Returning to in-person experiences in February: Visit the COVID-19 website for more information.
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs received many amazing GRADflix submissions for the 2021-2022 competition year, and we’re happy to present this year’s 25 finalists!
Learn more about each of our finalists below, and find out the results of the previous GRADflix competitions on the GRADflix hall of fame page. 
Name and program: Abhishek Mishra, PhD student, Chemical Engineering
GRADflix video title: Online monitoring of bioprocesses using fluorescence spectroscopy
Supervisor: Dr. Hector Budman
Biography: Abhishek Mishra is from Gorakhpur, India. They completed their integrated Master’s from NIT Rourkela, India. Currently, Abhishek is pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering under Professor Hector Budman at the University of Waterloo. In their free time, they love to play chess and table tennis. Abhishek has recently started learning ice skating and finds it to be really difficult. Their favourite food is ramen and they love listening to old Hindi songs.
Name and program: Alexander Malone, MSc Student, Kinesiology & Health Sciences
GRADflix video title: The determinants of paramedic performance
Supervisor: Dr. Steve Fischer
Biography: Alex Malone is currently a Master of Science student in Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Their research is based out of the Occupational Biomechanics and Ergonomics Lab (OBEL). Before starting graduate school, Alex worked as a Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Toronto and Athletics Canada. In their free time Alex likes to work out, listen to podcasts, and read comic books. 
Name and program: Anas Mahdi (he/him), MASc student, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
GRADflix video title: Improving mobility for elderly population
Supervisor: Dr. Katja Mombaur
Biography: Anas Mahdi’s research goal is to create assistive or medical devices at a low cost for the elderly population. Currently, his research focuses on developing a robotic walker with Sit-to-Stand (STS) assistance. He did his Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and is currently doing his MASc in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. His research interests include optimal control, biomedical engineering, assistive technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.
Name and program: Anika Chiang, MSc student, Geography & Environmental Management
GRADflix video title: Helping farmers save our water
Supervisor: Dr. Merrin Macrae
Biography: Anika Chiang is a second-year Master’s student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. Her research looks at how management practices like cover crops and compaction impact the movement of nutrients. She received her undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Biology and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. In her free time, she plays ultimate frisbee and board games with her friends.
Name and program: Anshul Goyal (he/him), PhD student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
GRADflix video title: Is power sector ready for EVs (Electric Vehicles) integration into grid? (YouTube)
Supervisor: Dr. Kankar Bhattacharya
Biography: Anshul Goyal is a graduate research fellow at the University of Waterloo. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering. His areas of interest are smart grids, renewables, electric vehicles and energy storage systems. He has more than 4 years of international working experience in a technical field. His hobbies are playing table tennis, watching sci-fi movies, listening to music, and cooking.
Name and program: Arisha Imran (she/her), MSc student, Biology
GRADflix video title: Flooding in a drying delta
Supervisors: Dr. Roland Hall & Dr. Brent Wolfe
Biography: Arisha Imran completed her BSc at the University of Waterloo and is now an MSc student in the Department of Biology and a member of the WATER research lab group, led by Dr. Roland Hall and Dr. Brent Wolfe. She studies lakes in the Peace-Athabasca Delta in northern Alberta, Canada. Her work focuses on using water isotope and water chemistry data to explore flooding and drying trends in the delta. Arisha’s hobbies include hiking, biking, and travelling. 
Name and program: Atiyeh Ahmadi (she/her), PhD student, Biology
GRADflix video title: Let’s go for healthier future!
Supervisor: Dr. Brian Ingalls
Biography: Atiyeh Ahmadi has a background in microbiology and biophysics. She started at the University of Waterloo as a Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Brian Ingalls, and now she has transferred to a PhD in Biology. Her passion for creating a healthier, safer, and more convenient future has led her to research systems biology. Out of the lab, her favourite hobby is reading books. Her favourite book is Synthetic: How Life Got Made. By the way, she is a big fan of terraforming.
Name and program: Azwad Abid (he/him), MAsc student, Systems Design Engineering
GRADflix video title: Flying cars: a smooth transition for you
Supervisor: Dr. Shi Cao
Biography: Azwad Abid loves the world of automation and flying cars. With two years of engineering job experience and two more for research work, he learned that the best way to learn anything is to dive right into it. Getting stuck is the first point of any significant growth. If you found something interesting and want to talk about ideas, feel free to reach out to him. A fun fact about Azwad is that he is a stage singer and has been since the age of 5. 
Name and program: Cameron McGlade-Bouchard (she/her), MASc student, School of Environment, Enterprise & Development
GRADflix video title: Challenging voluntary sustainability standards’ role in filling global regulatory gaps
Supervisor: Dr. Steven Young
Biography: Cameron McGlade-Bouchard is pursuing her Master’s at the School of Environment, Enterprise & Development. Her thesis explores voluntary sustainability standards’ role in the governance of the metals and mining sectors. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a major in environment and resource management. She has professional experience in corporate social responsibility, eco-marketing, and agricultural sustainability research. In her spare time, she likes to rock climb, bird-watch, read, and play the piano.
