Four Graduate Engineering Students Receive GATE Fellowships

Islam’s research focuses on in-sensor and in-pixel computing using emerging nanoelectronic devices and integrated circuits. The goal is to make imaging systems faster, more energy-efficient, and more secure by enabling some computation to happen directly inside or near the image sensor. This can be useful for applications such as machine vision, edge AI, and next-generation smart sensing systems.

Islam’s faculty advisor is EECS Assistant Professor Ahmedullah Aziz.

“Being awarded the GATE Fellowship is a meaningful recognition of my academic progress and research potential as a PhD student. This fellowship will provide valuable financial and academic support, allowing me to focus more deeply on my research,” Islam said. “It is also especially meaningful because the GATE Fellowship supports collaborative research between the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory through UT-ORII. That connection will help me grow as a researcher, strengthen my engagement with a broader research ecosystem, and move closer to my long-term goal of becoming an independent researcher and faculty member.”

King’s research focus is on the detection and characterization of environmental contaminants. She is currently working on developing methods to improve the detection of biomass-associated “forever chemicals.”

King’s advisor at UT is Fuhar Dixit, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“The GATE Fellowship allows me to collaborate with ORNL researchers on projects relevant to my dissertation by providing me with access to their facilities and expertise,” King said. “It will also allow me to explore the biophysical properties of membranes and proteins under the direct guidance of experts in these areas, something that I would not have access to if not for the GATE.”

Kaushik’s research focus is on security using machine learning, specifically protecting intelligent transportation networks, and developing advanced algorithms for power grids. Her goal is to use advanced machine learning to identify hidden blind spots in these massive networks before bad actors do, so next-generation smart cities don’t become major national security liabilities.

One Kaushik’s mentors EECS Assistant Professor Fnu Suya.

“I am extremely grateful to have been awarded the GATE Fellowship. It’s an incredible boost,” Kaushik said. “I’m deeply passionate about securing our critical infrastructure, so having a joint UT-ORNL committee review my research and recognize its value gives me significant momentum. This gave me an opportunity to be a part of an elite community tackling high-stakes, real-world problems that directly affect our everyday lives.”

Pratiush’s research focuses on building human-AI collaborative scientific instruments for materials discovery. His goal is to develop intelligent scientific instruments that combine human expertise with AI to help scientists make better experimental decisions, learn from measurements more efficiently, and accelerate the discovery of new materials.

Pratiush’s primary advisor is MSE Professor Sergei Kalinin and his co-advisor is MSE Professor Gerd Duscher.

“My long-term research vision is to build a new generation of human-AI collaborative scientific instruments. Just as advances in microscopy transformed our ability to see and understand the microscopic world, I believe intelligent instruments can transform how scientific discovery is performed,” Pratiush said. “By combining human intuition with machine-guided experimentation, these systems can help scientists navigate increasingly complex problems and accelerate the discovery of materials needed for future technologies.”