phd anthropology emory

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Program Overview

Anthropologists study the full spectrum of what it means to be human. Why does anthropology matter? Investigating the pressing issues facing nations, communities and scientific inquiry today, anthropology is vital to many of the compelling intellectual conversations occurring at Emory and beyond. 

Anthropology majors at Emory work with our faculty to explore questions related to:

• human origins and evolution
• behavioral biology
• human ecology and adaptations
• gender and sexuality
• human cognition and emotion
• health and illness
• social justice and inequality
• social behavior and human diversity
• media and communication
• the intersections of biological, environmental, political, economic, and religious life

Our diverse theoretical and methodological toolkit permits anthropologists to forge creative approaches to established and emerging societal problems as well as to explore and expand the boundaries of human knowledge.

Majors and Minor

Undergraduate

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Robert a. paul, director of undergraduate research, director of undergraduate studies, charles howard candler professor of anthropology and interdisciplinary studies, heather carpenter, undergraduate coordinator.

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Graduate Program

African Studies graduate students pursue their degrees in departments integrated with the IAS, particularly the departments of Anthropology, Art History, French, English, History, and Religion.

In a supportive and collaborative environment, our graduates have published articles, award-winning books, garnered prestigious awards and assembled for seminars on critical discussions by faculty, students and visiting scholars.

If you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D., you should contact faculty within discrete departments. You are also welcome to contact the Institute Director, Professor Subha Xavier.

Our Graduate Student Community

Hugo Bujon, '22, French,   Rutgers

Miriam Kilimo, '22 , Anthropology,  James Madison University

Daniel Thompson, '19 , Anthropology, University of California, Merced

Marion Tricoire, '19 , French, Grinnell College

Parcells, Ashley, '18 , History, Jacksonville University

Julianna Blair Watson , ' 18 , French, Santa Clara University

Graham, Aubrey, '16,  Institute of Liberal Arts, Emory University

Hannaford, Dinah, '14 , International Studies, Texas A&M

Moskowitz, Kara, '14 , History, University of Missouri, St. Louis

Rosenthal, Jill, '14 , History, Hunter College

Dinani, Husseina, '13 , History, University of Toronto at Scarborough

Hellman, Amanda, '13 , Director, Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery

Pariser, Robyn, '13 , Bolt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley

Rogers, Amanda, '13 , Fellow, The Century Foundation

Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth, '13 , The Steven and Lisa Tananbaum Curator in Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art

Gerschultz, Jessica, '12 ,  African Art, Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies, University of Kansas

McCullers, Molly L., '12 , History, University of West Georgia

Musoni, Francis, '12 , History, University of Kentucky

Domingues da Silva, Daniel B., '11 , History, Rice University

Collier, Delinda, '10 , Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Gbadegbesin, Olubukola, '10 , Fine and Performing Arts, Saint Louis University

Hooper, Jane, '10 , History and Art History, George Mason University

Maes, Kenneth, '10 , Anthropology, Oregon State University

Misevich, Phillip, '09 , History, St. John's University

Arrington, Andrea, '08 , History, Indiana State

Dacres, Petrina, '08 , Art History, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (Jamaica)

Mathis, Sarah, '08 , Anthropology, University of the Pacific

Negwo, Assefa, '08 , Director of Research and Publications, Wollo University

Ngugi, Charles, '08 , Journalism and Communication, University of Nairobi

Willis, Thabiti, '08 , History, Carleton College

Davidson, Joanna, '07 , Anthropology, Boston University

Decker, Alicia, '07 , Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Mains, Daniel, '07 , Anthropology, University of Oklahoma

Stephenson, Jessica, '06 , Associate Professor of Art History, School of Art and Design, Kennesaw State

Lindland, Eric, '05 , Fellow, Frameworks Institute

McGovern, Michael, '04 , Anthropology, University of Michigan

Okeke-Agulu, Chika, '04 , Art History, Princeton University

Shumway, Rebecca, '04 , History, College of Charleston

Salo, Elaine, '04 , Women & Gender Studies, University of Delaware (deceased)

Straker, James D., '04 , Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies, Colorado School of Mines

