PDS Winners for Spring 2026
Akriti Agarwal
I’m someone who’s constantly pushing myself to grow, whether that’s building new ideas, meeting interesting people, or stepping into uncomfortable situations that help me level up. I’m naturally curious and love turning thoughts into real, impactful projects. My vision is to build and scale AI-driven systems that solve meaningful real-world problems, especially in finance and healthcare, and eventually create something of my own. Outside of work, I focus on self-improvement, communication, and mindset. I value deep, meaningful connections with people who challenge and inspire me.
Gautam Agarwal
Gautam Agarwal is an MS Computer Science student at Columbia University, specializing in Machine Learning. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Data Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has industry experience at organizations like Google and Epic Systems. His research spans reinforcement learning for speech-to-text systems and large language models, and agentic NFR evaluation frameworks. He is also a recipient of Columbia's PDL Fellowship. Gautam is passionate about advancing RL-based training systems and translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact.
Zewen Chen
Zewen (Anthony) Chen is a second-year M.S. student and an incoming Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University. He conducts research in the Robotic Manipulation and Mobility Lab under the supervision of Professor Matei Ciocarlie. His research focuses on robot dexterous manipulation, including tactile and force sensing, hardware and structural design, control, and robot learning. His work aims to enable robots to interact with complex environments and perform versatile manipulation tasks with human-like adaptability.
Allen Hong
Allen is a Ph.D. student and NSF-GRFP Fellow in Biomedical Engineering (BME) and member of the Columbia McIlvain VIBES Lab, advised by Dr. Grace McIlvain. His research focuses on studying biomechanics of the brain, through characterizing the mechanical properties of the cerebellum and the brainstem and their involvement in neurodegenerative diseases. Before coming to Columbia, Allen earned his B.S. in BME from The College of New Jersey in 2024. Outside of lab, Allen enjoys running and trying new foods in the city.
Neva Luthria
Neva is a 3rd year Earth & Environmental Engineering PhD student in the Nordness Lab. Her doctoral research is focused on CO2 capture and water capture using soft materials. She is passionate about developing innovative, sustainable processes for climate technology and involved in mentorship and outreach to promote inclusivity in the field.
Pavin Pirom
Pavin Pirom is an EEE graduate student in Carbon Management at Columbia University, with a background in petroleum engineering. He has over 10 years of experience in the energy industry, beginning on oil rigs and later advancing to engineering team leader roles at Thailand’s national oil company, PTTEP. He subsequently worked in strategy, procurement, and planning while managing major projects. Pavin is also an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and is committed to supporting the energy transition.
Walter Piszker
Walter grew up in Los Angeles, California and studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley. Now a 5th year PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering in the Simunovic Lab at Columbia, Walter uses human embryonic stem cells and synthetic biology to develop in vitro models of the early human embryo in order to investigate the earliest cell fate decisions. Outside of the lab you can find him cooking, climbing, or cycling. He will be presenting his latest research at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Montréal this summer.
Zhuoyu Shi
Zhuoyu Shi is a doctoral student in Biomedical Engineering, advised by Dr. Grace McIlvain. Her research focuses on image reconstruction, deep learning-based image processing and analysis, and multimodal neuroimaging, with the goal of improving the speed, robustness, and interpretability of Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE). Zhuoyu earned the highest honors in Computer Science (B.S.) and the highest honors in Psychology (B.S.) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2024. Outside of lab, Zhuoyu is a registered yoga teacher in NYC.
Joseph Shy
Joseph Shy is a first-year PhD student in Earth and Environmental Engineering. His current research focuses on hydrometallurgical separations via solvent extraction using ionic liquids for nickel and molybdenum concentrate processing. He previously completed his master’s research at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal for human spacecraft atmospheres using ionic liquids. He aims to leverage his developing expertise in chemical separations to investigate energy-efficient and scalable ionic liquid systems for CO₂ capture. These technologies are intended for both terrestrial applications, including direct air or point-source carbon capture, and closed-loop environmental control in human spacecraft.
Felipe Verástegui
Felipe is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research co-advised by Agostino Capponi and Jay Sethuraman. His research examines market design and optimization algorithms in energy systems, as well as the structure of financial markets for real assets. He is a research affiliate at Columbia's Center for Digital Finance and Technologies and was an inaugural Global Energy Fellow at Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy. Prior to Columbia, Felipe held an adjunct position at PUC Chile and served as Technology Specialist at the Chilean Ministry of Energy, developing operational models for energy policy design and deployment.
Haoda Wang
Haoda Wang is a PhD candidate at Columbia University applying software systems methods to spacecraft software. Previously, he has worked on flight software simulations on Mars 2020 and Mars Sample Return. He is also a 2024 NSF GRFP fellow and a 2022 DoD NDSEG fellow, and holds a BS in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Southern California.
Shurong Zhang
Hi! I’m Shurong Zhang, a Master’s student in Computer Engineering at Columbia University. I previously studied Electrical Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong and had the chance to learn at UCL and Peking University. I enjoy building things that combine software, hardware, and AI—from scalable systems to machine learning applications. Outside of class, you’ll probably find me exploring new places, trying good food, or taking photos around the city.
