Find an ARCH Mentor
To apply to the ARCH program, you must fill out our ARCH Program Application. This form asks about which ARCH pathway you wish to pursue and details regarding your intended research project and the ARCH faculty mentor overseeing your research.
Please consult the list below for potential mentors and reach out to them to inquire about working together for your ARCH pathway.
| Name | Department | Interests | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abuzar Kabir akabir@fiu.edu | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Materials Chemistry, Advanced Materials Synthesis, Sensors | N/A |
| Adam Gorelick agorelic@fiu.edu | Religious Studies | Religion, Literature, and the Arts Theories of Myth and Ritual Pop Culture Music Poetry Film Sports | N/A |
| Alex Krasnok akrasnok@fiu.edu | Electrical & Computer Engineering | The Quantum Technology and Metamaterials (QTM) research laboratory, under the guidance of Professor Alex Krasnok, operates within the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Florida International University (FIU). Our primary focus is on investigating quantum technologies and metamaterials, with a strong commitment to fostering innovations in diverse fields. | Background in Physics and Mathematics Programming and Computational Skills Laboratory Techniques and Experimental Skills Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving |
| Alok Deoraj adeoraj@fiu.edu | Environmental Health Sciences | My current research interests focus on molecular and environmental toxicology, specifically assessing the cancer risk associated with combined and mixture exposures to environmental pollutants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, heavy metals, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and microplastics. I apply innovative health risk assessment methods, utilizing integrative bioinformatics, omics (proteomics, RNA-Seq, transcriptomics), and machine learning approaches to elucidate the molecular pathways through which environmental pollutants, present in the home, work, recreational areas, or in the food supply chain, contribute to the unfavorable prognoses of cancer patients. | N/A |
| Amy Paul-Ward paulward@fiu.edu | Occupational Therapy | Understanding the experience of adolescents in foster care and improving the transitional outcomes of adolescents leaving the foster care system. | Literature reviews, questionnaire development, one on one interviews with participants, and data entry. |
| Andre Naranjo anaranjo@fiu.edu | Biological Sciences | Andre Naranjo is the Botanical Curator of the Wertheim Conservatory. A Miami native, with a PhD from University of Florida, he joined FIU in 2022. Research involves phylogenetics and biogeography of plants in the North American Coastal Plain and Caribbean Biodiversity hotspots. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andre_Naranjo He is interested in engaging honors students to increase awareness of endangered ecosystems and species in South Florida and surrounding areas. At the International Center for Tropical Botany, one may join in studies of tropical plant classification, working with either living plants or herbarium specimens, or both. | Interest in botany, ecology, and environment |
| Arturo S. Leon arleon@fiu.edu | Civil & Environmental Engineering | Smart and resilient flood control, mitigation of violent geysers (air-water flows), optimal reservoir operation under uncertainty, sustainable stormwater management, computational hydraulics (CFD) and physical modeling of hydraulic structures. More at: https://web.eng.fiu.edu/arleon/index.html | (1) Highly-motivated students (2) MATLAB experience is desirable but not necessary |
| Assefa Melesse melessea@fiu.edu | Earth & Environment | Spatially distributed watershed modeling, geospatial applications to hydrology, wetland restoration evaluation, vegetation pattern, and hydraulic response modeling. | Library research, field experimenting, and modeling. |
| Astrid Arraras arrarasa@fiu.edu | Politics & International Relations | Democratization, human rights, social movements, and political violence and revolutions. | Library research. |
| Bernard Gerstman gerstman@fiu.edu | Physics | Neural networks; Protein folding, protein aggregation, and protein engineering | Computer modeling. |