Klemm, Peri,   ' 02 , Fine Arts Department, California State University, Northridge

Thompson, Krista, '02,  Mary Jane Crowe Professor in Art History, Northwestern University

Sanyal, Sunanda, '00 , Art History & Critical Studies, Lesley University

Livingstone, Julie, '01 , History, New York University

Margulis, Jennifer, '99 , Journalist and Writer

Smith, Daniel Jordan, '99 , Anthropology, Brown University

Ephirim-Dankor, Anthony, '94 , Africana Studies, Binghamton University, SUNY

Ernst-Luseno, Heidi,  Filmmaker, Atlanta 

Mbajekwe, Patrick U. , History, Norfolk State University

Subha Xavier Interim Director and DUS, Institute of African Studies Associate Professor of French

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests

Migrant and Diaspora Studies, North African (Algeria, Morocco) and Sub-Saharan Francophone Literature (Senegal, Cameroon, Congo), postcolonial and trauma theory, African and migrant film.

Contact Information

• http://french.emory.edu/

Subha Xavier

Interim director and dus, institute of african studies, graduate student prize.

The graduate student prize is awarded to a graduate student who has made the strongest marks on IAS including consistent and substantive participation in the IAS seminar and contributing to the academic life of the Institute.

Anjuli Webster is the current winner of the IAS Graduate Student Prize. 

Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) section navigation

Medical scientist training program (md/phd).

We are dedicated to training exceptional students from a variety of disciplines who will become the next leaders in clinical academic medicine and biomedical research. The Emory MD/PhD Program combines the advantages of rigorous preparation in clinical medicine with interdisciplinary training in the basic and social sciences of Emory's Laney Graduate School. We recognize that a thriving, interdisciplinary physician-scientist training program is an integral and central component of top academic medical centers; through this combined educational experience, the Emory MD/PhD Program provides the training necessary for students to work at the forefront of a scientific field while concurrently developing outstanding clinical skills.

Program Statistics

Current students.

• Total Number of MD/PhD Students: 92
• Male/Female Ratio: 43 / 49
• Underrepresented Students: 26
• International Students: 8
• States Represented: 28
• Countries represented: 8

2021-22 Recruitment Year Statistics

• Total Applications Received: 603
• Number Interviewed: 57
• Number Matriculated: TBD
• Average MCAT: 516
• Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.81

Miscellaneous Statistics

• Average time to complete program (both MD and PhD degrees): 8.2 years [this means that on average, students graduate in 8 years or less]
• MD/PhD student stipend, 2022-23 academic year: $ 35,175
• Health insurance (including dental) is provided throughout all years of the program

Students by Program

Emory college.

• 1 Anthropology
• 3 Chemistry
• 1  Physics
• 2  Sociology

Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

• 10  Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology
• 9  Cancer Biology
• 2  Genetics and Molecular Pathogenesis
• 5 Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis
• 1 Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
• 3  Molecular and Systems Pharmacology
• 19 Neuroscience
• 2  Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution

School of Public Health

• 3  Environmental Health
• 8  Epidemiology
• 1 Global Health and Development
• 1 Nutrition and Health Science

Georgia Tech

• 18 Biomedical Engineering
• 3  NIH-GPP

Interview Dates & Recruitment Events

The 2023 Hybrid NIH Graduate and Professional School Fair helps attendees explore educational programs leading to the PhD, MD, DDS, MD/PhD, and other graduate and professional degrees. In addition to on-site activities, NIH will provide remote access to various events via the Whoova platform. - July 19: A one-day event at the Bethesda, MD NIH campus will offer (1) hybrid workshops on getting to graduate and/or professional school and (2) in-person exhibitor sessions to learn more about the participating institutions and programs - July 24-August 11: Virtual exhibitor sessions will allow attendees additional opportunities to connect with program representatives. The Emory MD/PhD Program will offer three virtual sessions to learn about our program and have your questions answered: - July 25 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. EST - August 2 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. - August 8 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Please visit the NIH Graduate and Professional School Fair website to register for the conference. You will then be able to register for one or more of the above sessions. Representatives of Emory's MD/PhD Program will be available to answer your questions at the following upcoming regional and national events:

2023-2024 MD/PhD interview dates

September 28-29, 2023

November 2-3, 2023

January 25-26, 2024

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos, Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

October 26-28, 2023 Portland, OR

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)

November 15-18, 2023 Phoenix, AZ

Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium (SEMSS)

November 18-19, 2023, hosted by Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Anthropology Major

Requirements.

A Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology requires a minimum of twelve courses of at least 3 credits each

A. Introductory Courses (2 courses)

Students must take:

• 202 Concepts and Methods in Cultural Anthropology

Students must choose one of the following courses:

• 101 Introduction to Anthropology
• 201 Concepts and Methods in Biological Anthropology
• 204 Introduction to Archaeology

B. Foundational & Area Studies Courses (2 courses)

1. One foundational course that focuses on a theme or field of research:

• ANT 200 / NBB 201 Foundations of Behavior
• ANT 201* Concepts and Methods in Biological Anthropology
• LING 201 / ANT 203 Foundations of Linguistics
• ANT 204* Intro to Archaeology
• HLTH 250 / ANT 205 Foundations of Global Health
• ANT 207 / IDS 207 Foundation of Development Studies
• ANT 210 Human Biology: Life Cycle Approach
• ANT 230 Medical Anthropology
• HLTH 210 / ANT 231 Predictive Health and Society
• ANT 252 Fast Food/Slow Food
• ANT 260 Psychological Anthropology
• Other courses as designated by department

Note : *ANT 201 and 204 cannot be counted for both A and B

2. One course that focuses on a world ethnographic area:

• 280 Anthropological Perspectives (Topics Vary)
• ANT 258 / JS 258 Anthropology of the Jews

C. Concentrations for Anthropology BA Majors (4 courses)

The concentration requirement consists of four courses at or above the 200 level within the concentration. Courses taken to fulfill the foundational course requirement (B.1) or capstone (E) may not count toward the concentration.

Each student must choose a concentration at the time of declaration. The concentration may be changed at a later time. Students may choose from among the following concentrations:

1. The Anthropology of Global Development, Health, and Sustainability Areas of study include:

• Political Economy and Development
• Environmental Anthropology
• Sustainability
• Food (In)security
• Global Health

2. The Anthropology of Power, Identity, and Social Justice

Areas of study include:

• History, Narrative, and Politics
• Power and Socioeconomic Inequalities
• Race and Racism
• Law, Power and Representation
• Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
• Gender and Sexuality

3. The Anthropology of Mind, Body, and Health

• Psychological and Cognitive Anthropology
• Nutritional Anthropology
• Medical Anthropology
• Global Mental Health
• Culture and Public Health
• Anthropology and Neuroscience

4. The Anthropology of Meaning, Media, and Performance

• Media and Communication
• Visual Anthropology
• Religion and Ritual
• Identity and Representations
• Language and Culture
• Performance
• Symbolic Anthropology

5. Individualized Concentration - Student will work with faculty advisor to design the course of study. Possible areas of study include:

• Biological Anthropology
• Archaeology
• History and Anthropology
• Selected themes made in consultation with advisor

Anthropology courses and courses cross-listed with Anthropology will be designated for credit within the appropriate concentrations.

D. Anthropology Electives (3 courses)

Any Anthropology course or course cross-listed with Anthropology may count as an elective toward the Anthropology BA degree, within the guidelines listed under “additional details” below. Course offerings for each term may be found the Course Atlas.

E. Capstone Course: ANT 499

Seniors enrolled in the B.A degree program in Anthropology are required to enroll in and complete a 3-credit Capstone Course: ANT 499: Senior Seminar: Why Anthropology Matters. ANT 499 is intended to be an integrative experience and an opportunity to deepen students’ understanding of the field of Anthropology. While course assignments and readings will vary per instructor, ANT 499 will include reflections on the field, practice, and ethics of anthropology as well as on diverse approaches to doing, writing, and representing anthropological research. Students must have completed ANT 202: Concepts and Methods in Cultural Anthropology and achieved senior status prior to enrolling in ANT 499.

