Submitted photos.

Graduate students make an impact through their research, which benefits our state and beyond. Each year, The Graduate School honors graduate students in programs throughout our University for their powerful discoveries that contribute to a better future for people and communities in North Carolina.

This year, six of the 10 recipients of the Graduate Student Impact Awards are working toward a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. Read the honorees’ own descriptions of their research projects below.

Using fisher knowledge to map sharks and strengthen coastal fisheries

Sally Dowd, doctoral student in ecology

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A racecar drifts around a corner on a dirt track. Its tires dig imprints into the earth. Clouds of dust billow behind it. When it speeds through a puddle, water splashes out.

Our brains would expect such effects while watching this movie scene. But what if the car and track were compiled from different bits of footage? What if the car is a computer-generated graphic that doesn’t exist at all?

The editing falls to visual effects professionals to manually fill in the gaps, a long and laborious process. Luchao Qi, a Ph.D. student in the department of computer science, is working to lighten the load using computer vision, a branch of artificial intelligence that deals with how computers see and interpret the world.

Much of today’s generative AI landscape deals with text, including natural language processing algorithms like ChatGPT and Claude. Qi, on the other hand, has always preferred a more visual approach to the world.

“There aren’t a lot of visual elements in natural language processing,” Qi said. “With computer vision, I can watch videos and work with VFX. It’s very motivating.”

Qi’s early projects in the Spatial & Physical Intelligence Lab of Roni Sengupta, an assistant professor of computer science at UNC-Chapel Hill, primarily focused on altering faces. In the film world, producers occasionally require late-stage revisions to a scene when an actor is no longer available. Additionally, some roles require changes to an actor’s hair, weight or musculature, which can be taxing and time-consuming.

VFX could work actors’ likenesses into modified scenes or alter their appearance without body transformations. Qi focused on an extreme example for one project: the need to dramatically change an actor’s apparent age.

Inspired by the 2019 movie The Irishman, which included scenes of the same characters ranging from around age 20 to age 90, Qi’s MyTimeMachine program creates personalized age progression and regression algorithms. Using around 50 selfies of someone, the program can predict what they would look like at any age.

“You can adjust someone’s age using heavy makeup or accessories, but what if we could do it purely through software?” Qi said. “If you remove the extra setup, actors can focus more on making the movie.”

Qi’s interests later turned toward modeling environmental interactions. In 2025, he completed an internship with Industrial Light and Magic, a special effects company owned by LucasFilm under Disney. The company was founded by George Lucas in 1975 to create special effects for the original Star Wars trilogy, and to this day, it remains on the cutting edge of the visual effects industry.

During the internship, Qi developed OVER++, a program that can add environmental effects to scenes using simple, text-based inputs, confined to areas selected by the user.

“Composing every environmental effect of a scene, layer by layer, could take artists days or weeks,” he said. “With these video generative models, you might be able to finish everything in half an hour or so.”

Qi emphasized that his work is not intended to replace VFX artists but to make their job easier, a point with which Sengupta wholeheartedly agrees.

“These generative AI algorithms have huge potential, and if used in the right way, they can significantly reduce the painstaking manual efforts of VFX artists while providing full creative control,” Sengupta said.

Sengupta explained that such programs offer artists more precision than most generative AI algorithms, which develop and edit scenes without much guidance.

Tailoring these algorithms toward experienced VFX professionals decreases their odds of misuse as well, since they require more human supervision. Sengupta also oversees research on deepfakes, or the use of a person’s AI-generated likeness without their consent. She shared that Qi mentored undergraduate students through a project showing that AI detection software has kept pace with programs like MyTimeMachine and OVER++ and can still flag their outputs as computer-generated. Thus, while they can create effects that are visually stunning to the human eye, AI algorithms can easily detect if they are fake.

That side project is just one example of the thoroughness with which Qi approaches his work. “Luchao has developed a great attention to detail. In any projects in which he participates, he ensures the quality of the results is above the bar,” Sengupta said.

For his part, Qi is just happy to gain experience in a field he loves. An internship at Industrial Light and Magic, with its long history of innovative storytelling, certainly didn’t hurt.