| Byomkesh Talukder btalukde@fiu.edu | Global Health | My research interests lie at the intersection of global health, sustainability, and environmental change, with a particular focus on how these areas impact vulnerable populations. I explore issues such as climate change and health, food and nutrition security, planetary health, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and health systems resilience, especially in the context of low- and middle-income countries. I am also deeply involved in interdisciplinary research that integrates social, ecological, and policy dimensions to support more sustainable and equitable health outcomes. My work is driven by a commitment to innovative, evidence-based approaches to improve population health while preserving the planet's ecological integrity. | N/A |
| Changwon Yoo cyoo@fiu.edu | Biostatistics | I am the head of the Statistical Machine Learning Group (SMLG) within the Biostatistics Department at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at Florida International University. Our primary focus revolves around the examination of large and intricate datasets using Big Data Analytics (BDA), encompassing statistical and machine learning techniques. The scope of SMLG projects extends from developing clinical translational models to investigating gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in chronic diseases through the application of BDA methodologies. Visit http://smlg.fiu.edu/ for more information. | Proficiency in math, Proficiency in Programming languages or willing to learn them |
| Charles J. Dimitroff cdimitroff@fiu.edu | Cellular Biology & Pharmacology | Studies on the origins of cancer metastasis, inflammatory diseases and development of new anti-cancer immunotherapeutics | Bring copy of your resume, class schedule, and ideas for the ARCH program |
| Chun Zhou chuzhou@fiu.edu | Communication | My research centers on narrative persuasion within health contexts, and my current and future projects evolve along three main directions: the persuasive effects of narratives in traditional text-based health messages, the integration of narrative persuasion with digital interactivity and the use of interactive stories in health games, and the study of narratives as both a format of misinformation and a strategy for correction. | Basic quantitative (e.g., content analysis, surveys, experiments) and qualitative (e.g., interviews and focus groups) research skills. |
| Deidra Hodges dhodges@fiu.edu | Electrical & Computer Engineering | Nuclear TRISO Fuel, Optoelectronic Devices, Photovoltaics and Radiation Detectors ( https://ece.fiu.edu/people/faculty/index.html) Thin Film Photovoltaics and Radiation Detectors Research Group: https://noed.fiu.edu/ | N/A |
| Diana Azzam dazzam@fiu.edu | Environmental Health Sciences | Functional Precision Medicine, Therapy Resistance and Metastasis, Arsenic-induced Carcinogenesis | Bring copies of your resume and class schedule |
| Dionne Stephens stephens@fiu.edu | Psychology | Sexual risk taking, health disparities, racial/ ethnic minority women, sexual/ dating scripts, and identity development. | Library research, running experiments, entering data, transcription, preparing conference presentations, and recruitment of research sites. |
| Douglas Hasty douglas.hasty@fiu.edu | Learning & Research Department | First Year Experience Librarian specializing in First Year Student Adjustments regarding their first years in higher education including but not limited to: Research (humanities), Librarianship (structure and process of rigorous research and discovery), Education (higher post 12th grade), Psychology (related to learning and perceptive interpretation of academic resources), History (B.A. degree, US, British, European), Criminal Justice (college minor) | N/A |
| Emily Anderson emanders@fiu.edu | Educational Policy Studies | Relationships between girls' education and women's empowerment | N/A |
| Eric Isaac eisaac@fiu.edu | Religious Studies, Communication | Spiritual Power and Spiritual Abuse in all Faith Traditions Spiritual Power and Spiritual Abuse in the Judiciary/Law Spiritual Power and Spiritual Abuse in Historical Studies | Complete a course with me OR draft a pre-proposal on your idea(s) explaining main objective, how work is completed and timeline leading to final work. Email me your resume. |
