Meet the Graduate Students of ICES

[[As the next class of ICES graduate students takes shape, current students reflect on their experiences. ICES's interdisciplinary mission attracts graduate students with a variety of research interests and backgrounds. Get to know a sample of the student body in these four mini-profiles. Read more.]]

Brad Podkulski

Year: First

Age: 22

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Undergraduate degree: B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

Research interests: Mechanism responsible for methane leakage from abandoned natural gas wells

Podkulski’s first experience with ICES was as an undergraduate intern during the summer of his junior year. He enjoyed working with his advisor so much that he enrolled in ICES’s graduate program. “ I enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of the program,” said Podkuslki. “People from the natural sciences, computer science, math and engineering all work in the same building.” In addition to his activities at ICES, Podkulski enjoys watching sports and lifting weights at UT’s Gregory Gym.

Prapti Neupane

Year: Second 

Age: 23

Hometown: Born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. Moved to Manchester, New Hampshire when 15-years-old 

Undergraduate degree: B.S. in Mathematics and Biology with specialization in Computational Biology from Boston University

Research Interests:  Flood modeling in coastal areas after storm surge and hurricane events

Neupane says she became interested in ICES because of the far-ranging implications of research streams. “Most of the research done at ICES seemed to have practical implications, and I liked the idea of working on problems that are just as interesting and important in the non-academic world as they are from a theoretical perspective.”

When not in school, Neupane can be found on the dance floor. She participates in different dance organizations at UT, including ballroom. 

Kathryn Farrell

Year: Fourth

Age: 26

Hometown: Cypress, California (just right down the street from Disneyland)

Undergraduate degree: B.S. in Applied Mathematics with a French minor from The University of California, San Diego

Research interests: Computationally modeling atomistic systems for nano-manufacturing

Farrell says the quality of ICES professors and the small size of the graduate program creates a supportive and enriching graduate experience. “Because we’re a small program, the students aren’t just numbers in an enrollment book,” said Farrell. “ Students have a lot of support here from the administrative staff and from each other.”

Farrell spends her spare time crafting, sampling Austin’s food culture and, during football season, cheering on UT at football games.

Jonathan Young

Year: Fourth

Age: 26

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Undergraduate degree: B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science from The University of Florida

Research Interests: Discovering genetic vulnerabilities and potential drug targets in lung cancer by analyzing experimental data using data mining techniques.

“I was looking to work at the intersection of computation, mathematics and biology, and ICES seemed to offer rich opportunities for interdisciplinary research,” said Young on why he decided to enroll in the ICES program. Young is actively uniting the areas of clinical medicine with basic science through his research collaboration with groups at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Young says that he has developed a deep interest in medicine, so outside of school he has been shadowing physicians and volunteering at hospitals. He also enjoys going go-kart racing.