Winners of the 2026 Elevator Pitch Competition
Dave Fecko, MRI, Mike Vecchio, Nokia Judge, Safakcan Tuncdemir, Qortek Judge, Joy Bannerjee, Corning Judge, Anirban Phukan, Grad Student (tied 4th place), Marcy Milhomme, PSU Faculty, Judge and Elevator Pitch Trainer, Caio Batista, Philips Judge, Thomas Willis, Grad Student (2nd place), Pouya Talaei, Grad Student (tied 4th place), Shakshi Sekar, Grad Student (1st place), Nathan Silvernail, PPG Judge and Sponsor, Jyotirmay Dwivedi, Grad Student (3rd place), MD Mashgiqur Rahman, Grad Student (tied 4th place), Arezo Mahdavi, Grad Student (tied 4th place), Fernando Vallejos Burgos, Morgan Advanced Materials Judge, Leeanne Mocniak, PPG Judge and Sponsor, Larry Thorwart, Morgan Advanced Materials (retired) Judge.
Elevator Pitch Competition Winners
| FIRST PLACE | SECOND PLACE | THIRD PLACE |
|---|---|---|
| Shakshi Sekar Graduate Student, Energy and Mineral Engineering |
Thomas Willis Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering |
Jyotirmay Dwivedi Graduate Student, Physics |
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 |
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| "The Missing Link: Plastic Waste to Graphite" | "Rosetta Stones for Bioprocessing: Decrypting Microbe Metabolism Using Genome-Scale Models for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production" | "Blinking Qubits in a Nanomagnetic Storm: A Quest for True Randomness" |
Consolation Prize Winners
MD Mashfiqur Rahman
Graduate Student, Engineering Science & Mechanics
"How Materials Science Reveals the Hidden Side of Climate Change"
Arezo Mahdavi
Graduate Student, Engineering Science & Mechanics
"Same Iron, Different Century"
Pouya Talaei
Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering
"From PET Waste to Resources via Catalytic Chemical Recycling"
Anirban Phukan
Graduate Student, Chemistry
Unlocking the Hidden Chemistry Shaping Silicon Carbide Crystal Growth"
Event Details
Sponsored by PPG Industries, the 12th Annual Elevator Pitch Competition is an opportunity to pitch your research in TWO minutes or less, using no more than four supporting slides. Graduate students will briefly convey their research to a curious and technically diverse audience in hopes of taking home CASH PRIZES and developing new COLLABORATIONS.