| Fabian A. Soto fasoto@fiu.edu | Psychology | My research program is aimed at understanding how we acquire and generalize knowledge about visual objects. More specifically, I study the interaction between visual encoding and learning. The main idea driving my research is that the way in which objects are encoded determines how we acquire and generalize new knowledge about them and, in turn, new learning about objects affects they way in which they are encoded. I take a highly integrative, inter-disciplinary research approach that combines computational modeling (using both cognitive and neurocomputational models), advanced statistics, behavioral research, and neuroimaging. I use the insights acquired through my basic research program to develop translational studies, aimed at improving our understanding of how face representation is affected in psychopathology. | "There are two types of project in which students can participate: 1) Experimental psychological research: typically in the areas of face perception and/or learning. Students should have basic knowledge of statistics and research methods (with high grades in corresponding coursework). No other skills are necessary (all skills will be learned during the project), except for proficiency with computers. 2) Re-analysis of brain imaging data and simulation work: the goal of these projects is to develop new tools for the analysis of brain imaging data. Students should have a strong quantitative background, and knowledge of statistics and programming (python and/or R are preferred)." |
| Garrett Pierman gpierman@fiu.edu | Political Science | My current project focuses on the ways in which the internet has become a space in which democratic politics is increasingly difficult. I am also interested in the politics of race, class, and gender and the theorization of world-altering events. | Strong analytical skills, critical thinking, library research, and commitment to learning. |
| Gueo Grantcharov grantchg@fiu.edu | Mathematics and Statistics | Pure mathematics related to Geometry. | Problem solving skills, mathematical background in most of the 1000 or 2000 level courses. |
| Gustavo Roig Gustavo.roig@fiu.edu | Electrical & Computer Engineering | Oscillators | N/A |
| Haiyan Jiang haiyan.jiang@fiu.edu | Earth & Environment | Dr. Jiang is a meteorologist with research interests in hurricane intensity, intensity change and structures of inner-core convection and precipitation. Jiang’s expertise is in satellite remote sensing techniques that can detect various characteristics of weather systems. She successfully applied these technologies to study hurricane rainfall, convection, winds, and warm-core structures. A coherent theme of her research is to advance our understanding of hurricane intensity and intensity change. She developed long-term satellite-based tropical cyclone databases and used these tools to study the climatology of hurricanes and to develop algorithms for estimating current intensity and predicting rapid intensification of tropical cyclones. Her research on hurricane intensity estimation, rapid intensification prediction, and climatology of hurricane inner-core structures has been funded by federal agencies including NSF, NOAA and NASA. | N/A |
| Heather Radi-Bermudez, APR hradi@fiu.edu | Communication | My research interests involve health communication and stigma communication in a digitized world. My earlier work with non-profits led a grassroots movement to create public awareness for teen dating violence in Greater Miami which was recognized by Mayor Carlos Gimenez with a Mayoral Proclamation of “REAL Love Miami Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week.” I am passionate about communications and committed to providing students with hands-on, real-world experiences both in and out of the classroom bringing them closer to their fields and communities. | N/A |
| Iqbal Akhtar iakhtar@fiu.edu | Religious Studies | Khoja history, Islamic political thought, Indian and East African History | Translation, Field work, library research, etc. |
| Janna Fierst jfierst@fiu.edu | Biological Sciences | Genome evolution, bioinformatics, comparative genomics, nematode worms, virus evolution | Bring copy of your resume, class schedule, and ideas for the ARCH program |
| Jason Kostrna jkostrna@fiu.edu | Teaching & Learning | 1. Sport Psychology - effects of (and interventions on) stress and resultant emotions on decision-making and performance 2. Exercise Psychology - effects of (and interventions on) sociocognitive determinants of physical activity behavior | The research laboratory is located at the Biscayne Bay Campus and while daily attendance at BBC is not required, frequent (typically twice a week) attendance is required. Potential students are encouraged to complete the CITI training program for ethical conduct in Human Subjects Research (HSR), the Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE) track, as soon as possible. CITI is partnered with FIU and should be no cost to the student. Experience with sport and exercise populations, CPR, and/or first-aid training is preferred but not required. |