Name and program: Chien-Chih Chen (he/him), PhD student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
GRADflix video title: FactDefender: an implementation of fake news prevention by blockchain and an incentive mechanism
Supervisor: Dr. Wojciech Golab
Biography: Chien-Chih (Joseph) Chen (he/his) is a PhD student in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. Before he joined the University of Waterloo, he led three teams to develop banking systems in one of Taiwan’s emerging banks. Also, he collaborated with Microsoft Taiwan to develop a medical system. His doctoral research is mainly related to blockchain, distributed systems, and security. Joseph also volunteers to be a mentor of new graduate students in his department and the Taiwan Global Ambassador of UWaterloo’s Office of Advancement. He is keen to assist other students to explore their future careers.
Name and program: Ebru Emir (she/her), MASc student, Systems Design Engineering
GRADflix video title: A survey on robot personality: designing expressive robotic motion for effortless HRI
Supervisor: Dr. Catherine M. Burns
Biography: Ebru Emir is a MASc candidate in Systems Design Engineering and a researcher at Advanced Interface Design Lab under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Burns. Her Bachelor’s degree is in Industrial Engineering, and she has two years of experience as a Business Analyst at a national defense company. Her research interests involve designing a better fit between humans and machines, enhancing human-robot interaction, and exploring human perception of personality in domestic robots. She uses her passion for learning, curiosity, and experience in engineering and human factors to guide the future of robotics.
Name and program: Eugenia Dadzie (she/her), MSc student, Biology
GRADflix video title: Microbes and enzymes: sustainable plastic degradation
Supervisor: Dr. Trevor Charles
Biography: Eugenia Dadzie is a first-year Master’s student at the University of Waterloo’s Department of Biology. She is currently researching the potential of microbes and the enzymes they produce to degrade plastics, under the supervision of Dr. Trevor Charles. Before this, she completed her Bachelor’s degree in biology, also at the University of Waterloo. In her spare time, you will find her reading, playing volleyball, or catching up on an episode of her favourite tv show.
Name and program: Hannah Burdett (she/her), PhD student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
GRADflix video title: Upscaling snow processes
Supervisor: Dr. James Craig
Biography: Hannah Burdett is currently pursuing her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. In her words, she is a bit of an engineering imposter as she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Windsor in Environmental Science and her Master’s in Spatial Analysis. Her research has gone from crop yield modelling during her master’s degree to modelling water in her PhD. However, her research interests have always been centred around using machine learning methodologies to better understand and model the environment. Outside research, her interests include running and football Sundays. “Go Packers!”
Name and program: Jessica Vander Vaart (she/her), MSc student, Kinesiology & Health Sciences
GRADflix video title: The effects of exercise combined with music on the brain
Supervisor: Dr. Laura Middleton
Biography: Jessica Vander Vaart is a Master’s student at the University of Waterloo in Kinesiology & Health Sciences, specializing in neuroscience. She has a BSc in General Science with minors in Biology and Psychology. She also has a BSc in Kinesiology with a minor in Rehabilitation Sciences. Outside of research and school she enjoys staying active and being outdoors. She really enjoys Muay Thai and has been an instructor for the Muay Thai club at UW for several years.
Name and program: Karen Hock (she/her), PhD student, School of Public Health Sciences
GRADflix video title: Breaking news: sugary drink taxes
Supervisor: Dr. David Hammond
Biography: Karen Hock is a PhD student in the School of Public Health Sciences. She previously completed a coursework MSc in Human Health & Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph. Her research interests lie in the role of food policies on dietary intake patterns. Outside of school, she enjoys swimming, reading, hiking through nature trails, and baking (and eating) cookies. 
Name and program: Lauren Gosse (she/her), MSc student, School of Public Health Sciences
GRADflix video title: Mental health service use among children and youth with chronic physical conditions
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Ferro
Biography: Lauren Gosse is pursuing her MSc in the School of Public Health Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Mark Ferro. She previously completed her undergraduate in Behavioural Neuroscience at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her research interests include child and youth mental health, child and youth multimorbidity, as well as quantitative methods. While it is her first time exploring visual media, she has immensely enjoyed this opportunity to learn to basics of video production and animation. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and friends, travelling when possible, and going for walks with her dog Billy.
Name and program: Linda Sosa-Hernandez (she/her), PhD candidate, Psychology
GRADflix video title: Shyness and friendship formation
Supervisor: Dr. Heather Henderson
Biography: Linda Sosa-Hernandez is currently completing her PhD degree in Developmental Psychology. Her research focuses on the individual and relational factors impacting children’s socio-emotional risk and resilience across development. Before coming to Waterloo, Linda graduated with a Honours BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph. In her spare time, Linda enjoys reading, dancing, and going on hikes with her dog Bailey.