ANT 499 will be offered once per year, either in the fall, or the spring.

Students successfully completing the Honor’s Program may substitute their thesis credits for the Capstone Course requirement.

Additional details

• Only one course at the 100-level may be used to satisfy requirements.
• A maximum combined total of 8 credit hours of ANT 397R (Directed Readings) ANT 495 (Honors) and ANT 497R (Directed Research) may be applied toward the major.
• No courses taken using the S/U option may be applied toward the major.
• Students are encouraged to study abroad. Up to 4 courses taken off the Emory campus (i.e. study abroad or transfer courses) may be approved to count toward major requirements. Courses must be at least 3 credits each and be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
• A maximum of two courses may double-count for both the Anthropology BA and another major or minor.

Note: Petitions for course substitutions and exceptions will be considered by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who may seek the advice of the Undergraduate Concerns Committee as needed.

Dr. Sa'ed Atshan

Associate Professor of Anthropology  at Emory University whose research is focused on:

• Contemporary Palestinian society and politics
• Global LGBTQ social movements
• Christian minorities in the Middle East

His work is at the intersection of cultural anthropology, peace and conflict studies, the anthropology of policy, humanitarianism, critical development studies, gender and sexuality, human security, social movements, the Middle East and North Africa, modern Germany, religious studies, and Quaker studies.

Dr. Sa’ed Atshan joined the Emory Anthropology faculty in Fall 2021. He has served as an Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College, as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Senior Research Scholar in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.

He earned a Joint PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies (2013) and MA in Social Anthropology (2010) from Harvard University, a Master in Public Policy (MPP) (2008) from the Harvard Kennedy School, and BA (2006) from Swarthmore College. 

He is the author of Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique (Stanford University Press, 2020). Atshan is also the coauthor, with Katharina Galor (Judaic Studies, Brown University), of The Moral Triangle: Germans, Israelis, Palestinians (Duke University Press, 2020). The German translation of The Moral Triangle is entitled Israelis, Palästinenser und Deutsche in Berlin: Geschichten einer komplexen Beziehung (De Gruyter, 2021). 

His forthcoming book, Paradoxes of Humanitarianism: The Social Life of Aid in the Palestinian Territories , is under contract with Stanford University Press in their Anthropology of Policy Series. And his forthcoming coedited volume (with Katharina Galor), Reel Gender: Palestinian and Israeli Cinema , will be published with Bloomsbury in fall 2022. 

Atshan has recently embarked on two new projects. One is researching the convergent and divergent experiences of African-American and Palestinian Quakers, with an emphasis on the intersection of race and Christianity in the United States and Israel/Palestine. This project is entitled, “Can the Subaltern Quaker Speak?: Alienation and Belonging among Black and Palestinian Friends.” The other, “Queer Imaginaries and the Re-Making of the Modern Middle East,” is in collaboration with Phillip Ayoub (Diplomacy and World Affairs, Occidental College). Atshan and Ayoub are researching LGBTQ activism across the Middle East and North Africa region.

He has been awarded multiple grants and fellowships, including from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Open Society Foundations, National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, Woodrow Wilson National Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. He is also the recipient of a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans and a Kathryn Davis Fellowship for Peace. 

Dr. Atshan currently serves on the Corporation of Haverford College , the Board of the Association for Middle East Anthropology (AMEA) of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), the Board of the Palestinian American Research Center (PARC), and as the Policy and Law Book Reviews Editor for the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES). He previously served on the Editorial Committee of the Journal of Palestine Studies (JPS), and was an elected Board member for the Middle East Section (MES) of the American Anthropological Association (AAA).

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As an interdisciplinary graduate program, the African American Studies (AAS) Ph.D. Program — the first program of its kind in the U.S. Southeast — is a highly selective course of study combining the expertise of an esteemed group of more than 50 core and affiliated graduate faculty with research specializations in disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields such as African & African American Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Comparative Literature, Creating Writing, Educational Studies, English, History, Music, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. The program provides rigorous training and preparation for Ph.D. students interested in careers within and outside of academe. Our program is organized around the four pillars upon which AAS as a field rests: interdisciplinarity, intersectionality, community engagement, and transnationalism. In addition, each student enrolled in the program will be equipped with specialized training in AAS through one of three cognate fields : Gender & Sexuality, Social Justice & Social Movements, and Expressive Arts & Cultures.

