Faculty & Staff
Francesca Arnoldy
StoryListening Investigator
Program Director, UVM End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program
Interests: Reading, nature walks with my pup, making memories with loved ones, engaging conversations, and all things doula
Life Advice: “My motivational mantra: You’ll never have more time than RIGHT NOW!”
Steve Berns, MD
TalkVermont Director
Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Interests: Hiking, running, camping, traveling, baking pies, indie rock, and anything Harry Potter
Life Advice: “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the water chute, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute”
Katharine L. Cheung, MD, PhD
Telemedicine Investigator
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Nephrology ; Center of Aging
Interests: Hiking, kayaking, cooking, gardening
Life Advice:”Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” -W.B. Yeats
Maggie Eppstein, PhD
Machine Learning Investigator
Research Professor and Professor Emeritus, Department of Computer Science
Interests: Research-wise, I love discovering things about how the world works using computational modeling and analysis in a wide variety of application domains. Aside from research, I love being in Nature – especially camping, hiking, kayaking, and rock-hounding. Around the house I love designing remodeling projects (that my husband implements), landscaping and perennial gardening, sewing, upholstering, and other creative crafty projects, and hosting family get-togethers over the Holidays for my two grown sons and various other siblings, cousins, in-laws.
Personal Life Advice: A wise piece of advice passed down to me from my Mom: “If you’re going to feel guilty about something, don’t do it. Once you decide to do something, don’t feel guilty about it.”
Liz Gajary, RN, MA
PCCRI Study Coordinator
Interests: Dogs, goats, horses, travel, people, food and cooking, hiking, being outside doing anything!
Life Advice: “Life is a dance. Learn to dance well!“
Robert Gramling, MD, DSc
Principal Investigator
Holly and Bob Miller Chair in Palliative Medicine, Professor of Family Medicine
Interests: Laughing, hiking, biking, writing, dancing, sharing big ideas, iaido
Personal Life Advice: “Watch for a second arrow”
Liam John
Study Coordinator
Interests: Work: Aging, dementia care, and end of life decision making. Play: Cello, cross-country and backcountry skiing, gravel road cycling, and trail running.
Life Advice: “You only have enough time for the things that are important to you”
Donna Rizzo, PhD
Machine Learning Investigator
Professor and Dorothean Chair, School of Engineering
Interests: Machine-Learning and developing computational tools to improve the understanding of human-induced changes on natural systems and the way we make decisions about natural resources and multi-scale environmental problems.
Personal Life Advice: “Learn a lot and have fun!“
Students
Larry Clarfeld, MS
PhD Student- Computer Science
Interests: My interests outside of academia include field ecology, birding, hiking, camping, playing guitar and spending time with my family.
Brigitte Durieux
Research Assistant
Undergraduate Senior – Biochemistry and French
Interests: Music, language, painting, hellbenders, space, biodegradable plastics, thelyphondia.
Life Advice: “Enjoy all that you can”
Cailin Gramling
Research Assistant
Undergraduate Senior – Philosophy
Interests: Writing, philosophy, dance, sleep, debate
Life Advice: “I feel like I have not lived long enough to give life advice. When I am older and wiser, I will get back to you!”
Laura Hirsch
Research Assistant
Undergraduate Senior – Chemistry
Interests: Cycling, Irish Dancing, gardening, hiking and chemistry poetry
Life Advice: “If the grass is greener on the other side, there is probably more manure there“
Ali Javed
PhD Student – Computer Science
Interests: Food, traveling and fitness
Life Advice: “Persistence, determination and patience.”
Jack Straton
Research Assistant
Undergraduate Senior – Statistics
Ann Wong
Research Assistant
Undergraduate First Year – Biology
Interests: Skiing, surfing, playing the piano, and drinking tea
Alumni
Bridger Banco
Environmental Engineering
Interests: Hiking and backpacking, paddling, fishing, dogs, skiing, and birding
Life Advice: “Be kind to others and others will be kind to you. Also, always have fun!”
Viktoria Manukyan, MS
Product Engineer at Global Foundries
UVM Complex Systems Master’s Degree 2018
Interests: Big Data, Machine Learning, SUP Yoga and Dancing
Life Advice: “Being confident and believing in your own self-worth will make everything possible“
Lindsay Ross
UVM Computer Science
Interests: Cooking, running, singing, crafting
Life Advice: “If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time.” –Billy Joel
Aidan Ryan
Civil Engineering
Interests: Playing guitar, anything outdoors, and of course diner breakfasts
Life Advice: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift” -Steve Prefontaine