E-SEARCH

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Unlocking Potential Through Mentoring

Research and mentoring are important parts of the engineering student experience.

Launched in 2023, the E-SEARCH Mentoring Program connects engineering undergraduate students with graduate student mentors for a sustained experience in mentorship, exploration and collaborative project work. Together, teams develop a manageable project informed by their shared interests. Projects may involve research, experimentation, computation, modeling, design, data analysis, engineering applications or other forms of technical inquiry.

Through the experience, undergraduate students gain greater exposure to engineering research and graduate education while developing confidence, technical skills and professional connections. Graduate student mentors build mentoring, communication and leadership experience while sharing their own pathways through engineering and graduate study.

E-SEARCH supports the College of Engineering’s Next Level Education Vision and commitment to broadening participation in advanced engineering study, creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities and preparing students to contribute to a better world.

Apply to E-SEARCH  Program Expectations  Project Showcase  Project Archive  Participant Highlights

E-SEARCH at a Glance

6

cohorts since 2023

208

total participants

Inclusive

Undergrad & graduate engineering students

100+

team projects completed

What Makes E-SEARCH Different?

E-SEARCH is designed to make research, technical exploration and graduate education feel more accessible, personal and achievable. The program emphasizes mentorship, exploration, communication and confidence-building through hands-on collaboration between undergraduate students and graduate student mentors.

Success is not defined by producing groundbreaking results. Instead, participants work toward a meaningful and achievable project while learning how engineers ask questions, solve problems, navigate uncertainty and communicate what they discover. Along the way, participants build connections, develop professional skills and learn more about possible pathways in engineering research, graduate education and professional practice.

Is E-SEARCH Right for Me?

E-SEARCH is for students who are curious about engineering, research and problem-solving and who want to learn through sustained collaboration with another student.

Undergraduate mentees do not need previous research experience or a fully formed project idea. They may be exploring research for the first time, considering graduate school, building confidence in a technical area or simply looking for a meaningful way to engage more deeply with engineering.

Graduate student mentors may come from research, technical, design, professional or other graduate-level backgrounds. What matters most is that they have experience to share and an interest in helping an undergraduate student learn, grow and navigate an open-ended project.

Participants come from across engineering disciplines and bring different interests, experiences and goals. E-SEARCH is designed to support that range.

E-Search Mentors

Graduate Student Mentors

Current Ph.D., M.S. and M.Eng. students enrolled in graduate programs administered by the UC Davis College of Engineering and in good academic standing may apply to serve as E-SEARCH mentors.

Master’s applicants should have sufficient research, technical, professional, design or related experience to guide an undergraduate through an introductory project.

E-SEARCH Mentee

Undergraduate Student Mentees

College of Engineering undergraduates in good academic standing with a 2.500 or greater UC GPA are eligible to apply as E-SEARCH mentees.

No previous research experience is required.

Apply to E-SEARCH 

The next E-SEARCH cohort will take place during Winter and Spring quarters 2027, with program activities beginning in January and concluding with the E-SEARCH Project Showcase on June 2, 2027. Applications and additional instructions will be posted here when each application period opens.

Graduate Student Mentors

Mentor applications will be open October 1–November 20, 2026. Graduate students enrolled in eligible College of Engineering programs may apply.

Mentor Information Session

Undergraduate Mentees

Mentee applications will be open October 19–November 30, 2026. Continuing College of Engineering undergraduates in good academic standing with a minimum 2.500 UC GPA may apply.

Mentee Information Session

Program Expectations

Mentors

Current Ph.D., M.S. and M.Eng. students enrolled in graduate programs administered by the UC Davis College of Engineering may apply to serve as E-SEARCH mentors. Mentors bring graduate-level research, technical, design, professional or related experience that can help introduce an undergraduate student to engineering inquiry and problem-solving. Mentors work closely with their mentee throughout winter and spring quarters to develop and complete a manageable project based on shared interests.