Program Details

Graduate Program Coordinator

Charles jackson.

Interim Director of Graduate Studies

Bayo holsey, associate professor of african american studies and anthropology, aas graduate handbook, mission statement.

Medical Anthropology is a Big Tent, Too

Howard Chiou

HOWARD CHIOU (2015)

EDUCATION: Human Biology BA, 2004, Stanford University Anthropology MA, 2006, Stanford University PhD in Anthropology, 2015, Emory University Doctor of Medicine (MD), 2017, Emory University

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: Adjunct Faculty, Emory University Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer, CDC Lieutenant Commander, Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service

PUBLICATIONS: PhD Dissertation

• (2015) Changing Culture in Healthcare.  Emory Theses and Dissertations (ETD).
• (2021) Woodruff, Rebecca C., Ipuniuesea Eliapo-Unutoa, Howard Chiou, Maria Gayapa, Sara Noonan, Pradeep S. B. Podila, Victoria Rayle, Guillermo Sanchez, Ray Tulafono, Chris A. Van Beneden, Matthew D. Ritchey. Period Prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease and the Need for a Centralized Patient Registry in American Samoa, 2016 to 2018.   Journal of the American Heart Association.
• (2017) Chiou, Howard, Jeffrey K. Jopling, Jennifer Yang Scott, Maghan Ramsey, Kelly Vranas, Todd H. Wagner, Arnold Milstein. Detecting organisational innovations leading to improved ICU outcomes: A protocol for a double-blinded national positive deviance study of critical care delivery.   BMJ Open.

BIOGRAPHY: Dr. Howard Chiou completed his MD/PhD training from Emory University in 2017 with mentorship from Dr. Melvin Konner and Dr. Carol Worthman. His research interest lies in investigating the culture of U.S. healthcare to understand the prevalence of iatrogenic deaths due to medical error. As a medical anthropologist, Chiou examines the healthcare setting as his “cultural laboratory.” He additionally combines his anthropological insight with his training in public health to analyze the efficacy of healthcare quality improvement programs.

According to his dissertation, Chiou’s multi-sited ethnographic approach involved collecting data from participant observation, interviews, and qualitative safety culture questionnaires. He specifically examined an intervention program called the “Unit-Based Care model” that is being implemented in two hospitals in the U.S. and one hospital in Australia. This intervention seeks to initiate social and cultural change within hospital hierarchies to shift towards a more cooperative—and less individualistic—mindset among interdisciplinary teams of healthcare practitioners. However, the pathway to this structural change remains elusive and complex, especially when comparatively examined in a variety of different hospital contexts. Chiou’s research ultimately highlights the need for increased ethnographic research due to the reality that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to healthcare quality improvement programs.

Apart from his research in sociocultural medical anthropology, Dr. Chiou is also licensed as a Preventative Medicine Physician from the California Board of Medicine. He currently holds the position of lieutenant commander for the U.S. Public Health Service from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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By April Hunt  April 10, 2024

Emory College juniors Julianna Cruz and Satvik Elayavalli are recipients of the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s top scholarship for undergraduates in math, natural sciences and engineering.

— Photo by Kay Hinton, Emory Photo/Video.

Students interested in learning more about Goldwater Scholarships and other prestigious awards should schedule an appointment and register for events through College Connect .

Find more information through the  National Scholarships and Fellowships program  website.

Two exceptional undergraduate researchers in Emory College of Arts and Sciences have been named 2024 Goldwater Scholars , the nation’s premier scholarship for students of math, the natural sciences and engineering.

Juniors Julianna Cruz and Satvik Elayavalli are among 508 undergraduate scholars selected nationwide for this year’s award, which comes with $7,500 annually toward the cost of their undergraduate degrees.

