Michelle DiBenedetto

PI, Curriculum Vitae

I received my B.S. from Cornell University in 2014, and my Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2019 in Civil & Env. Eng. where I studied the behavior and transport of non-spherical particles in surface gravity waves under advisors Nicholas Ouellette and Jeffrey Koseff. After my PhD, I was a Weston Howland Jr. Postdoctoral Scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the Physical Oceanography and Biology departments. Before joining Princeton MAE in 2025, I was on the faculty at University of Washington Mechanical Engineering for 4 years. In my free time, I like to cook extravagent meals for my friends, garden, and ferment vegetables. I am also an aspiring crossword constructor.

Julio Chavez-Dorado

Ph.D. Student, UW ME

Julio is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on the dynamics of non-spherical particles in turbulent flows. He obtained a Master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied the morphological characterization of turbulent channel flows using remote sensing techniques, such as surface particle image velocimetry (SPIV). In his free time, Julio enjoys photography, drawing in the outdoors, and hiking. He is also working on his chess openings and learning to play Go.

Carlos Abarca

Ph.D. Student, UW ME

Carlos is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering and an NSDEG fellow. His research focuses on coastal trapping of positively buoyant particles. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State, he was a member of the Millennium Scholars Program and wrote an undergraduate research thesis: Biomechanics of Comb Jellies Swimming in Turbulent Flow. In his free time, Carlos likes to play and watch sports, listen to music, play video games and keep up with shows he is binging.

Helena Schreder

Ph.D. Student, UW ME

Helena is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering. Her research focuses on using the movement of surface drifting objects like sea ice to infer kinematics of fluid beneath the surface with the ultimate goal of advancing the measuring, modeling, and prediction capabilities of climate models. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester where she conducted research on the fluid dynamics of the glymphatics system—the waste removal system of the brain. In her free time, Helena enjoys painting, drawing, up-cycling second hand clothes, hiking, reality TV, and Matlab.

Andrew Russell

Ph.D. Student, Princeton MAE

Andrew investigates free surface transport and mixing in environmental applications using analytical modelling. He received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Thermal-Fluids and Applied Math from Boise State University, where he was awarded the Distinguished Researcher title for his work studying the use of solid particles as a fluid heat transfer medium in concentrating solar power plants. In his free time, Andrew enjoys skiing, travelling, and attempting Math Olympiad problems.

Ethan Evans

Ph.D. Student, UW CEE, co-advised with Morteza Derakhti