Mentoring activities may include:

  • meeting regularly with a mentee to discuss goals and project progress
  • introducing a mentee to research, technical or professional practices
  • guiding hands-on problem-solving, analysis, design or inquiry
  • sharing experiences related to graduate education and engineering careers
  • helping a mentee build confidence, independence and professional skills

New mentor applicants will also participate in an individual conversation with E-SEARCH program staff to discuss their interests, experience and possible project ideas.

Mentor selection considers the applicant’s experience, interest in mentoring, project possibilities and ability to support an undergraduate student throughout the program.

Mentees

College of Engineering undergraduates in good academic standing with a 2.500 or greater UC GPA are eligible to apply as E-SEARCH mentees. Mentees are matched with graduate student mentors based on factors including shared interests and available project opportunities. Over winter and spring quarters, mentees work with their mentor to explore an engineering topic and complete a manageable collaborative project. No previous research experience is required.

Mentee activities may include:

  • meeting regularly with a graduate student mentor
  • participating in research, technical, computational, design or other project activities
  • learning how engineers approach open-ended questions and problems
  • developing technical and professional communication skills
  • learning about graduate education and engineering career pathways
  • preparing and presenting a poster at the E-SEARCH Project Showcase

Mentees should be active and curious participants who are willing to ask questions, communicate with their mentor and engage consistently throughout the program.

Space is limited, and the availability of appropriate mentors and project matches is an important consideration in the selection process.

Program Staff

Alin Wakefield

Alin Wakefield

Director, E-SEARCH

Questions about E-SEARCH, program participation, partnerships or opportunities to support the program may be directed to Alin Wakefield at [email protected]. 

Project Showcase

Each E-SEARCH cohort concludes with a Project Showcase where mentor-mentee teams present posters describing their project, process and outcomes.

The showcase gives participants experience communicating technical and research work to the broader College of Engineering community while celebrating what they accomplished together.

Projects span engineering disciplines and have included topics in AI and computing, sustainability and energy, biomedical engineering, robotics and autonomy, materials and manufacturing, transportation and infrastructure, environmental and agricultural engineering, modeling and simulation, and more.

E-Search Project Showcase

E-SEARCH Project Showcase: Winter/Spring 2027

Wed, Jun 2, 2027 @ 3–4:30 p.m.

Join us for the grand finale as we celebrate the remarkable achievements of the most recent cohort and the exciting outcomes of their projects! Experience the innovation, collaboration and ideas that have emerged from these partnerships. More details coming soon.

 

Project Archive

Each E-SEARCH project is developed collaboratively by a mentor-mentee team based on shared interests, available opportunities and an achievable scope for the program.

  • Winter/Spring 2026

  • Team 001  |  OptiCard

    An Nguyen, Sailendra Akash Bonagiri

    Team 002  |  Determining the Effects of Potassium Treatments on Vineyards Through Multispectral Imaging

    Kiana Mushock, Parastoo Farajpoor

    Team 003  |  Experimental and Computational Investigation of Pore-Scale Fluid Dynamics in PDMS Microfluidic Systems

    Tristan Nguyen, Hamidreza Khoshtarash

    Team 004  |  Tomato Field Detection in California Using Google AlphaEarth Satellite Embeddings and Machine Learning

    Yaohong Chen, Mohammadreza Narimani

    Team 005  |  Twisting the Backbone: How Dihedral Angles Shape the Electronic Properties of BTR Polymers

    Juncheng Jiang, Chen-Wei Chiang

    Team 006  |  Trajectory Planning and Dynamic Motion Analysis of a Robotic Mechanism

    Arlette Lopez Rincon, Subhaditya Mitra

    Team 007  |  Rubric- and Temperature-Calibrated AI Auto-Grading for Computer Architecture Assessments

    Navya Gupta, Basheer Ammar

    Team 008  |  GPU-Accelerated turbulence solver using OpenAcc and CUDA-Aware MPI

    Yurun Shi, Yicheng Li

    Team 009  |  Development of Comprehensive Control System For Direct Energy Deposition (DED) Process

    Andres Mino Cortes, Weijun Zhang

    Team 010  |  Tracing Pathways in the Microstructure State Space

    Hailey Tran-Kieu, Dylan Miley

    Team 011  |  Using synthetic data to improve pneumonia classification in chest X-rays