| Jed Redwine jredwine@fiu.edu | Biological Sciences | Everglades Restoration, Botany, Landscape Ecology, Remote sensing, peat soils, plant functional traits | N/A |
| Jin He jinhe@fiu.edu | Physics | Study molecular interaction and reaction in a confined nanospace. Develop single-entity detection methods Apply nanobiotechnology to cellular biology and tissue engineering. | N/A |
| John Berry berryj@fiu.edu | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Research in my group focuses on the chemistry and toxicology of environmental contaminants ranging from naturally occurring biotoxins, such as those from "harmful algal blooms," to anthropogenic pollutants including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as emerging contaminants of concern. Research in this regard spans natural product chemistry (i.e., "toxin" discovery), analytical chemistry (i.e., detection and measurement of contaminants) and toxicology including, in particular, assessment of toxicants in various aquatic "sentinel species" such as fish and various invertebrates toward understanding both ecosystem and human health impacts. | N/A |
| John Sotham jsotham@fiu.edu | Career & Talent Development | Background and interest in aviation (USAF), aerospace journalism--primary and secondary source interviewing/research (Editor, Smithsonian Institution), astronomy (as a science reporter) | N/A |
| Jordan E. Dollar jdollar@fiu.edu | Law | My work in the legal field includes immigration law, access to justice issues, and medical-legal partnerships. | N/A |
| Jorge Riera Diaz jrieradi@fiu.edu | Biomedical Engineering | The primary research interest of the Neuronal Mass Dynamics (NMD) laboratory is the development of methods for the integration of different brain imaging modalities. These methods will found direct translations into clinical practice, for instance in the diagnosis and intervention of a variety of brain disorders. Although epilepsy and migraine constitute our primary focuses of attention, other brain disorders (e.g., Alzheimer Disease and Autism) will be included later on in our portfolio. For each disorder, our research focused on three major areas: a) abnormalities of the cortical microcircuits, b) the biophysics of the neurovascular decoupling and c) genetic imprints by inflammatory processes. These three areas of interest are linked via Biophysical Models developed in the lab. Members from the NMD lab evaluate their methods using pre-clinical models (i.e. rodents) of each brain disorder and, in collaborations with local hospitals, translate them into the clinical field. In the NMD lab, two groundbreaking techniques have been developed. The first one is a high-resolution 3D silicon-based probe (Neuronexus Tech) and the second one is an EEG mini-cap both for electrophysiological recordings at different brain scales (Cortech Solutions). These techniques are combined with both standard observation modalities and computational models for mesoscopic phenomena in the cerebral cortex. https://nmd.fiu.edu/ | Either MATLAB programming, willing to perform neurosurgery in rodents, or data mining |
| Jose Otero Josotero@fiu.edu | Cellular & Molecular Medicine | NeuropAthology | N/A |
| Joshua Hutcheson jhutches@fiu.edu | Biomedical Engineering | Our research goals are to understand the mechanisms through which cells maintain and remodel tissues in order to diagnose, prevent, and treat cardiovascular disease. | Curiosity |
| Kangjoo Lee kalee@fiu.edu | Biomedical Engineering | The Computational Neuroimaging of Brain Disorders (CNBD) Laboratory studies neural circuit abnormalities underlying symptoms of mental illness. We use brain imaging techniques such as functional MRI and EEG, combined with longitudinal phenotyping, and analyze these data using quantitative approaches (machine learning, statistical analysis, computational modeling and neuroinformatics) to identify reproducible brain-behavior associations and develop clinically actionable biomarkers. | Strong interest in brain function and psychiatric or neurological disorders. Experience in EITHER programming and data analysis (e.g. MATLAB, python, R, bash) OR research involving clinical populations (e.g. patients or minors). |
