
Concentration – Special Education
DISSERTATION TITLE
Inclusion: Survey of Mississippi general and special education teachers view and experiences in an inclusion classroom
Being hooded by Dr. Kellie Fondren
College of EDUCATION
ANTWAUNETTE LATREESE JONES-TAYLOR
Doctor of Education in Education Concentration – P-12 School Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
An examination of middle school and high school special education students in inclusion classrooms employing co-teaching model
Being hooded by Dr. Myron Labat
HILUTE HUDSON
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership Concentration – P-12 School Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
Producing college and career ready graduates in rural high poverty school districts
Being hooded by Dr. Myron Labat
PHILIP GERARD TURNER
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership Concentration – P-12 School Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
Theory, school policy, and practices in education and culture in a classroom setting for minority students
Being hooded by Dr. Myron Labat
ROBERT JASON KELLY
Doctor of Philosophy in Community College Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
Socioeconomic status and rural community college students' academic outcomes
Being hooded by Dr. Stephanie King
College of EDUCATION
KALI MARIE DUNLAP
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership Concentration – Higher Education Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
The impact of academic advising on persistence in nontraditional students completing a baccalaureate degree online
Being hooded by Dr. Christa Winkler and Dr. Susan Seal
THERESA V. MAYS
Doctor of Philosophy in Community College Leadership
DISSERTATION TITLE
The impact of financial aid on Alabama community college student success
Being hooded by Dr. Linda T. Coats
BRANTLEY KYLE BALLENGER
Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology Concentration – Exercise Science
DISSERTATION TITLE
Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and cardiovascular health of adults with and without down syndrome
Being hooded by Dr. Stamatis Agiovlasitis
KIMBERLY O. SMITH
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction
Concentration – Elementary Education
DISSERTATION TITLE
An examination of teacher candidates' planning processes as they seek to integrate technology into disciplinary literacy instruction
Being hooded by Dr. Kathleen Alley
College of EDUCATION
James Worth Bagley College of ENGINEERING
SHREEYA BHATTARAI
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Biosystems Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Hydrological and water quality assessment of forested coastal watersheds
Being hooded by Dr. Steven Elder
ABDULLAH AL MAMUN
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
AI-enabled modeling and monitoring of data-rich advanced manufacturing systems
Being hooded by Dr. Wengmeng Tian
CHRISTIAN ZAMIELA
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Enhancing data-driven process quality control in metal additive manufacturing: Sensor fusion, physical knowledge integration, and anomaly detection
Being hooded by Dr. Wenmeng Tian
JEANNE-MARIE ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Disruptors and resilience capabilities of pharmaceutical supply chains exposed to rare catastrophic disasters: Case studies of one localized and one global disaster
Being hooded by Dr. Nazanin Tajik
James Worth Bagley College of ENGINEERING
SAFAE EL AMRANI
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Charting the course through complexity: Networked approaches to foster sustainable and resilient supply chains
Being hooded by Dr. Nazanin Tajik
LUKE JACKSON TUCKER
Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Chitosan-based biomaterials for treatment of acute and chronic osteomyelitis
Being hooded by Dr. Lauren Priddy
MARCUS ISAIAH BRUMFIELD
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Engineering Education
DISSERTATION TITLE
The impact of a summer bridge program at a public land-grant university in the southeastern region on the retention of firsttime black students
Being hooded by Dr. Jean Mohammadi-Aragh
KATHERINE SAVANNAH ELMORE
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Chemical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Synthesis and degradation of biobased polymers from plant oils incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals
Being hooded by Dr. Bill Elmore and Dr. Santanu Kundu
James Worth Bagley College of ENGINEERING
KYLE RICHARD CALLAHAN
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Chemical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Failure of polymeric materials at ultra-high strain rates
Being hooded by Dr. Santanu Kundu
HUMAYUN AHMAD
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Chemical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Processing and characterization of conjugated polymers utilizing electrospinning technique for optoelectronic applications
Being hooded by Dr. Santanu Kundu
SIMEGNEW YIHUNIE ALABA
Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Wavelet-enhanced 2D and 3D lightweight perception systems for autonomous driving
Being hooded by Dr. John Ball
RYAN MITCHELL STOKES
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Mechanical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
An open-source digital twin of the wire arc-directed energy deposition process for interpass temperature regulation
Being hooded by Dr. Matthew Priddy
ASHREET MISHRA
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Mechanical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Continuum and discrete models for particle-based heat exchangers in thermal and thermochemical energy storage
Being hooded by Dr. Tonya Stone
MAROUANE JARACHI
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Mechanical Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Effect of pressure on viscoplasticity and its usefulness in designing impact devices
Being hooded by Dr. Wilburn Whittington
ASHIK AMIN
Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Common-mode emi characterization and mitigation in networked power electronics-enabled power systems
Being hooded by Dr. Seungdeog Choi
ABDUL WAHAB
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Civil Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Integrating building information modeling (BIM) and blockchain technology in the pre-construction planning processes
Being hooded by Dr. Isaac L. Howard
James Worth Bagley College of ENGINEERING
FELIPE FERNÁNDEZ MARTÍNEZ
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Concentration – Civil Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Evaluation and enhancement of the Phosphorus Index for the Mississippi Delta
Being hooded by Dr. John Ramirez-Avila
MATTHEW TYLER REESE
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Understanding and incorporating wearable exoskeleton design acceptance into the construction and manufacturing industries by evaluating key stakeholders within an enterprise organization
Being hooded by Dr. Lesley Strawderman
M M NABI
Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Deep learning-based soil moisture retrieval using GNSS-R observations from CYGNSS
Being hooded by Dr. Samee U. Khan
MD MEHEDI FARHAD
Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering
DISSERTATION TITLE
Estimating surface reflectivity with smartphone and semicustom GNSS receivers on UAS-based GNSS-R technology and surface brightness temperature using UAS-based L-band microwave radiometer
Being hooded by Dr. Samee U. Khan
James Worth Bagley College of ENGINEERING
College of FOREST RESOURCES
CASEY MEI LIN IWAMOTO
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Resources
Concentration – Forestry
DISSERTATION TITLE
Evaluating the use of soil amendments for shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) restoration on post-mined landscapes
Being hooded by Dr. Courtney Siegert
LEE ERIC BRIDGES
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Resources
Concentration – Forestry
DISSERTATION TITLE
Tree recruitment dynamics in an urban forested natural area
Being hooded by Dr. Stephen C. Grado
RABIA AMEN
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Resources
Concentration – Sustainable Bioproducts
DISSERTATION TITLE
Removal of emerging contaminants from water using green adsorbents
Being hooded by Dr. Yunsang Kim
ALHASSAN IBRAHIM
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Resources
Concentration – Sustainable Bioproducts
DISSERTATION TITLE
Catalytic upgrading of rice straw bio-oil with alcohols using different bimetallic magnetic nano-catalysts
Being hooded by Dr. Yunsang Kim
College of FOREST RESOURCES
College of VETERINARY MEDICINE
WILLIAM BYRN CROSBY
Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Medical Science
Concentration - Infectious Disease
DISSERTATION TITLE
Effect of metaphylaxis in high-risk stocker heifers on the nasopharyngeal microbiome, resistome, and antimicrobial resistance of Mannheimia haemolytica
Being hooded by Dr. Amelia Woolums
College of VETERINARY MEDICINE
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL
T
CEREMONY HOSTED BY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY®