“I really appreciate the experience, because it helped me get exposed to what film and VFX companies are looking for — what they actually need,” Qi said. “Those kinds of projects were pretty eye-opening.”

Learn more about research in Sengupta’s SPIN lab.

By Calley Jones, College of Arts and Sciences

The post Taking AI to the movies appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

(courtesy of Adobe Stock)

The new International Program for Scholarship, Innovation, Training and Education (INSITE) will present a series of events throughout April in honor of Earth Month. The series theme is “Rethinking Climate, Power and Planetary Futures.”

INSITE is an interdisciplinary hub of education, research and service that develops global expertise in six world regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Learn more at the list of events below:

INSITE-MIDEAST

When: April 1, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: FedEx Global Education Center 1005

“Iran’s Little Ice Age Crisis: Climate Change in Historical Perspective” with James Gustafson (Indiana State)

This talk will discuss climate change in the Safavid Empire (1501-1722) and the critical role of environment in shaping Iran’s pollical trajectory into the 19th century.

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INSITE-EUROPE

When: April 7, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

Where: FedEx Global Education Center Auditorium

Screening and Discussion of “The Wave” (Norway) with an introduction by Priscilla Layne (UNC-Chapel Hill)

Tsunamis are typically associated with the Pacific Rim, but “The Wave” (2015), directed by Roar Uthaug, imagines a similar disaster along Norway’s coast.

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INSITE-ASIA

When: April 9, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.

Where: FedEx Global Education Center 3009

“Indigenous Futures from the Himalaya to Tibet”

A panel discussion with Naga scholar Elspeth Iralu (University of Mexico), Lepcha/Ladakhi scholar Mabel Gergan (Vanderbilt), Sherpa scholar Pasang Sherpa (University of British Columbia) and Tibetan scholar Tashi Dekyid Monet (Columbia).

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INSITE-AFRICA

When: April 16-17, 2026 at 6 p.m. and virtual

Where: FedEx Global Education Center Auditorium and virtual

April 16, FedEx GEC Auditorium: Land Rights Conference Reception and short film on Ken Saro-Wiwain, the Niger Delta, Nigeria

April 17, 9 a.m.: Virtual Collaborative Conference on Land Rights in Africa; register and learn more at: go.unc.edu/landrightsINSITEAfrica

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INSITE-ASIA

When: April 19, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.

Where: FedEx Global Education Center Auditorium

“Building Energy System Resilience in Southeast Asia” with Noah Kittner (UNC-Chapel Hill)

This talk examines how to build more resilient energy systems in Southeast Asia using several case studies, including stakeholder-driven energy modeling effort.

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INSITE-LATIN AMERICA

When: April 20, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Where: FedEx Global Education Center 1005 and virtual

Register to attend virtually at go.unc.edu/climatecolonialism

“Climate Colonialism and a Global Just Transition” with Aviva Chomsky (Salem State)

 This talk looks at the intersection of colonialism and fossil fuels made our modern world, and how fossil fuel extraction, use and emissions draw on and reproduce colonial patterns.

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INSITE-EAST EUROPE

When: April 23, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.

Where: FedEx Global Education Center 4003

“Where Should People Go? Target Destinations in the Study of Climate Change” with Debra Javeline (University of Notre Dame)

This talk examines the emerging idea of “climate destinations” and makes the case for systematic research on destination planning.

Learn more about INSITE.

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In January, I wrote to you about the decision to close the six standalone Area Studies Centers as part of a broader package of budget cuts affecting many centers and institutes across campus. In that message, I also shared that work was underway to transition and preserve many of the Centers’ important activities.

I am writing today to share an update on that work. In January, I asked leaders from the six area studies centers to reimagine a structure that could continue to support faculty and student research, continue the degree opportunities for our students and continue to be successful in securing external funding from a range of sources.

Leadership in the College and the Centers have worked quickly and creatively and together formed a new program called the International Program for Scholarship, Innovation, Training and Education, or INSITE.

INSITE is an interdisciplinary hub of education, research and service that develops global expertise in six world regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.

