Three Minute Thesis

Hao Xu is a Ph.D. student in Finance at the Carson College of Business at Washington State University. His research focuses on fintech, asset pricing, and corporate finance, with particular interests in artificial intelligence, innovation, and financial markets. His recent work studies the respective roles of inventors and firms in AI-driven innovation, as well as how AI talent shapes firm performance and growth. Through this research, he seeks to better understand how technological change influences firms, markets, and the broader economy. His work contributes to ongoing conversations about the economic value of innovation and the human capital behind it. 

This presentation examines whether AI innovation is driven more by individual inventors or by the firms that provide capital, data, and infrastructure. Using evidence from AI patenting and firm outcomes, it shows that inventors explain more variation in innovation quality than firms do, with star researchers contributing disproportionately to patents, valuation, and growth. The findings suggest that while infrastructure and funding are important, exceptional human capital remains the key bottleneck in frontier AI innovation. 

Oluwatunmise Dada is a doctoral candidate in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Washington State University. His research focuses on biological desulfurization, developing microbial technologies that convert toxic sulfur compounds into valuable resources. His work integrates experimental bioreactor systems with kinetic modeling to improve the efficiency and sustainability of sulfur-oxidizing microbial processes. He has developed innovative systems for hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas while enabling recovery of high-purity elemental sulfur for agricultural use. His broader research interests include environmental biotechnology, renewable energy systems, and circular resource recovery. Through his work, he aims to transform industrial waste streams into sustainable products that support both clean energy and sustainable agriculture. 

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), the toxic gas responsible for the “rotten-egg” smell, is commonly found in energy-related gases such as anaerobic digestion biogas, landfill gas, and oil refinery gases. H2S must be removed from these gases before they can be used for energy because it corrodes engines, damages equipment, and poses health risks. My research explores a biological solution using a bioscrubber system containing sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) that consume hydrogen sulfide. In this system, more than 95% of the toxic gas is removed and converted into high-purity elemental sulfur. Instead of treating hydrogen sulfide as waste, this process recovers a valuable product. The elemental sulfur produced is an essential plant nutrient and can be used as an agricultural fertilizer. This research demonstrates how pollution can be transformed into a valuable resource and support both cleaner energy systems and sustainable agriculture. 

Safiya Hafiz is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology. Focusing on the juvenile justice system, Safiya’s work employs both qualitative and quantitative methodology to address spatial inequality and explore how contextual factors influence justice system outcomes. Broadly, Safiya’s expertise in sociology is in crime and deviance. In her work as a graduate student, Safiya has also explored topics related to politics, jail populations, and housing inequality. With the goal of using sociology to improve public life, Safiya intends to work in fields that allow her to research and teach about systems of incarceration.  

“Justice by Geography”: Examining the Variance in Juvenile Justice System Processing and Outcomes across Washington State

This dissertation addresses the phenomenon known as “justice by geography”, which is the idea that similarly situated youth are sentenced differently according to where they are geographically located. This creates spatial inequalities in sentencing, as similarly situated youth may be treated harsher depending on where they live. This variance in sentencing outcomes across place may be partially explained by political contexts, as politics are a means for allocating resources and the resources used for the juvenile justice system may support various punishment philosophies like rehabilitation or incapacitation. Thus, the research question, “To what extent, if any, does political context explain the variance in sentencing outcomes across place?” is addressed using multilevel modeling to account for both individual and contextual effects on juvenile justice system processing and outcomes. This project builds from past empirical research by examining politics at the county-level, using measures for political context that are less commonly used but in line with theoretical/sociological assumptions about politics, and assessing multiple stages of juvenile justice system processing. To complement the statistical analysis, a qualitative inquiry is undertaken to address how juvenile justice system processing and outcomes vary according to political context by asking, “How are courtroom actors’ decision-making processes affected by their local political context?”. To answer this question, semi-structured interviewing is utilized to elucidate the mechanisms of political contexts’ effect on juvenile justice system processing and outcomes. 