| Kevin Brown Chandler kchandle@fiu.edu | Translational Medicine | My long-term research interests are to pursue a mechanistic understanding of how protein glycosylation alters cellular signaling and adhesion in cancer, and to apply this knowledge to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. The goal of my current research is to understand how N-glycosylation regulates (1) vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR2) mediated angiogenic signaling in colorectal cancer, and (2) epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). My work on the role of sialic acid modifications in VEGFR2 signaling provides a key link between immune and angiogenic signaling and has been cited by leaders in angiogenesis research. | Persistence, communication, curiosity |
| Kiavash Bahreini kbahrein@fiu.edu | Computing & Information Sciences | GenAI, LLMs, Agentic GenAI, AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Smart Software Development, Cloud Computing, and Databases. | N/A |
| Kimberly Taylor taylork@fiu.edu | Marketing & Logistics | My main area of research is focused in consumer behavior and decision making. I also study negotiations, cause related marketing, healthcare marketing and decision making, and non profit marketing. I primarily do experimental research or focus group qualitative work. | Organizational skills some background in statistics or research would be useful but not required |
| Krishnaswamy Jayachandran jayachan@fiu.edu | Earth & Environment | "Soil Microbiology Agroecology Sustainable Agriculture Climate Smart Agriculture" | Good Laboratory Practice |
| Laura Lamour Burns llamo001@fiu.edu | English Language Institute | international education, higher education, English language instruction, interdisciplinary collaborations, etc. | N/A |
| Leonel Lagos lagosl@fiu.edu | Construction Management | Robotics and Remote System, AI, | N/A |
| Lergia Olivo lolivo@fiu.edu | English Language Institute | English as a Second Language (ESL), Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Linguistics, Language Acquisition, Phonetics, Phonology, Syntax, Educational Technology, Instructional Design | N/A |
| Liana Gonzalez lgonzal@fiu.edu | Teaching & Learning | Inclusion of students with disabilities, teacher preparation/retention, and teaching in multicultural, urban settings | Library research. |
| Lindsey B. Maxwell lmaxwell@fiu.edu | History | My interests are divided into two major branches: 1) The history of homeschooling, particularly by studying the formation of social networks through periodicals and literature. I am interested in how these networks shaped American politics, religion, and education policy in the late twentieth/twenty-first centuries. 2) Gaming as a form of historical literature. I teach a "History Through Gaming" course and am interested in the transformative presentation of history as mediated by video games and other emergent digital platforms. I especially welcome studies that focus on the integration of gaming and the humanities. | Depending on the topic: Library and/or archival research, scanning & digitization of historical documents, data entry using Excel, solid writing and communication skills. |
| Linfei Li linli@fiu.edu | Civil & Environmental Engineering | My research encompasses a broad range of topics in civil engineering materials and technologies, including but not limited to additive manufacturing (3D concrete printing), experimental and multi-scale/multi-phase modeling of concrete durability, the application of nanomaterials in concrete, and the development of sustainable, high-performance, and multifunctional construction materials. | Bring copy of your resume and ideas for the ARCH program |
| Lufan Wang lufwang@fiu.edu | Construction Management | Smart, sustainable, and resilient buildings, infrastructure systems, and cities - Big data analytics and machine learning - Building energy and water efficiency - energy-water nexus - Human-centered analysis - Digital twin | - Programming (e.g., Python, R) - Automation and AI (e.g., Machine learning, deep learning, computer vision) |
| Maria De Los Santos delossan@fiu.edu | Nursing & Health Sciences | Motivation for behavior change for improved health outcomes, health promotion, illness prevention | Literature review, development of a data collection instrument, development of theoretical framework, determining methodology to be utilized, data collection, interpretation of data, IRB application and manuscript development for publication. |
| Mark Thibodeau mthibode@fiu.edu | Real Estate | Real Estate Prices and Markets, Externalities, Institutions, and Real Estate Financing | N/A |
| Martín-José Sepúlveda msepulve@fiu.edu | Office of Research & Economic Development | Health and Well-being, Health Services, Population Health, Global Health, Data and Analytics, AI | N/A |