    Jojo Chen, Stefan Broecker

    Team 012  |  Impacts of Liquid Sloshing on Tractor-Trailer Stability - A CFD Study

    Chanji Gaelan, Abhigyan Majumdar

    Team 013  |  Retrofitting Residential Heat Pump Thermostat Control with Supervisory Economic Model Predictive Control

    Breanna Tiu, Hossein Kalantar-Neyestanaki

    Team 014  |  Shear Strengthening Reinforced Concrete T-Beams with FRP: Anchored Externally Bonded FRP vs. Near-Surface Mounted FRP

    Charlie Tian, Deni Velagic

    Team 015  |  AvianFoil Error Analysis and Testing: Validating Neural Network Aerodynamic Predictions

    Taylor Chin, Faiza Alvi

    Team 016  |  Association of Travel-Limiting Disabilities with Public Transit Use

    Lizeth Ruiz, Md Musfiqur (Sifat) Bhuiya

    Team 017  |  Testing Impact Strength of Concrete Reinforced with Recycled Plastic Waste and the Effects of Surface Treatments On Plastic-Concrete Adhesion

    Elana Galleon, Thai Nguyen

    Team 018A  |  Modification of a Mouse Headplate Implant for Brain Electrical Stimulation

    Genesis Avilez, Jared Lee, Raul Castillo Astorga

    Team 018B  |  Effects of Temporal Interference Electric Field Stimulation During Associative Memory Encoding in Healthy Adults

    Jared Lee, Genesis Avilez, Raul Castillo Astorga

  • Spring/Summer 2025
  • Team 001  |  Dynamic Data Collection & Monitoring of High Vacuum Pressure Gauges
    Camila Nino Francia, M.A. Mort

    Team 002  |  Deep Learning-Based Snow Monitoring in California Using Sentinel-2 Satellite Data for Management of Snowpack Resources
    Vivian Sun, Mohammadreza Narimani

    Team 003  |  The Influence of Structural Variations on Simulated Inelastic Neutron Scattering Spectra
    Cole David Brown, Toulik Maitra

    Team 004  |  Multi-Modal PDF Chunking and Retrieval for Microcontroller Documentation
    Ziyi Chen, Asmita Asmita

    Team 005  |  Frictional separation of granular materials in opposing directions via horizontal vibrations
    Teddy Liu, Shelly Zhang

    Team 006  |  Understanding selectivity of Indium catalyst for reactive capture of CO2 by experimental and computational methods
    Jessica Ting, Jenna Ynzunza, Sebastian Espina

    Team 007  |  Tracking Soil Displacement in Centrifuge Experiments Using Computer Vision and Convolution Algorithms
    Ricardo Gonzales, Maziar Mivehchi

    Team 008  |  Predicting the Performance of Biochar Based Cement Composites Using Machine Learning
    Anna Pandey, Souvik Roy

    Team 009  |  End-to-end AI Agent for Conducting Research
    Gerard Anderias, Akash Bonagiri

    Team 010  |  Quantifying the rate of biogenic manganese oxide dissolution in a microfluidic soil environment
    Adrian Munoz, Eleanor Fadely

    Team 011  |  Temperature Dependence of Solvent Mixtures for Polymer Patterning
    Suhani Babu, Joaquin Mogollon Santiana

    Team 012  |  CIP Implementation in Wineries to Reduce Water and Chemical Use
    Jonah Katsumata, Brooke Fanale

    Team 013  |  Human-AI Idea Selection: System Comparison and Feature Engineering
    Naomi Zhao, Meredith Young-Ng

    Team 014  |  Phonon Modes Projection on Electron Phonon Coupling of Organic Semiconductors
    Luna Park, Ray Chiang

    Team 015  |  Physics-Based Modeling, Control, and Simulation of a Two-Link Robotic Arm
    Scarlett Salisbury, Aatam Gajjar
  • Fall 2024
  • Team 001  |  Sacramento County Freight Network Vulnerability to Natural Hazards
    Kristen Wojciechowski, Daniel Orlando Rivera Royero