INSITE will focus on the following collaborative activities while continuing to support deep, regional and transnational work:

• Conferences, workshops, events on timely, cross-cutting issues
• Support for faculty and student research
• Interdisciplinary academic degree programs
• Professional development for undergraduate and graduate students
• Public dialogues with scholars, artists, government officials and business leaders
• Community engagement with a focus on North Carolina

Coming together as INSITE will open doors for collaboration and further ensure that UNC-Chapel Hill maintains its global excellence and continues to provide meaningful support and opportunities for students and faculty.

Many aspects of this new hub are still being developed and will come together over the next several months. For now, I want to share how proud I am of the work accomplished so far. I know the Center leaders are committed to INSITE’s success and the opportunities it will provide students and faculty, and so am I.

Sincerely,

James W.C. White
Craver Family Dean
College of Arts and Sciences

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Over the summer, Burley Farr installed 60 temperature sensors across treated and untreated corridors of Raleigh and returned weekly to capture both air temperatures and humidity at head height, where pedestrians actually feel the heat. (Submitted photo; graphic by The Graduate School)

By midday in a Carolina summer, a blacktop road can feel like a griddle. Katherine Burley Farr wants to turn that heat into hard evidence and give North Carolina communities a playbook for keeping people safer as temperatures rise.

A fifth-year doctoral candidate in public policy at UNC–Chapel Hill, Burley Farr is mapping how and where heat harms health, testing what warnings and street-level fixes work and building tools that local officials can use to target relief where it matters most.

To conduct this work, Burley Farr needed to travel around Raleigh collecting data during the hottest time of year –– the summer. She would not have been able to dedicate her summer to this intensive fieldwork had she not earned the Dr. Bruce W. Carney and Dr. Ruth Anne Humphry Summer Research Fellowship from The Graduate School. Weekly sensor checks, data downloads and quality control consumed hours that summer teaching responsibilities would have swallowed. “This was a very time-consuming effort,” Burley Farr said. “Without the Summer Research Fellowship, I wouldn’t have had the time to plan, install and collect the data needed to finish my degree on schedule.”

Her dissertation follows the problem of urban heat from three angles. First, she’s pairing EMS and weather data to see whether public heat alerts change what happens on the ground: Do fewer people need emergency care on days when alerts go out? Do alerts encourage people to avoid high risk areas?

Second, she’s estimating heat’s burden on older adults across the Triangle, using Medicare billing data and epidemiological methods to quantify risk at the census block group level. “Heat is a challenging problem, especially in the South, because it’s always been hot and people think they’re used to it,” she said. “But heat indexes have increased over time. That means our policies and our infrastructure have to catch up.”

Third, she’s measuring the heat block by block, where people actually feel it. In partnership with the City of Raleigh, Burley Farr led a field study evaluating the city’s “cool pavement” treatment –– a rejuvenating asphalt coating designed to reflect more sunlight and hold less heat. Over the summer, she installed 60 temperature sensors across treated and untreated corridors of Raleigh and returned weekly to capture both air temperatures and humidity at head height, where pedestrians actually feel the heat. The resulting data set will help the city compare where the coating reduces temperatures, where it doesn’t and how those patterns intersect with sidewalks, bus stops, tree coverage and maintenance needs.

Growing up and attending college in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana state capital, Burley Farr developed a passion for public policy, seeing it as “a tool to improve the places we live” and hoping to find a way to serve people across the Southeast. This year, she represented Carolina at the North Carolina General Assembly, meeting with legislators to advocate for the value of graduate student research.

For North Carolina’s cities, Burley Farr’s research can have a major impact: smarter heat alerts, targeted outreach to older adults and street-level decisions that make people safer in the places they walk, work and live. By pairing her rigorous analysis skills and her passion for public service, Burley Farr is helping communities navigate rising temperatures with practical, potentially lifesaving action.

By Ethan Quinn, The Graduate School

The post Doctoral student studies urban heat appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

“I honestly first knew I was interested in musicology in high school when I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about every piece we were playing in band and orchestra,” Lindquist said.

From musician to musicologist, Kari Lindquist is a musicology Ph.D. student exploring the history and cultural impact of collegiate wind bands in twentieth-century America. Her research on musical diplomacy, informed by archival study and historical records, highlights how music fosters generational cultural affairs.

