Nahid Kalantaryardebily, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2026 Joseph Frank Hunkler Memorial Scholarship.

With this prestigious award, Kalantaryardebily will continue her transdisciplinary research at the intersection of neuroengineering and rehabilitation science. This work is conducted in the lab of Netta Gurari, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Gurari also nominated Kalantaryardebily for the scholarship.

In Gurari’s lab, Kalantaryardebily investigates how neurological injuries, particularly stroke, affect the brain's ability to process the sense of touch. By combining human participant studies with the development of novel mechatronic technologies, her research seeks to understand why sensory processing becomes impaired and to develop more precise methods for measuring these deficits. This work has the potential to inform more effective rehabilitation strategies and next-generation technologies that better integrate sensory and motor function, ultimately improving recovery for millions of people living with neurological injuries such as stroke.

 “Nahid is an exceptional researcher whose curiosity, creativity, and generosity have helped shape both our research program and our lab community,” Gurari said. “She consistently tackles difficult scientific and engineering challenges with independence and determination, and this scholarship is a well-deserved recognition of both her accomplishments and her tremendous potential.”

The Joseph Frank Hunkler Memorial Scholarship provides a $35,000 stipend and full tuition support for the academic year.