Degree: Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sophia Bakar’s journey through UVA Engineering has been marked by her commitment to community building and research.
“I was the social chair for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Graduate Council. It was an amazing experience to meet more graduate students in my field, encourage in-person engagement and have a voice in how the department would look going forward.”
Bakar’s Ph.D. work at UVA focused on novel applications of AI and machine learning for hydrology, enhancing her ability to model and understand drought conditions. After graduation, Sophia plans to work as a senior water resources engineer, concentrating on improving our ability to predict and mitigate the impacts of drought.
Awards and Activities: NSF National Research Traineeship; UVA Engineering Dean’s Fellowship; $10,000 seed funding for a winning proposal from NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience; graduate research grant from UVA’s Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation; PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Scholar Award; social chair for Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Engineering Student Council and UVA Engineering Graduate Engineering Student Council; Charlottesville High School + UVA Link Lab Mentoring Program
Faculty Advisers and Mentors: Venkataraman Lakshmi, Julianne Quinn, Molly Lipscomb