    Team 002  |  Advanced Multimodal Cognitive Impairment Stage Classification for Alzheimer's Disease Using Cross-Modal Vision Transformers
    Liza Tinku Jose, Aditya Krishnan

    Team 003  |  Smart Home Central Control for Price-Response and Capacity Management
    Shriya Sawant, Afshan Qamar

    Team 004  |  Optimizing Downstream Processing: Ammonium Sulfate Precipitation in Plant-Based Protein Purification
    Ashley Nicole Ou, Anindya Karmaker

    Team 005  |  Enhancing Orchard Management with Deep Learning: Tree Segmentation Using Geospatial SAM2 Model and NAIP Aerial Imagery
    Sarbani Kumar, Mohammadreza Narimani

    Team 006  |  The Nat Signal
    Natalie Kuang, Hari Venugopalan

    Team 007  |  Computer Vision Recognition for Bouldering Assistance
    Jonathan Wang, Sophie Quynn

    Team 008  |  Understanding a critical zika virus-host protein interaction through molecular simulations
    Jeremy Yang, Vardhan Peddamallu

    Team 009  |  Framework to quantify greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions from road network in the United States
    Tian Doong, Iyanuoluwa Filani

    Team 010  |  Computational Model of Local Calcium Concentration on Stability of CaM/CaMKII Complex
    Nithmi Jayasundara, Grace Jeng

    Team 011  |  Cotton Candy Conversion and Manufacturing: A Process Engineering and Economic Perspective
    Hillary Vo, Aatam Gajjar

    Team 012  |  Investigating the Effects of Belt Grinding Parameters on Swarf Morphology for Additively Manufactured Cobalt Chromium
    Dhruv Gullapalli, Felicia Fashanu

    Team 013  |  Real-Time Drowsiness Detection Using Machine Learning
    Rithika Krishna Perugupalli, Momtanu Chakraborty

    Team 014  |  Neural Insights into the Correlation Between Music and Emotion: A Machine Learning Approach to Predicting Emotional Responses from Brainwaves
    Sarayu Mummidi, Jayneel Vora

    Team 015  |  Seasonal CO2 Flux at Uvas Reservoir: Influence of Water Quality and Meteorology Parameters
    Kinsey Kwan-Liu, Corrin Clemons
  • Summer 2024
  • Team 001  |  Organic Semiconductors: Can we quantify disorder using INS?
    Rachel Long, Toulik Maitra

    Team 002  |  Automated Image Stitching for Stereomicroscopic Assessment of Inflammatory Bowel Tissue in Crohn's Disease Mouse Models
    Chun-Ho Chen, Aditya Krishnan

    Team 003  |  Introducing Flow to Improve Patterning Resolution of Semiconducting-Polymers
    Nix Gandham, Joaquin Mogollon Santiana

    Team 004  |  Influence of cortical neural cell-secreted soluble factors on glioma cell proliferation and morphological changes
    Elias Guzman, Allison Pickle

    Team 005  |  Twice-Coverage Path Planning for Field Harrowing
    Justine Ellery, Yuankai Zhu

    Team 006  |  Global Vegetation and Climate Insights Portal (GVCIP): A Google Earth Engine-Based Monitoring Tool
    Nicholas Richmond, Mohammadreza Narimani

    Team 007  |  Predicting Leaf Nitrogen Content Using Spectral Reflectance: A Machine Learning Approach
    Mandelina Chokry, Parastoo Farajpoor

    Team 008  |  Optimizing pH Conditions for BSA Adsorption onto a Cationic Ion Exchanger Using Bradford Assay
    Issac Lara, Ece Goktayoglu

    Team 009  |  Development of an Image Analysis Protocol to Understand Thrombi Composition
    Jadine Rodriguez, So Youn (Emily) Lee

    Team 010  |  Physics-Based Modeling of Lettuce Transpiration Rates in Greenhouse Environments
    Neydi Palacios, Abir Ahsan

    Team 011  |  Equity Impacts of Sustainable Transport: Who is Affected and Where?
    Edgar Cruz Mendoza , Weijing Wang

    Team 012  |  Low-Cost Automated Estimation of Almond Leaf Area Using Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence Techniques
    Rithika Krishna Perugupalli, Momtanu Chakraborty

