Graduate Student Advisory Council
The Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) serves as an advisory body to the Department Chair, Yafeng Yin, and Associate Department Chair of Graduate Programs Professor Krista Wigginton, in matters of student climate, and serves as an information resource to current students. It is made up of graduate students representing our different sub-disciplines within CEE. Please feel free to contact the GSAC at [email protected].
GSAC is on Slack! Join umcee.slack.com using your umich email to get updates on recent activities and chat with your fellow graduate students! This is an entirely student-focused group meant for graduate students and postdocs. Contact the GSAC at [email protected] for any questions or connection issues.
Add the GSAC Events calendar to your Google calendar to stay up to date on upcoming GSAC events!
Advisory Council Members
Robert Athie Chara
Roberto, a Master’s student in Construction Engineering and Management, merges his architecture expertise and lighting design experience to lead complex projects. Globally recognized for innovation, his proficiency in architectural software and construction underpins his technical and creative skills. When not immersed in engineering challenges, he enjoys the art of piano and stays active with regular workouts.
Desai Dharm
My name is Dharm Desai, and I am a master’s student pursuing an MSc in Structural Engineering. My interests include reading books, engaging in philosophical discussions, as well as telling and writing stories. I am also passionate about sustainability, and I aim to contribute to a more sustainable future through my work in Civil Engineering and environmental action.
Harshvardhan Desai
Bio not yet available
Amogh Doijad
Bio not yet available
Jacob Harris
My name is Jacob Harris. I am a second year master’s student studying structural engineering. This is my second year with GSAC, with which I help plan and organize events. Some of my hobbies include playing basketball and attending trivia events.
Margaret Miles
Margaret is a first year PhD in Civil Engineering, focused on Hazards, Risk, and Resilience. Margaret is researching Natural Hazards and Disaster Mitigation and enjoys volleyball, cooking, scrapbooking.
Yolanda Ming
Yolanda is a first year master’s student in Environmental Engineering, focusing on ecohydrology. I work on over lake evaporation rate estimate and pan-lake conversion coefficient calculation at Mono Lake, California. I like baking, drawing and various kinds of sports.
Somin Park
Somin is a PhD student in the Civil Engineering program, advised by Professor Menassa and Professor Kamat. Her research is focused on human-robot collaboration in construction. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and watching movies.
Jacob Pavelka
Jacob Is currently enrolled in the Structural Ph.D. program and is advised by Professor Filipov and Professor El-Tawil. Jacob is currently researching simulation and implementation frameworks for modular origami structures. In his free time, Jacob takes up programming and learning about history.
Gustav Rohde
Gustav Rohde is a research fellow at the University of Michigan’s Center for Digital Asset Finance, a member of the Smart Infrastructure Finance cohort, and serves as GSAC treasurer. With experience as a mine infrastructure consulting engineer across various African countries, Gustav brings a unique perspective on finance, infrastructure, and digital technologies. Outside of work and studies, he enjoys investing, mountain biking and trail running.
Jonathan Shell
Jonathan is a second year Ph.D. Student in Intelligent Systems. Jonathan is researching novel control technologies that power their operation by harvesting energy from system disturbances. He enjoys board games and tabletop RPG’s, and he is a member of the Scientific Computing Club (SC2).
Delaney Snead
Delaney is a 4th year PhD student in Environmental Engineering working under Dr. Krista Wigginton. Her research focuses on understanding and crediting virus removal during water treatment disinfection processes. She is a University of Michigan Science Olympiad, and likes to travel, read, and bake.
Tanmay Vora
Tanmay is a 1st year PhD student under Dr. Ann Jeffers. He is working on the Firebrand Transport problem around structures. He loves to research and he sees himself working in a research lab after graduation. He loves to hike, play chess, watch documentaries and horror movies, read history and hang out with friends.
Xiaoshan Zhou
Xiaoshan is a PhD student in Civil Engineering, working with Dr. Carol Menassa in the Smart Connected City Space. Her research involves control, perception, and navigation with a focus on human-machine joint decision-making and algorithm design. In her free time, she enjoys playing ping pong, reading, watching sports games, and chatting with her friends.