Blessing is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology at Washington State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. Blessing is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research applies practical learning theories to improve STEM learning and promote accurate scientific understanding. Her research focuses on improving STEM learning outcomes through refutational approaches and promoting the acquisition of accurate scientific concepts. Her thesis research examines how refutation texts and emotions influence learning in cybersecurity education, particularly in helping learners correct misconceptions about encryption concepts. Through this work, Blessing aims to contribute to more effective and engaging learning approaches to teaching complex scientific concepts. 

Cybersecurity misconceptions can shape how students understand digital protection and respond to cyber threats. A common misconception is that encryption protects against most cybersecurity threats, leading learners to overestimate and generalize its capabilities. 

This research investigates how such misconceptions can be corrected through refutation texts, an instructional approach that presents a misconception, explicitly refutes it, and then explains the accurate concept. Refutation texts have been widely studied in science education, but they have rarely been applied to cybersecurity education. The study also explores the role of epistemic emotions such as curiosity, surprise, confusion, and boredom that arise when students encounter information that challenges what they previously believed. These emotions may influence whether learners engage with the correction, resist it, or revise their understanding. 

By examining how refutation texts influence learning about encryption misconceptions and how emotions relate to learning outcomes, this research aims to teach cybersecurity education in ways that are both cognitively effective and emotionally responsive. 

Jiawei Liu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Molecular Medicine Program at Washington State University Spokane. His research focuses on telomere biology and aging. He investigates telomere length dynamics and epigenetic alterations during aging using the HuT mouse model to identify biomarkers of biological age. His long-term goal is to validate the HuT mouse as a translational model for developing anti-aging therapies for humans. 

Building a “Mouse Man” to unlock the fountain of youth 

Mice share over 85% of human genes, which is why they are widely used in biological research. But when it comes to aging, they are not a good model. The reason lies in the telomere—repetitive DNA that serves as a human aging marker: the older you are, the shorter your telomeres become, and short telomeres are linked to many human diseases. In contrast, laboratory mice possess telomeres that are ~5× longer than those in humans, and with a lifespan of only 2–3 years, telomere attrition plays a much smaller role in their aging process. This fundamental biological difference may help explain why many anti-aging therapies that succeed in mice fail to translate to humans. 

To bridge this gap, my lab generated a “humanized” mouse model with short, human-like telomeres. These mice gradually develop human aging diseases, allowing us to study aging in a way that better reflects human biology. My research tracks aging-related changes in this humanized mouse model—including disease onset, telomere shortening, and epigenetic alterations. Using third-generation Nanopore sequencing, I aim to monitor telomere dynamics and epigenetic modifications as real-time biomarkers of biological age. This approach establishes a translational platform for human aging research, enabling mechanistic insights into how telomere dysfunction drives aging and accelerating the development of telomere-based therapeutic strategies. 

My name is Scott Stevison, and I am a second-year Ph.D. student in Molecular Biosciences here at WSU. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, and did my undergraduate education here at WSU as well. My thesis work explores transcription factors, which bind to DNA and help turn DNA into meaningful proteins which the body can use for biological functions. My recent work has focused on using UV damage as a tool to identify novel transcription factor binding sites, in efforts to fully grasp the breadth of transcription. 

Transcription factors are small proteins which initiate, or regulate, transcription of DNA. Without transcription factor binding, DNA would be much harder to transcribe into RNA, resulting in a lack of functional protein across all systems within the organism. As a member of the Wyrick lab in the School of Molecular Biosciences, we study how DNA damage forms when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and how the damage may develop into mutations such as those found in skin cancers. However, we’ve also discovered that when transcription factors bind to DNA, the helical structure is distorted in a way that may induce or suppress DNA damage at the transcription factor binding site. By using this information as a tool, the presented work identified undiscovered transcription factor binding sites based on recurring UV damage patterns at transcription factor binding sites across the genome. We’ve assigned the term “UV Fingerprint” to the unique damage patterns attributes to each transcription factor, and with the help of machine learning models, we are able to predict new binding sites for multiple transcription factors from the same DNA library. This novel method proposes a more efficient approach compared to current mapping methods and aims to improve the landscape of future transcriptome research.  

