Meet Some of Our Students

yasmin bimbatti

View JLLA Profile: Yasmin Bimbatti

Yasmin Bimbatti is a Ph.D. student in the Polymer Program at the UConn’s Institute of Materials Science. She is also the President of the John Lof Leadership Academy.

leana santos

View JLLA Profile: Leana Santos

Leana Santos is a Ph.D. candidate in Civil & Environmental Engineering with an interest in structural engineering.

shal afzal saki

View JLLA Profile: Shah Afzal Saki

Shah Saki is a Ph.D. candidate in Civil & Environmental Engineering. He is also the Vice-President of the John Lof Leadership Academy.

UConn Graduate Programs

Upcoming Events

  • Apr
    27
    Doctoral Dissertation Oral Proposal, Qing Su
    Homer Babbidge Library
    11:30 AM

    Title: Learning and Knowledge Transfer of Vision Foundation Models

    Ph.D. Candidate: Qing Su

    Major Advisor: Dr. Shihao Ji

    Associate Advisor: Dr. Fei Miao, Dr. Dongjin Song

    Date/Time: Monday, April 27th, 2026, 11:30 am
    Location: HBL1947 room and Webex

  • Apr
    27
    Opportunities in Germany through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
    IPB
    3:00 PM

    Ilonka Oszvald, Senior Vice President of American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, will present opportunities in Germany offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

  • Apr
    27
    ENGR1166 Martian Habitat Expo
    MakerspaceCT
    4:00 PM

    First Year Engineering Student Expo and Presentation of Projects

  • Apr
    29
    Doctoral Dissertation Oral Proposal, Jiazheng Li
    ITE Building
    2:00 PM

    Title: Graph Structure Enhanced Large Language Models

    PhD Candidate: Jiazheng Li

    Major Advisor: Dr. Chuxu Zhang

    Associate Advisors:

    Dr. Jonathan Shihao Ji

    Dr. Jundong Li (University of Virginia)

    Date/Time: Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 2:00–3:30 pm

    Location: ITE 201 and Webex

The John Lof Leadership Academy

The UConn College of Engineering is proud to announce the establishment of the John Lof Leadership Academy for Graduate Engineering Students. Backed by the generous endowment from John Lof, a former UConn Electrical and Computer Science professor of 35 years, this exclusive Academy will aim to continue the legacy of Dr. Lof, who wished to reward and cultivate a select group of future leaders and engineering trailblazers. The proceeds of the endowment will be used toward the direct support of the student members (in the form of grants and fellowships) as well as the corresponding Academy programs. Applicants are accepted annually for two-year tenures in the academy.

Learn More About the Leadership Academy


UConn Graduate Programs