Recipients represent the scientific talent needed to ensure the U.S. maintains global competitiveness and security, according to the U.S. Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs, which partners with the Goldwater Foundation for the award.

Both Cruz and Elayavalli have explored wide-ranging coursework and research experiences that allowed them to make significant contributions in the lab and write or co-author papers on their research. They join 49 previous Emory recipients of the scholarship since Congress endowed it in 1986.

“Julianna and Satvik embody the ideal of applying the liberal arts to embrace discovery and make a difference in the world,” says Emory College Dean Barbara Krauthamer. “We are incredibly proud of their well-deserved recognition as Emory’s latest Goldwater Scholars.” 

Julianna Cruz

Growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants in Texas, Cruz dreamed of becoming a doctor who understands how demographics affect health, especially in vulnerable communities.

Research opportunities first intimidated Cruz, who is also a QuestBridge Scholar . She focused instead on building connections through Emory FirstSTEM , the orientation program for first-generation students, and sampling broad coursework.

Cruz also dove into service work, helping Slow Food pack and deliver weekly meals to food-insecure Emory students and staff. She also volunteered as a medical interpreter at local clinics and a medical assistant at a charitable health care center in west Atlanta.

By the end of her first year at Emory, she decided a double major in anthropology and human biology and Spanish/Portuguese would build a secure pre-med foundation with the interdisciplinary study she craved.

Still, it was not until last year, with encouragement from a FirstSTEM mentor, that she successfully   applied to become a research assistant in the competitive Undergraduate Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Given the short, nine-week timeframe, supervisor Jordana Cohen expected Cruz would complete only the first step of analyses in a study to determine whether arterial stiffness could be an early warning sign of cardiac events in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Cruz finished the first batch of work in a week, prompting Cohen to let her run the entire study. The models Cruz built showed a clear link between large-artery stiffness and abnormal heart rhythm in those patients.

The results have immediate clinical implications, which Cruz will present to doctors from around the world at the World Congress of Nephrology in Argentina. She will also be first author on an upcoming paper about the research.

“Because she thinks so deeply about the work she is doing and cares so much about this population, I think Julianna is going to help a lot of people with her work,” says Cohen, a nephrologist and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Penn.

Since last fall, Cruz has analyzed additional non-pharmaceutical interventions for patients with chronic kidney disease, studying the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) meditation in physician Jeanie Park ’s human integrative physiology lab at the Emory University School of Medicine.

She plans to continue that work this summer, when she will begin recruiting Latinx patients with chronic kidney disease for her honors thesis. For that project, Cruz will conduct interviews to examine how factors such as ethnicity and citizenship status affect views on health care and biomedical research.

Cruz will juggle that work while also embarking on a global public health project next fall, when she will travel to India, South Africa and Argentina with the School for International Training. She also will be readying her applications for a joint MD/PhD program, a career path the Goldwater scholarship makes possible.

“I was in the midst of thinking that I should proceed with just medicine, because being first-gen and low-income, it would bring more stability faster,” Cruz says. “I’m so grateful for the Goldwater because it affirms that I can help my family and thousands more people in the long run if I also contextualize patient narratives in research.” 

Satvik Elayavalli

Elayavalli arrived at Emory certain of one thing: He wanted to avoid writing long essays as much as possible.

A major in chemistry seemed to fit the bill and provide a path forward to research and possibly medical school. In the fall of his first year at Emory, he found an undergraduate research role in biologist Anita Corbett ’s lab.

Paired with another student, Elayavalli conducted genetic screenings, trying to identify suppressors of cancer-causing genes using a budding yeast model. He continued in the role during the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program , inserting genes into mutated yeast cells eight hours a day for 10 weeks.

When he confessed to Corbett that he didn’t enjoy the pressure and repetitive nature of the work, she suggested he pivot to analyzing RNA-sequencing data generated in collaboration with Jennifer Spangle’s lab in Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute. At the time, no one in either lab could do that work.

Elayavalli, who cites numerical analysis and numerical optimization as his favorite courses so far, taught himself the computational skills required for that analysis by watching video tutorials and reading code documentation online.