| Matt Shafer mshafer@fiu.edu | Politics & International Relations | Political theory, Marxism, Frankfurt School critical theory, politics of science and technology, politics of language, politics of media | Bring copies of a proposal showing your ideas for ARCH and your resume. |
| Matthew DeGennaro mdegenna@fiu.edu | Biological Sciences | "Understanding how mosquitoes sense humans. Understanding how the human skin microbiome regulates mosquito behavior. Social aspects of mosquito oviposition behavior. Vector ecology of Aedes aegypti in South Florida. Mechanism of Cnidarian symbiosis." | 1 year commitment, 10 to 20 hours per week of volunteer service, interest in learning molecular genetic methods in biology. |
| Md Tauhidur Rahman Mdtrahma@fiu.edu | Electrical & Computer Engineering | Cybersecurity | N/A |
| Michaela Moura-Kocoglu mmoura@fiu.edu | Center for Women's & Gender Studies | Gender Violence and Trauma, Indigenous Feminism, Post-colonial Literary Studies, Women and Genocide, Digital Violence against Women and Girls | Ideal candidates have taken at least one Women's and Gender Studies course, and an interest in gender/ social justice issues. Expectations: Well-developed research skills (library and online), conduct interviews or surveys, solid writing skills. |
| Miranda Kitterlin-Lynch mkitterl@fiu.edu | Hospitality & Tourism | Food and Beverage, Organizational Behavior, Sexual Harassment, Substance Abuse, Workplace Bullying | N/A |
| Mohammed Abdul Muneer mmuneer@fiu.edu | Biomedical Engineering | Neurotherapeutic development (gene and peptide-based therapeutic strategies) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) and neurovascular remodeling and tissue and neural repair engineering in TBI. | Strong interest in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Neuro/neurovascular engineering, Drug Bioengineering, Genetic Engineering, in vivo and in vitro injury , neural recording, and quantitative data analysis. |
| Natalia Soares Quinete nsoaresq@fiu.edu | Chemistry | Dr. Quinete research interests are concentrated in the environmental and bioanalytical chemistry areas, focusing on assessing and understanding the sources, distribution, and fate of persistent organic pollutants and emerging contaminants in the different environmental and biological compartment and their potential impacts to humans and animals. More specifically working on the development and improvement of analytical methods based on mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS) for the determination of several classes of pollutants, such as PFAS, phthalates, in surface water, drinking water, sediments, and biota. | Be motivated, dedicated and eager to learn! |
| Nicholas Smith nismith@fiu.edu | Counseling, Recreation, & School Psychology | Sport management, sport mega events, sport volunteers, sport marketing | N/A |
| Nicole Kashian nkashian@fiu.edu | Communication | My research focuses on the use of mediated communication in interpersonal relationships in relational and health contexts. For example, I’ve published studies about social media influencers, online social support, managing romantic conflict using text messaging and face-to-face communication, and mediated communication and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Bring copy of your resume and ideas for the ARCH program |
| Noel C. Barengo nbarengo@fiu.edu | Medical Education | My primary research interests are prevention and control of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, my scientific research has been focused on how to control and improve lifestyle habits and risk factors of non-communicable diseases in the population and high-risk groups. | Basic skills in epidemiology, research methods. I do not work in a lab but do epidemiological analysis of publicly available data bases (already collected data). |
| Olatokunbo Osibogun oosibogu@fiu.edu | Epidemiology | Cardiovascular health, Tobacco control, Women's health | Statistical skills, literature review |
| Osmel "Ozzie" Delgado odelgado@fiu.edu | Clinical Affairs | Healthcare management, Pharmacology | N/A |
| Ozan Atalan oatalan@fiu.edu | Art + Art History | Posthumanism and new materialisms in art and design, ecological and digital art. | N/A |
| Robinson Reyes Pena roreyes@fiu.edu | Finance | Under Retirement System: US public pension plans funding Long-term investments Under International Finance: Cross-border regulatory arbitrage Short Selling Tax avoidance | Ideally some knowledge on statistical software (e.g., Stata). However, this is not a requirement. |
