The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) plays an essential role in supporting the innovative research and graduate education that are cornerstones of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The following profiles illustrate the diverse and important ways that WARF contributes to graduate student success at UW–Madison.
WARF-funded student profiles
Oluwatobi (Tobi) Idowu
PhD student, African Cultural Studies Tobi’s research interests include African popular culture, digital media, and global Black literatures.
Sarah Tolbert
PhD candidate, Geography Sarah’s PhD research focuses on how to increase local communities’ capacity for forest conservation in the DRC.
Charles Smith
PhD student, Economics and Business Charles is a PhD student in the joint PhD program in Finance and Economics at the Wisconsin School of Business whose research lies at the intersection of finance and industrial organization.
Elise Chavez
PhD student, Physics
Arielle Link
PhD student, Integrative Biology Arielle's research focuses on nitrogen cycling and soil microbial communities in post-fire lodgepole pine forests in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Silas Miller
PhD student, Cellular and Molecular Biology As a member of the Raman Lab, Silas studies a type of protein that pumps antibiotics out of bacteria and makes them drug resistant, called an efflux pump.
Brian Foster
PhD student, Chemistry As a member of Kyoung-Shin Choi’s chemistry lab, Brian has helped develop a new method to recover valuable chemical elements from used lithium-ion batteries.
Brandon Tran
PhD candidate, Computer Science Brandon develops energy models for graphics processing units (GPUs) in high-performance computing systems to help researchers get more intelligent information about how much energy different aspects of their computing job require.
Mahmudul Hassan
PhD student, Mechanical Engineering Mahmudul is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering specializing in surface polishing of laser additive manufacturing. During the summer of 2023, he was a WARF-supported research assistant on a Research Forward project that explores multi-material additive manufacturing of electrical machines.
Gabriela C. Yepes-Rossel
PhD student, Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies Gabriela is a PhD student from Lima, Peru, a playwright, film and theater director, and scholar of Andean theater and performance. Her graduate research applies a gendered and decolonial perspective to drama and performance in the Southern Peruvian Andes.
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