Current Dissertation Defenses

September 2025

Candidate: Rei Gordon
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Political Science
Title: Democracy in the Afrobarometer
Committee: Dr. Emily Hauptmann, Chair, Dr. Jim Butterfield, Dr. Frederic Schaffer
Time/Place: Friday, September 19, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon, 3301 Friedmann Hall

Candidate: Oluwarotimi Popoola 
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Title: Development of the Hydrogeology Concept Inventory and Exploration of its Embedded Spatial Thinking Components
Committee: Dr. Heather Petcovic, Chair, Dr. Peggy McNeal, Dr. Betty Adams
Time/Place: Monday, September 29, 2025, 6 to 8 p.m., 1408 Wood Hall

October 2025

Candidate: Viloshinee Murugan
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Title: Exploring the Perceived Impact of Instructional Coaching on K–12 Staff in a Midwestern State Region
Committee: Dr. LaSonja Roberts, Chair, Dr. Louann Bierlein Palmer, Dr. Alison Cicinelli
Time/Place: Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Virtual meeting

Candidate: Brittany Page Brake
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Political Science
Title: Finding Utopia: An Examination of Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching Utopianism in U.S. College Classrooms
Committee: Dr. Emily Hauptmann, Chair, Dr. John Clark, Dr. Jil Larson
Time/Place: Thursday, October 9, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon, 3301 Friedmann Hall 

Candidate: Jeffrey Stark
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Title: Environmental Beliefs Among Evangelical Leadership
Committee: Dr. William Cobern, Co-Chair, Dr. Betty Adams, Co-Chair, Dr. Stephen Case
Time/Place: Monday, October 13, 2025, 6 to 8 p.m., 1408 Wood Hall

Candidate: Haley Hughes
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Psychology
Title: Pilot Study of the Barriers to Exercise Adherence and Motivation (BEAM) Questionnaire for Adults with Osteoarthritis
Committee: Dr. Jonathan Baker, Chair, Dr. Anthony DeFulio, Dr. Stephanie Peterson, Dr. Rodney Weir
Time/Place: Monday, October 20, 2025, 1 to 3 p.m., 2734 Wood Hall

Candidate: Daniel T. Vainner
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Title: University Athletic Subsidies’ Connections to Various Campus-Wide Outcomes
Committee: Dr. Regina Garza Mitchell, Chair, Dr. Andrea Beach, Dr. Frimpomaa Ampaw
Time/Place: Thursday, October 23, 2025, 2 to 4 p.m., Virtual meeting

Candidate: Tasleem Firdausee
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Program: PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies
Title: Black Sufi Women in America: Spiritual Healing, Institute Building, and Reclaiming Ancestral Rights
Committee: Dr. Alisa Perkins, Chair, Dr. Vincent Lyon-Callo, Dr. Stephen Covell, Dr. Jill Hermann-Wilmarth, Dr. Richard Oxhandler
Time/Place: Friday, October 24, 2025, 11 a.m. to 1.pm., Virtual meeting

Candidate: Ghazal Rajabikhorasani 
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 
Title: Development and Validation of a Thermal Model for an Electric Vehicle Transmission
Committee: Dr. Claudia Fajardo-Hansford, Chair, Dr. Richard T. Meyer, Dr. Shrabanti Roy, Dr. Massood Atashbar
Time/Place: Monday, October 27, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon, D-201 Floyd Hall, Parkview Campus

Candidate: Seth Hajian
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Title: Developing Machine Learning Models and Graphene-based Flexible Humidity and Temperature Sensors for Machine-Learning-Assisted Sensing
Committee: Dr. Massood Atashbar, Chair, Dr. Bradley Bazuin, Dr. Dinesh Maddipatla, Dr. Binu Narakathu
Time/Place: Monday, October 27, 2025, 1 to 3 p.m., D-206 Floyd Hall, Parkview Campus

Candidate: Lisa Dewey
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Title: Breaking Barriers for Student Success: Leading During Challenging Times
Committee: Dr. LaSonja Roberts, Chair, Dr. Louanne Bierlein Palmer, Dr. Micole Dyson
Time/Place: Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 3120 Sangren Hall

Candidate: Jie Xiong
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Chemical and Paper Engineering
Title: High Capacity and Long Cycle Life High Voltage Spinel Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Committee: Dr. Qingliu Wu, Chair, Dr. Kecheng Li, Dr. Wenquan Lu
Time/Place: Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 2 to 4 p.m., D-208 Floyd Hall, Parkview Campus

Candidate: Kevin Zachariah Mathew
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 
Title: Synthesis and Application of PVDF Compatible LLZO in Composite Solid-State Electrolytes for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Committee: Dr. Qingliu Wu, Co-Chair, Dr. Muralidhar Ghantasala, Co-Chair, Dr. Zachary Asher, Dr. Wenquan Lu
Time/Place: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., A-120 Floyd Hall, Parkview Campus

Previous dissertation defenses have been digitized and archived by the Western Michigan University Libraries ScholarWorks Dissertations page. Use the advance search located on the left side of the page to get dissertations sorted by author, subject, department, year published, and more.