| Ruben Garrote garroter@fiu.edu | The Honors College | nostalgia studies, esotericism, ancient and modern, Tolkien and Inklings studies | N/A |
| Rumi Agarwal ragarwal@fiu.edu | Health Promotion & Disease Prevention | Improving social, independent living outcomes for adults with autism and intellectual disabilities Improving maternal and child health | N/A |
| Ryan Winter Ryan.Winter@fiu.edu | Psychology | Social Psychology, Legal Psychology, Experimental Psychology | N/A |
| Sabyasachi Moulik Smoulik@fiu.edu | Medical Education | Endocrinology, Diabetes, Medical Education | N/A |
| Sebastian Garcia-Dastugue sgarciad@fiu.edu | Marketing & Logistics | My interests are technology, food/nutrition, and strategy/entepeneurship from a business perspective. | N/A |
| Selcuk Uluagac suluagac@fiu.edu | Computing & Information Sciences | Please see the list of sample studies at the following websites as well as more information about Professor. Selcuk Uluagac. https://nweb.eng.fiu.edu/selcuk/, https://csl.fiu.edu/people/, https://csl.fiu.edu/publications/, https://cybercorps-sfs.fiu.edu/fiu-sfs-students/, https://cybercorps-sfs.fiu.edu/success-stories/ | Good computer programming skills (any would work) or willing to learn and good writing skills. |
| Shannon Pruden sdick@fiu.edu | Psychology | Dr. Pruden's research program, the Project on Language and Spatial Development, aims to understand how children acquire language, particularly those words that describe the spatial and relational world (i.e., motion verbs, spatial prepositions and dimensional adjectives, e.g., running, under, and big). She explores the causes and consequences of individual and sex differences in spatial language and spatial cognition in both child and adult populations. Her recent research examines cognitive, cultural and biological causes of individual and sex differences in spatial language and cognition. | Completed research methods and statistics course. Library research, must be comfortable with working with young children, data collection, data coding, transcription and coding of videos, some experience with statistical software and coding is recommended (e.g., R, Python). Opportunities available for learning eye tracking, eye-blink conditioning, structural MRI, and EEG. Must demonstrate independence and motivation to learn new scientific skills. |
| Suman Kakar kakars@fiu.edu | Criminal Justice | Law, medicine, crime, juvenile justice, domestic violence, and police. | Library research field research and phone/in-person surveys/interviews. |
| Tara Loughrey tloughre@fiu.edu | Psychology | Behavior analysis applications for parent training, telehealth behavioral health treatment modalities, as well as applications of Skinner's verbal behavior. | Familiarity with single case design and applied research. |
| Tatiana D. Viena tviena@fiu.edu | Psychology | Interested in interregional brain communication via oscillations and how the thalamus organizes those oscillations to support learning and memory. | Coding experience MATLAB/Python a plus but not necessary |
| Timothy Allen tallen@fiu.edu | Psychology | See http://allenlab.fiu.edu for up to date information. The Neurocircuitry & Cognition Lab contributes to understanding how the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex give rise to cognition and behavior using the latest anatomical, surgical, neurophysiological, pharmacological, viral, opto- and chemo-genetic approaches. My emphasis is on the circuitry of agranular medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the hippocampus (HC), and mPFC-HC interactions involving the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) and perirhinal cortex (PER). Dysfunction in this system has been linked to the cognitive symptoms in several disorders including but not limited to frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. The lab is unique by innovating a cross-species neurobehavioral research platform for greater translational value that runs experiments in rodents (small animals), pigs, and humans (target species). Our goal with all this is to help understand the brain, and benefit medical diagnostics and therapeutics. | Strong academic record in STEM courses buffered with a broad liberal arts education. Working toward graduate school in a related discipline (e.g., neuroscience, biomedical engineering, biochemistry, psychology, etc.) and/or medical school. Bench experience and MATLAB or Python experience helpful but not required. |
| Tina Yeung tyeung@fiu.edu | Health Services Administration | Health services administration and management, population health, healthcare disparities, health information technology, health communication | N/A |
