03. 23. 2026

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellows.

Congratulations to the recipients of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship (IDF) for this academic year! The IDF provides a unique opportunity for outstanding mid-career Ph.D. students who are engaged in interdisciplinary research to study with faculty at one of the University’s interdisciplinary research centers or institutes during the fellowship year.

Greyson Arnold

Graduate Program: Family Social Science
Advisor: Dr. Kay Simon
Host Center: Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Calvin Aryaputra

Graduate Program: Applied Economics
Advisor: Dr.  Paul Glewwe
Host Center: Life Course Center

Lauren Bilek

Graduate Program: Land & Atmospheric Science
Advisor: Dr.  Jessica Gutknecht
Host Center: Forever Green Initiative

Jordan Callies

Graduate Program: Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Advisor: Dr. Meghan Driscoll  
Host Center: Center for Immunology

Bryan Chantigian

Graduate Program: Electrical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Sang-Hyun Oh
Host Center: International Institute for Biosensing

Ethan Ellis

Graduate Program: Public Affairs
Advisor: Dr. Morris Kleiner
Host Center: Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice

Mohammad Reza Farahani

Graduate Program: Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Julianna Abel
Host Center: Institute for Engineering in Medicine

Sylvie Guezeon

Graduate Program: Public Affairs
Advisor: Dr. Nichola Lowe
Host Center: Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change

Shirley Anugrah Hayati

Graduate Program: Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Dongyeop Kang
Host Center: Data Science and AI Hub

Lilly Hinkley

Graduate Program: Land & Atmospheric Sci
Advisor: Dr. Peter Neff
Host Center: Polar Geospatial Center

Tara Hogenson

Graduate Program: Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
Advisor: Dr. Yuk Sham
Host Center: Masonic Cancer Center 

Salma Ibrahim

Graduate Program: Developmental Psychology 
Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Carlson
Host Center: Immigration History Research Center

Azal Khan

Graduate Program: Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Ali Anwar
Host Center: Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics 

Maral Khanjani

Graduate Program: Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development
Advisor: Dr. Sehoon Kim 
Host Center: Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy

Celia Tseyen Lee

Graduate Program: Family Social Science
Advisor: Dr. Xiaoran Sun 
Host Center: Data Science and AI Hub

Abdullah Al Mehedi

Graduate Program: Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. James Van de Ven
Host Center: Advanced Preclinical Imaging Center

Monica Nuñez Salas

Graduate Program: Geography 
Advisor: Dr. Adam Bledsoe
Host Center: Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender & Sexuality Studies  

Ritu Shah

Graduate Program: Biomedical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. David Wood
Host Center: Masonic Cancer Center

Mary Van Liew

Graduate Program: Nursing
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Hoffman
Host Center: Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 

Yinguang Zhao

Graduate Program: Political Science
Advisor: Dr. Arash Davari
Host Center: Charles Babbage Institute