A group of graduating students stands outside of Mellon Institute. They throw their graduation caps in the air as they hold their diplomas.

Class of 2026 Celebrates Commencement Weekend

By Heidi Opdyke Email Heidi Opdyke

Heidi Opdyke

Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Mellon College of Science empowered this year’s graduates to turn their passions into purpose — equipping them to tackle challenges from environmental health and biomedical innovation to quantum computing and international service. They are launching careers that make a meaningful impact around the world. Take a look back at some of the stories of this year’s graduating students along with photos from Commencement Weekend celebrations.

Biological Sciences

Mahitha Chaturvedula stands in a lab, pipetting into a vial.

For biological sciences graduate Mahitha Chaturvedula, research is in the genes, and her work could lay the groundwork for future biomedical innovations.

Ashley Hackney stands on stage during her speech at the Â鶹¹ÙÍø125 celebration. She smiles at the audience.

Biological Sciences graduate Ashley Hackney wants to make scientific discovery accessible for everyone.

Aileigh Corbett

Biological Sciences graduate Aileigh Corbett traveled to 19 countries while in college and will head to Thailand as an English Teaching Assistant as a 2026-2027 Fulbright Award Recipient.

Kimberly Hoang

Kimberly Hoang, who graduated with a degree in neuroscience, also received an English Teaching Assistant Award from the U.S. Fulbright Student Program and will be teaching in Vietnam.

From left, Chemical Engineering graduate students Amber Lo, Uriahe DeVore and Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering graduate student Vishwa Maharajan work in the lab of Professor Derin Sevenler. They smile at the camera.

Vishwa Maharajan, graduated from the Master of Science in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering program in December. He came to Â鶹¹ÙÍø to understand the synthetic biological systems and technology more deeply.

Jingjing Xu stands outside of Mellon Institute. She smiles at the camera.

Jingjing Xu, who earned dual Bachelor of Art degrees in chemistry and biological science and an additional major in health humanities, built an academic path that bridges science, health and the humanities.

Chemistry

Keenan Norton

Keenan Norton, who graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and additional majors in environmental and sustainability studies and Hispanic studies, will investigate cutting-edge drinking water treatment technologies in Ecuador as a Fulbright Scholar.

Avleen Shawl smiles at the camera.

Whether she’s investigating potential treatments for Parkinson’s disease in the lab or helping other researchers bring new medical devices to market, Avleen Chawla, who graduated with a Ph.D. in chemistry, is opening pathways toward new therapies.

Mellon College of Science Class of 2026 chemistry graduate Katie Hon has dedicated her time at Carnegie Mellon analyzing forever chemicals and their impact on our environment and health. Before she graduated this spring, Hon reflected how this vital research impacted the next chapter of her career.

Mathematical Sciences

Marena Keys sits outside and smiles at the camera.

Mathematical Sciences graduate Marena Keys is mapping out a future in operations research.

Ziyong Ma stands at a whiteboard and writes on it. Venkatesh Sivaraman watches.

Mathematical sciences and computer science graduate Ziyong Ma worked to make complex medical data more accessible to the people who need it most.

Physics

Patrick LaChance stands outside of Doherty Hall and smiles at the camera.

Department of Physics doctoral student Patrick LaChance earned a reputation for a genuine love of helping students learn.

Giulia Martorana stands in Tepper. She smiles at the camera.

Giulia Martorana, who graduated with a degree in physics, joined and led the Carnegie Mellon chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to create community.

Yuqing Lin sits outside of Hamerschlag Hall and smiles at the camera.

Yuqing Lin, who graduated with a degree in physics with an additional major in robotics and a minor in mathematical sciences, combined theoretical physics with computational tools to advance quantum computing

Mark Martinez stands in front of an audience next to a screen and points at the data on it.

Mark Martinez, who graduated in December with a degree in physics, improved how computer simulations model how stars evolve, interact, and explode, helping scientists better understand how the universe works.

Kyungmin Park stands outside of a glass building. She smiles at the camera.

Physics Ph.D. Graduate Kyungmin Park used advanced machine learning and detector technologies at CERN to identify important particle collisions and search for new physics phenomena like dark matter.