Shakila H. Peli Thanthri defends thesis

Congratulations to Dr. Shakila H. Peli Thanthri! Shakila defended her dissertation: "Microfluidic Thermal Gel Electrophoresis for Native Protein Analysis," on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.

She completed her work under advisor, Tom Linz, and committee members Tamara Hendrickson, Long Luo, Yingxi Elaine Zhu (WSU College of Engineering) and Ashok Bhagwat (former member). Shakila came to WSU Chemistry in 2017, from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, where she earned a Bachelor's in Applied Sciences in 2015. At Wayne State University, she was an active member of the WSU NOBCChE (National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers), serving as NOBCChE's treasurer and K-12 STEM committee member.

Shakila has also served as the Vice President for the Detroit Chapter of the Electrochemical Society since 2020. Her passion for music led her to become a singer with the Wayne Ki Awaaz, Wayne State's premier, award-winning, South Asian fusion A Cappella team. During her time at Wayne State, she earned many accolades including the Schaap-Rumble Fellowship in 2021 and teaching awards.

At the Linz Lab, she was the first author on two papers with a third in pre-press. The department will miss Shakila's energy and enthusiasm and we wish her continued success as a postdoc at the University of Kansas.