Name and program: Maria Bernadette Battaglia (she/her), PhD candidate, School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability
GRADflix video title: Human behaviour and small-scale fisheries governance: the role of social norms
Supervisor: Dr. Derek Armitage
Biography: Maria Bernadette Battaglia is a PhD Candidate at the School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability. She is a student of the Water Institute and a researcher of the Environmental Change Governance Group, two interdisciplinary groups that address complex challenges in times of change. She is pursuing transdisciplinary research approaches to understand the complexity of human behaviour and its application to the governance of small-scale fisheries. She has been undertaking her research as part of the Vulnerability to Viability Global Partnership (funded by a SSHRC Partnership Grant). The partnership focuses on identifying conditions contributing to small-scale fisheries’ vulnerability and engaging collaboratively with local communities, governments and universities to foster small-scale fisheries’ viability. Her empirical work focuses on social norms and other forms of dynamic behaviour in small-scale fisheries in Antigua, Caribbean. When she can, she loves hiking, sailing, or freediving with family and friends. However, during Canadian winters she loves beating her boyfriend at cribbage and relaxing at home with her cat. 
Name and program: Mariam Gad (she/her), PhD candidate, Chemical Engineering
GRADflix video title: Silicon batteries
Supervisor: Dr. Michael Pope
Biography: Mariam Gad is currently pursuing a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology) after completing her undergraduate degree in Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo. As a member of the 2D Materials and Electrochemical Devices Lab at the University of Waterloo, her research focuses on developing the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. Using a combination of silicon, graphene, and solid electrolyte, the battery capacity, longevity, and safety can be enhanced. Mariam likes to unplug from work by plugging into video games or watching cat videos until she can get her own cat.
Name and program: Maya Petgrave (she/her), MSc student, School of Pharmacy
GRADflix video title: Glycosylation and dynamics of the human cannabinoid receptors
Supervisors: Dr. Aravindhan Ganesan (primary) and Dr.Nekkar Rao (co-supervisor)
Biography: Maya Petgrave completed a Bachelor’s degree in Life Science at McMaster University, with a minor in Biochemistry. Currently, she is completing a thesis-based Master’s at the School of Pharmacy in ArGan’s lab, while using computational biology approaches in her research. Her research and skill interests surround studying protein receptors in silico and coding. In terms of hobbies, she enjoys drawing, playing video games, and piano.
Name and program: Nargess Heydari Beni (she/her), PhD candidate, Systems Design Engineering
GRADflix video title: Monitoring cardiac activity from the upper arm
Supervisor: Dr. Ning Jiang
Biography: Nargess Heydari Beni is a PhD candidate in the Systems Design Engineering Department at the University of Waterloo. She is passionate about signal processing and designing biomedical systems. Besides research, she has great friends that provide her with company to enjoy life. Some things she does when she’s alone are painting and writing, which gives her the opportunity to express herself. In her words, she feels like Alice in Wonderland when she gets the opportunity to imagine and create. She also really enjoys playing chess. It reminds her of her childhood: playful, and excited!
Name and program: Robert Chlumsky (he/him), PhD candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
GRADflix video title: Building blended hydrologic models
Supervisors: Dr. James Craig and Dr. Bryan Tolson
Biography: Robert Chlumsky is a PhD Candidate at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, studying hydrologic modelling under the supervision of James Craig and Bryan Tolson. His research involves improving hydrologic models using innovative approaches and calibrating models in high-performance computing environments. He uses tools such as R frequently in his work to analyze results and create software packages. Outside of academia, Robert is a licensed professional engineer, a martial artist, a husband, and a father to two adorable twins.
Name and program: Saeideh Davari Dowlatabadi (she/her), PhD candidate, School of Public Health Sciences
GRADflix video title: The effect of early life and adulthood social stress on brain development
Supervisor: Dr. John Mielke
Biography: Saeideh Davari Dowlatabadi is pursuing a PhD in the School of Public Health Sciences with a focus on cognitive neuroscience. She is currently working on the effect of early life and adulthood psychosocial stress models (such as social isolation and bystander stress) on brain development (especially spatial learning and memory) by evaluating behavioural and biochemical factors.
Name and program: Sepideh Sarmast (she/her), PhD candidate, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
GRADflix video title: A green energy storage
Supervisor: Dr. Roydon Fraser
Biography: Sepideh Sarmast is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on renewable energies and energy storage systems. She usually spends her leisure time reading books, listening to music, or colour pencil painting. She likes to learn new skills and recently has started learning how to play the piano which she says is her favourite musical instrument. 
Name and program: Zaid Abbas Al-Sabbag (he/him), PhD student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
GRADflix video title: Interactive defect segmentation using XR
Supervisors: Dr. Chul Min Yeum and Dr. Sriram Narasimhan
Biography: Zaid Abbas Al-Sabbag is currently a second-year PhD student at the University of Waterloo’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department. His research topic focuses on using emerging technologies such as augmented reality, robotics, and AI to perform inspections of infrastructure assets such as buildings and bridges for structural health monitoring. Specifically, he is studying how human inspectors and robots can collaborate to perform inspections using augmented/virtual reality. His hobbies include biking, running, and hiking.
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
Graduate Studies Academic Calendar
Website feedback
Contact us
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office.