He helped develop code that successfully characterized a specific mutation, earning him co-authorship on a manuscript under revision for the journal NAR Cancer.

Elayavalli has since declared a major in applied mathematics and statistics and is taking graduate-level math courses. He plans to pursue a PhD in applied math, certain now that his niche lies in computational research with real-world impact in oncology research.

“Figuring out what you don’t want to do is incredibly valuable,” says Corbett, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology and Emory College senior associate dean for research. “Because he was self-reflective, Satvik is now on the cutting edge of optimizing systems and developing the methods needed for the next stage of cancer research.”

Elayavalli’s foundational understanding of the science helped him secure a computational research role last summer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. His primary work was developing a simulation for single-cell RNA-sequencing data as part of Ken Chen’s bioinformatics lab, but he also volunteered to help another researcher with statistical tests on a different project. Publications related to both projects are forthcoming, with Elayavalli as co-author.

He will apply machine learning to discover new methods to analyze medical images for his honors thesis. The work will be conducted with Anant Madabhushi , executive director of the Emory Empathetic AI for Health Institute and the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Elayavalli also plans to continue tutoring math and English as part of Emory Reads and helping behind the scenes with the Emory Composers Society, an outgrowth of working concerts at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts for two years.

Though he last performed a recital as a sophomore, Elayavalli also plans to enroll in piano courses until graduation, both as a stress reliever and a challenge.

“I think the reason I like math and the prospect of a career in this area is the same as piano,” Elayavalli says. “Both are solving puzzles where you have to figure out why something is going wrong or what will create an output in the specific way you need. It’s very gratifying to win the Goldwater for that.”

• National Scholarships and Fellowships
• Emory College
• School of Medicine
• Winship Cancer Institute
• Liberal Arts
• Math and Computer Science
• Student Flourishing
• Student Research

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Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

2024 phd graduate – radio systems scientist.

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Are you interested in the research, development, design, analysis and testing of Radio Frequency (RF) sensors and communications systems such as radars, wireless data links, and Position Velocity Attitude and Timing (PVAT) receivers?

Are you passionate about doing hands-on engineering work in the field or in test facilities?

Do you want to be a part of a multi-disciplinary team developing innovative solutions for the next generation of missile defense interceptors?

If you are graduating with a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, or Systems Engineering we’d love to have you join the Radio Frequency Engineering Group!

We are seeking a Radio Systems Scientist to support requirements development, prototyping, test and evaluation and everything in between for RF kinetic weapon systems.

As a Radio Systems Scientist you will…

• Support analysis and verification of RF and PVAT based guidance and navigation systems and communications links to include digital signal processing, seeker and antenna design, prototyping and experiments.
• Design, integrate, test, and explore RF technologies and systems in both laboratory and field test settings.
• Conduct applied research to improve future RF and PVAT systems
• Use anechoic chambers and devise RF testbeds to characterize the performance of RF systems, analyze data, and propose design refinements.
• Circulate knowledge by articulating ideas clearly through papers and presentations to technical staff, management, and government decision makers.

You meet our qualifications for the job if you…

• Have a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, or Systems Engineering, or another related technical field.
• Have experience in designing and performing experiments, as well as analyzing experimental data.
• Have experience with at least one of the following: digital signal processing, wireless communications, GPS systems, antenna design and analysis, RF systems design, or radar engineering.
• Have excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, and have demonstrated success while working within a team environment.
• Familiar with using one or more types of RF test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, signal generators, waveform generators, oscilloscopes, or signal analyzers.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time as needed.
• Are able to obtain an Interim Secret security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Why work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

APL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

APL is committed to promoting an innovative environment that embraces diversity, encourages creativity, and supports inclusion of new ideas. In doing so, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact [email protected]. Only by ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard are we empowered to be bold, do great things, and make the world a better place.

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Olumide Ojediran receives a CAAAS Graduate Student Summer Fellowship

Olumide Ojediran (Archaeology, PhD in progress) receives The Center for African & African American Studies Graduate Student Summer Fellowship (CAAAS).  This fellowship is for graduate students conducting research and creative work in African studies, African American studies, and African diaspora studies.