    Team 013  |  Exploring the Temporal Variability of Diffusive Methane Flux Rates in Uvas Reservoir
    Carly Wolf, Corrin Clemons

    Team 014  |  Dynamics of Coffee Roasting
    Zaina Alnahlawi, Laudia Anokye-Bempah

    Team 015  |  Molecular Gymnastics: Exploring Ion-Induced Folding Variations in Alpha-Lactalbumin Using AI-Based Protein Modeling
    Jennie Kim, Grace Jeng

    Team 016  |  Evaluating Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models: A Comparative Analysis of Generative Model Metrics
    Kyle Luo, Jayneel Vora

    Team 017  |  Analyzing the Most Cost-Effective Materials for Storing Hydrogen
    Jessica Dong, John Cadiz

    Team 018  |  Uncovering the Mechanisms of Delayed Graft Function (DGF) in Human Kidney Transplants Using Single-Cell Spatial Transcriptomics
    Aashka Jhaveri, Yongheng Wang

    Team 019  |  Enhancing Coffee Research through Data-Driven Tools and Insights at Roastpic, Inc.
    Andrew Chen, Alice Dien
     
  • Spring 2024

  • Team 001  |  Hot Wheels Wind Tunnel
    Ivan Leung, Daniel Rivera

    Team 002  |  Get Started with Python: Processing and Visualizing Census and Geospatial Data
    Victoria Lam, Weijing Wang

    Team 003  |  Enhancing Wildfire Monitoring through Remote Sensing with Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery and Python Programming
    Quynh Tran, Mohammadreza Narimani

    Team 004  |  Vernacular materials for construction and building: an overview
    Xiang Gu, Patrick Cunningham

    Team 005  |  Numerical Simulation of Passive Suspension Systems: Investigation of the Impact of Vehicle Type, Road Roughness, Dampers, and Springs
    Anthony Castellanos, Maziar Mivehchi

    Team 006  |  Nonlinear Effects of Gravity Loads on Irregular Frame Structures under Earthquakes and Wind
    Betty Choy, Arka Maity

    Team 007  |  Dynamical Inference of Nonlinear Latent Structures in iEEG data during Decision Making
    Angela Zhou, Logan Peters

    Team 008  |  Unsupervised Model for Depth Estimation
    Doai Ngo, Katherine Cheng

    Team 009  |  Evapotranspiration Rate Measurement for Lettuce Cultivation in Closed System Environment
    John Haugseth, Abir Ahsan

    Team 010  |  Does data augmentation teach deepfake detectors a clearer worldview?
    Carly Wolf, Jayneel Vora

    Team 011  |  Side-Channel Analysis using STLINK V3PWR: Enhancing Hardware Security through Attack Simulation and Performance Monitoring
    Donggeon Kim, Kevin Immanuel Gubbi

    Team 012  |  An Exploration of Water Quality and Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in an Aerated versus a Non-Aerated Reservoir
    Genevieve Imboden, Ruth Thirkill

    Team 013  |  Criteria to screen liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) for coupling with direct isopropanol fuel cell (DIFC)
    Shrishti Chezhian, Siddharth Sonti

    Team 014  |  Autophagy Behavior in Neuronal Cells: Quantifying Morphological Cell Profiles
    Elle Defensor, Neil Adia

Participant Highlights

E-SEARCH participants continue to contribute to research, innovation, mentorship, leadership and professional communities across the College of Engineering.

Participant stories illustrate the range of experiences, pathways and accomplishments connected to the E-SEARCH community.

Alice Dien smiling outdoors near green trees

Mentor Highlight

Alice Dien Teaches Food Systems Innovation in ‘Hacking 4’ Course

Meet Alice
Gerard Anderias and Akash Bonagiri

Team Highlight

Student-Developed AI Tool Fast-Tracks Literature Review

Meet Gerard and Akash
Mechanical and aerospace engineering major Shreya Chandra stands in the Engineering Student Design Center

Mentee Highlight

Shreya Chandra Receives 20 Twenties Award

Meet Shreya

This program is supported through the Next Level Education initiative.