People

Graduate Research Assistants

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Manish

Manish Vankudre

Manish is a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in Data Science from the University of Colorado Boulder. He joined Dr. Bolhari’s Household-Community Resiliency Nexus (HCRN) research group in the summer of 2024. His research focuses on developing a comprehensive model that captures community capacity in managing disasters at the household level, utilizing data science techniques with Marshall Fire data. He is most fascinated by the field of data science because of its potential to use data to find solutions that positively impact the world. Beyond data crunching, Manish enjoys playing soccer and traveling the world to explore Earth's natural wonders.Ìý
ManishSubhash.Vankudre@colorado.edu

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AlKhalfan

Sulaiman AlKhalfan

From the dunes and heat of Kuwait to the mountains and frost of Boulder, Sulaiman is a graduate student in civil engineering who joined Dr. Bolhari’s Household-Community Resiliency Nexus (HCRN) research group in the summer of 2023. He earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado – Denver in December 2022 and plans to pursue a PhD at the University of Texas – Austin. In his free time, Sulaiman enjoys playing badminton and soccer, sports in which he was a professional player back in Kuwait. He also volunteers with the National Union of Kuwaiti Students in the US, helping freshmen settle in. His research focuses on data analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of how the resilience of individual households significantly contributes to the overall resilience of a community in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Sulaiman.Sulaiman-1@colorado.edu

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Undergraduate Research Assistants
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Anvie

Anvie Gowrishankar

Anvie is a junior undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with minors in Engineering Management and Astronomy. She joined Dr. Bolhari’s team as a SUPUR student in 2023 to participate in the NSF-funded Innovation-Self-Efficacy (ISE) research group and continued with the team since then. Anvie’s focus on the research has been studying the impact of hands-on course interventions on neurodivergent engineering students' abilities to innovate which can lead to positive educational outcomes and self-efficacy. Anvie has made significant contributions to quantitative and qualitative data analysis and several publications. In her leisure time, she enjoys golfing, participating in extracurricular clubs, and discovering captivating new shows.
Anvie.Gowrishankar@colorado.edu

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Maya

MayaÌýLeizerovich

May is an Applied Math undergraduate student who joined Dr. Bolhari’s NSF-funded Innovation-Self-Efficacy (ISE) research group in the summer of 2023 as a CU-SPUR student. She has remained with the team since then and has made significant contributions to quantitative and qualitative data analysis and several publications.
Maya.Leizerovich@colorado.edu

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Shane

Shane Gavney

Shane is an Environmental Engineering undergraduate student who joined Dr. Bolhari’s NSF-funded Innovation-Self-Efficacy (ISE) research group as a DLA student in 2023-2024. He has continued with the team since then, making significant contributions to both quantitative and qualitative data analysis as well as several publications.
Shane.Gavney@colorado.edu

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Caroline

Caroline Steely

Caroline is a Computer Science undergraduate studentÌýwith a double minor in creative technology and design and engineering management.ÌýSheÌýjoined Dr. Bolhari’s NSF-funded Innovation-Self-Efficacy (ISE) research group as a SPUR student in 2024.ÌýHer research focus is on the innovation self-efficacy of neurodivergent (ND) engineering students. More specifically, Caroline will explore how ND engineering students' abilities in idea networking and associational thinking are different from neurotypical engineering students.Ìý
Caroline.Steely@colorado.edu

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Former research students:

Eric FlaskaÌý
Eric was an Applied Math graduate student who joined Dr. Bolhari’s Household-Community Resiliency Nexus (HCRN) research group in the summer of 2022 through theÌýLaboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA). He madeÌýsignificant contributions in exploring the social capital aspect of households during disasters utilizing Marshall Fire data and published a paper.Ìý
Eric.Flaska@Colorado.EDU

Sasha Rubenfeld
Sasha was a researcher on Dr. Bolhari’s team and graduated from CU Boulder in May 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. Sasha worked on the Household-Community Resiliency Nexus (HCRN) research by processing Marshall Fire community survey data to map it with HCRN constitutes.Ìý
Sasha.Rubenfeld@colorado.edu

Shelby Tillema
Shelby was a researcher on Dr. Bolhari’s team and graduated from CU Boulder in May 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Northwestern University. Under Dr. Bolhari’s supervision, Shelby's senior design team won 2nd place at the 2021 WERC Environmental Design Competition for their design of a PFAS destruction process. Their project proposed a thermal destruction process incorporating calcium hydroxide, utilizing biochar derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste.
Shelby.Tillema@Colorado.EDU

Rita Trick
Rita served as a research assistant on Dr. Bolhari’s team, preparing a series of hands-on K-12 STEM projects related to the fate and transport of contaminants for TeachEngineering. She graduated in May 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and currently works as a rural development specialist at RCAC. Under Dr. Bolhari’s supervision, Rita's senior design team won 2nd place at the 2021 WERC Environmental Design Competition for their design of a PFAS destruction process. Their project proposed a thermal destruction process incorporating calcium hydroxide, utilizing biochar derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste.Ìý
Rita.Trick@Colorado.EDU

Undergraduate research assistants for microplastics study:

  • Dhiraj Shrestha
  • Geneva Gutierrez

Undergraduate research assistants for NSF-EAGER:

  • Jesse Lee
  • Maria Ochoa
  • TJ Spies
  • Austin Poole
  • Nicholas Menrique

Undergraduate faculty-mentored research students:

  • Brandon Machingura
  • Brandon Dussenbury
  • Jake Gravell
  • Mark halfman
  • Natalie Cox
  • Shelby Freeman