Hey friend, I'm Adriana, a Ph.D. student in MIT CSE working with Prof. Tess Smidt! My research interests are computational materials science for inverse materials design and accelerated materials discovery, with emphasis on first-principles modeling and simulation, electronic characterization of functional materials, and machine-learning–assisted workflows. My work is funded by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the MIT Energy Initiative Society of Energy Scholars awards.

Previously, I've done research through the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP), where I had the great fortune of being advised by Prof. Heather Kulik. I was also grateful to be advised by Prof. Inna Ponomareva at my undergraduate institution of the University of South Florida (USF). My research journey was sparked by a summer after my freshman year of undergrad at the Penn State Nanoscale Physics and Materials REU Program, where I was advised by Prof. Long-Qing Chen and Prof. Bo Wang.

I completed my B.S. in Computer Science with Honors and a minor in Physics at USF, where I was a full-ride merit scholar under the Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholarship and the USF Directors Award. In Spring 2022, I was honored to be featured in USF's Outstanding Graduating Students and College of Engineering NSF students articles!

My past mentorship roles included being the Vice President of Women in Computer Science and Engineering (WICSE) at USF, as well as an undergraduate Teaching Assistant and Peer Leader through the USF College of Engineering. In these roles, I helped promote gender diversity in CSE and guided students through programming projects and the research process. I am also the creator of STEM Cells, a website created with the purpose of supporting undergraduate STEM students through graduate, research, and diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) resources. Finally, I am a reviewer on the MSRP Application Review Committee, in which I aid in selecting applicants based on their commitment to diversity and STEM research.

Outside of the lab (aka my computer), I enjoy powerlifting, hanging out with friends, crocheting, petting my cat, petting my plants, and playing piano, as shown in some of the pictures below (and more of which you can see here).