| Victor M. Uribe uribev@fiu.edu | History | I am a Professor of History and Law whose research focuses on the history of the legal profession, crime, and punishment in both colonial and modern contexts, with a particular emphasis on domestic violence. My academic interests also include constitutional history and 19th-century Latin American politics. In addition to historical scholarship, I engage with contemporary legal issues such as the judiciary, the inter-American legal system, and judicial reform. From 2006 to 2009, I served as National Director (Chief of Party) for a major USAID-funded justice reform initiative—the largest of its kind in Latin America—aimed at overhauling Colombia’s criminal justice system. I have also served as an expert witness on country conditions, legal systems, and the judiciary in numerous immigration cases heard in U.S. courts. | Library research, conducting electronic survey, gathering database. |
| Wenbin Zhang wenbin.zhang@fiu.edu | Computing & Information Sciences | AI, Health Care, Interdisciplinary https://users.cs.fiu.edu/~wbzhang/ There are multiple paid student worker positions available to our graduate students (MS, Ph.D.) and undergraduate students in the lab to work on AI, health care, and interdisciplinary projects. | Preferred Qualifications: - Proficient programming skill preferably in Python. - Experience in Machine Learning - (Bonus) Interdisciplinary background - Excel, writing, reading, and communication skills - Excellent documentation skills - Punctual and ability to meet project deadlines |
| Wendy Ordonez wordonez@fiu.edu | Student Health & Wellness | Painting, Art History, Graphic Design, Illustration, Public health prevention campaigns | N/A |
| Xudong He hex@cs.fiu.edu | Computing & Information Sciences | Software system modeling, analysis, and development | A student needs to have solid computer science background, strong analytic ability, and wants to pursue a graduate degree in computer science. Performing formal model modeling and analysis of software systems, and building software systems. |
| Yamile Marrero ymarrero@fiu.edu | Health Services Administration | Women's Rights to Reproductive Health Affirmative Action under the current federal administration LGBTQ+ healthcare and rights under the current federal administration | N/A |
| Yanzhao Wu yawu@fiu.edu | Computing & Information Sciences | My research interests are primarily centered on the intersection of machine learning and computing systems, including machine learning algorithm and system optimizations, deep learning, edge AI, big data analytics, and their real-world applications. | Programming: Python (or Java, C/C++) |
| Yuan Liu yualiu@fiu.edu | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Study on trinucleotide repeat instability via DNA damage and repair that is associated with human neurodegenerative disease and cancer. | Students are expected to do their work on the bench. |
| Yuleisy Mena ymenabrigada2506@gmail.com | Teaching & Learning | As Executive Director of the Bay of Pigs Museum—and with a graduate degree in History and Curriculum from FIU (where I recently taught an Honors College course on the Bay of Pigs Invasion)—I believe I can contribute by bringing expertise across several fields I have been fortunate to engage with: Public History & Museum Administration I am passionate about the communication of history through museum exhibits and educational programs. I have hands-on experience managing collections, curating exhibitions, and engaging diverse audiences in meaningful ways. Cold War History & International Politics My dissertation dealt with a Cold War topic and I work directly with the veterans of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Primary Sources & Artifact-Based Research Working directly with archival materials and historical artifacts forms the backbone of my approach. Pedagogical Engagement & Mentorship I enjoy guiding students through research on a wide range of topics—from Cold War politics to public memory and heritage practice. I strive to support their diverse interests while helping them connect their work to broader historical themes and institutional contexts. Thank you for the opportunity. | N/A |
| Zachary Pietrantoni zpietran@fiu.edu | Counseling, Recreation, & School Psychology | Research interests are in child maltreatment prevention education, human rights education, and cross-cultural education. | Basic understanding of research methods |