Forthcoming.  

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents, and while advances in surgery and chemotherapy now allow many patients to survive, rebuilding the large sections of bone removed during treatment remains a lifelong challenge. Current implants are passive and fixed in size, often requiring multiple revision surgeries as a child grows, and they do little to prevent infection or disease recurrence. This research explores a different approach: using 3D printing to create patient-specific bone scaffolds that actively support regeneration. These implants are designed to match the exact shape of a child’s bone defect and are functionalized with plant-derived therapeutics that are released locally at the site of repair. In vitro studies demonstrate a seven-fold reduction in osteosarcoma cell growth while maintaining the viability and activity of bone-forming cells and reducing bacterial burden. To better understand how these implants will perform in the body, they are evaluated in a custom bioreactor that replicates physiological loading and fluid flow, with early in vivo studies already underway. By combining patient-specific design, biologically active materials, and clinically relevant testing, this work moves toward a new generation of implants that do more than replace lost tissue: they help children regenerate living bone and return to normal life. 

Mateo Gallardo Atehortúa is a Ph.D. candidate in Engineering Science – Bioengineering at Washington State University, where his research focuses on renewable energy and decarbonization through biomethanation. His work studies how methanogenic microorganisms can be strengthened to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into renewable natural gas more reliably, even under stressful conditions such as oxygen exposure. Before joining Washington State University, Mateo earned his degree in Biochemical Engineering from Icesi University in Colombia, graduating with Cum Laude honors. His background includes research in anaerobic microbiology, fermentation technologies, and bioprocess design, as well as industry experience in innovation and product development at Ingredion Colombia. Aside from his research, he is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and creating opportunities for underrepresented students in STEM. His dream is to be a professor and, through his career, contribute to the development of cleaner energy systems while also inspiring future scientists and engineers.  

Recently, there is a growing interest in producing energy in a way that allows society to maintain the benefits of modern life without continuing to damage the environment. For more than a century, fossil fuels have made possible a huge technological advancement, but their use has also contributed to the unnatural accumulation of carbon dioxide, one of the main gases increasing climate change. My research is particularly focused on the use of methanogens, microorganisms capable of converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methane, the main component of natural gas. In this way, instead of relying only on fossil natural gas, it becomes possible to recycle existing carbon dioxide into a valuable renewable fuel such as renewable natural gas. 

However, despite the promise of this approach, methanogens are sensitive microorganisms, and even small amounts of oxygen can interfere with their activity and reduce methane production, making the process more difficult and expensive. That is why my research focuses on strengthening these microorganisms by training them to survive stressful conditions, especially oxygen exposure, and then growing them in reactor systems designed to improve renewable natural gas production. Through this approach, my work seeks to contribute to the development of a more robust and realistic biomethanation platform, capable of supporting cleaner energy production while helping protect the health of our planet for this and upcoming generations. 

Ryan Wagner is a disease ecologist, photographer, and science journalist. His Ph.D. research focuses on the complex interactions of climate, disease, and wildlife populations. Ryan combines field monitoring, experimentation, and statistical modeling to better understand when disease outbreaks occur and how to manage declining populations. His photojournalism explores the everyday but often overlooked relationships between humans and the natural world. His work has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian, BBC Wildlife Magazine, and National Wildlife Magazine, among others.  

Wildlife species around the world are at risk of extinction due to human impact and environmental change. Amphibians are the most at risk group of vertebrates with disease as a leading threat. For my Ph.D., I am exploring the use of highly dilute antifungal medications designed to kill the fungus that causes disease. Treatments help to stabilize declining populations and can help biologists reintroduce frogs to historically occupied habitats. I am implementing this research in northern California with the Cascades frog, a declining species. Following disease treatment, I lead the first reintroduction effort for the species by translocating over 100 individuals to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Ongoing monitoring will provide insights into factors that influence disease dynamics and reintroduction success. My research can serve as a template for the conservation and reintroduction of many more imperiled species.