CEAT student excels as member of Mishra's research group

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | tanner.holubar@okstate.edu

Hard work, passion, consistency and a never-give-up attitude have allowed Mahsa Gharizadehvarnosefaderani to pursue her dream of becoming a civil engineering researcher.  

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani is a Ph.D. student and graduate research assistant in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University. Her research focuses on railroad engineering and transportation geotechnics.   

She joined Dr. Deb Mishra’s research team in Fall 2021 and has been involved in numerous research projects in CEAT.  

Mishra said an ideal doctoral student should possess certain qualities that make them stand out, such as extreme commitment to research, hard work and the willingness to dive into the depths of any problem they face.  

He said when Gharizadehvarnosefaderani joined the research team, she was initially assigned a transitional project unrelated to her Ph.D. research. During this project, Mishra first learned what Gharizadehvarnosefaderani was capable of as a researcher. 

“Being the diligent worker that she is, she basically hit the project out of the park,” Mishra said. “In fact, at one of the international conferences in 2023, she ended up winning the best poster award for this project. What is amazing is that Mahsa was doing this project on the side; this was not related to her primary research.”   

Throughout her Ph.D. studies, Gharizadehvarnosefaderani has been involved in projects related to transportation geotechnics, pavement engineering and railroad engineering. Her Ph.D. dissertation research is focused on condition monitoring of railroad tracks using fiber optic sensors.   

She said railroad agencies have encountered limitations with sensing technology when tracking the performance of transition zones such as bridge approaches. These locations are particularly challenging and require millions of dollars in yearly maintenance investment.    

“My objective is to propose a new monitoring system that can remove some of the limitations that railroad agencies have encountered with conventional sensors,” she said. “I want to propose a quasi-distributed type of monitoring system using fiber optic sensors that are specifically designed to track transition zones.”  

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani helped write the original proposal for the project, which at that time was the largest (in terms of total funding amount) in Mishra's career as a faculty member. Mishra has a background in railroad engineering but has limited experience with fiber optics. With Gharizadehvarnosefaderani’s help as the lead student, Mishra was able to land the three-year project sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani has become proficient in finite element modeling and preparing literature reviews, among other things. She has also played an integral role in training new graduate students on various tasks related to academic research.   

“Ph.D. students require certain qualities, and it’s a pretty tough journey,” Mishra said. “It’s not just an extended master’s degree. You must dive very deep in your field and must be very committed. You have to have a never-give-up kind of attitude. I would say she is definitely an exemplary student and an example of how to be collegial, how to build a network and have an overall positive attitude toward everything in life.”  

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani has received the Kerry and Roberta Havner Fellowship in Structures and Mechanics since 2022.   

Mishra said Gharizadehvarnosefaderani was a highly qualified candidate for the fellowship.  Dr. Kerry Havner has met Gharizadehvarnosefaderani several times and has appreciated the quality of her work.   

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani notes how thankful she is for the support that has allowed her to focus entirely on her research and engage in different academic opportunities.   

“Peace of mind is so necessary to fully focus on my research without financial distractions,” she said.  

Finding academic success in CEAT  

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani is committed to being persistent and consistent in her research and is not deterred by challenges. She’s willing to spend hours understanding a single paper if necessary and recalls working long hours in the lab to meet her research goals.  

These qualities have helped her excel as a member of Mishra’s research team. She has adopted a self-directed approach to studying, teaching the materials to herself and then questioning her understanding of the topic. This practice has helped her grasp the theories she studies better.   

Being a member of Mishra’s team has helped her get out of her comfort zone and explore new research avenues. While challenging, this practice has allowed her to expand her skills in multiple areas of civil engineering.   

“His approach to research and his mentorship have all been influential to my academic growth,” Gharizadehvarnosefaderani said. “He’s an innovative thinker, which is one of the most important aspects of his personality, and he is always open to new ideas. He’s also open to novel research methodologies and has encouraged creativity in my work.”  

Gharizadehvarnosefaderani has nothing but fond memories of her time at CEAT and hopes to one day become a postdoctoral researcher with OSU or an innovation researcher within the transportation industry.   

“I have always had this dream to be a researcher and conduct research, but at the same time, I was thinking I want to keep pace with research that is needed in the industry,” she said. “I feel like my time in CEAT will significantly contribute to my desire and the career I have always wanted.”