Q: Tell us a little about your musical background.
A: I grew up playing the alto saxophone in my school band program. I was also passionate about musical theater through middle school and high school, participating in summer camp and every other opportunity I could. I played in marching and concert bands throughout college. Being a part of that musical culture has informed my research related to wind bands and collegiate ensembles in the twentieth-century United States.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a doctorate in musicology?

Kari performing in the Michigan Marching Band during the 50th anniversary of the musical diplomacy tour.

A: I honestly first knew I was interested in musicology in high school when I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about every piece we were playing in band and orchestra. I stumbled into musicology books when I got really excited about learning about the biographies and cultural contexts of composers. I spent hours volunteering to organize the music library at my school to learn more about how the pieces were put together by flipping through the scores.

I’m fortunate to have had the chance to work with now UNC faculty member, Dr. Naomi André for my undergraduate thesis project at the University of Michigan. That was a meaningful entry into what doing academic research was really like.
After my master’s program, I was working in community music programming at DePaul University. I enjoyed the administrative work and teaching that I was doing, but I was missing the research component. I dipped my toe back into academics by taking one music history seminar a quarter to be sure that this was the right path. I knew then that I wanted to continue my education and pursue a doctorate in musicology.

Q: What drew you to UNC specifically?
A: The faculty and grad student community. When I was making my decision, I asked around about what the best thing about UNC was. The answer I kept hearing was “the people.” That response made a difference for me since I wanted a supportive and collaborative academic community. I also knew there were a number of faculty who had research specializations aligned with my interests around 20th century music, politics, technology, which made it a place I could learn and grow. I appreciated that the department of music is in the College of Arts and Sciences which has allowed me to take other classes across disciplines including the certificate program in women’s and gender studies. It may sound like a small thing, but I also liked the way the graduate students were featured on the website. This made me feel more confident about the place of graduate research in the department.

Kari Lindquist (left) and Famed band director William D. Revelli (right) on the steps of Harris Hall at the University of Michigan.

Q: Describe your research in five words.
A: Wind bands in musical diplomacy

Q: What was your dissertation research process like?
A: I began researching the archival documents at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan related to the Michigan Symphony Band’s 1961 State Department tour of the Soviet Union, Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The archivists there have cultivated a significant amount of materials related to the tour, including direct accounts from tour participants, programs, photos, video footage, and newspaper articles. I then interviewed band members from the 1961 tour about what they remembered most about the tour to fill in gaps in the historical record. I contextualized the tour within broader developments in college wind band history with materials in the Band Collections at the University of Maryland. Finally, I expanded to include institutional perspectives about Cold War musical diplomacy by visiting the National Archives and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Historical Collection at the University of Arkansas. While there has been significant scholarship on symphony orchestras, ballet troupes, and jazz ensembles in Cold War musical diplomacy, I highlight how wind bands were an important and distinct component of the U.S. cultural affairs.

Q: Is there a project you’re most excited about at the moment (research or performance)?

Kari at a main archival site at the University of Maryland.

A: I’m working on an article about college marching band shows of Taylor Swift’s music, including one by the Marching Tar Heels. Through this project, I’m bringing together my areas of research on collegiate wind bands and Taylor Swift. Her music often relies on lyrics and production for its strength. However, these elements do not translate easily to the marching band medium. When Taylor Swift marching band shows are done well, they can create moments of connection among audience members.

Q: What are your passions outside of music?
A: I love to dance! The triangle is an amazing place to take classes and see dance performances. We are lucky to have resources like the American Dance Festival in Durham, the NC Rhythm Tap Festival, and Carolina Performing Arts right on campus, offering incredible performances. I also love crafts. If you name a craft, I’ve probably tried it.

By the Department of Music

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Gooyoon Chung (photo by Donn Young)

As a child in South Korea, Gooyoon Chung was fascinated by the human brain, regarding it as one of the biggest mysteries in science. That interest helped propel him to Carolina where, last fall, he began his doctoral studies in applied physical sciences.

Chung focuses his research on developing devices that can interface with human brain organoids. These pea-sized spheres of living neurons, which closely mimic the responses and functions of a real human brain, are increasingly used for drug testing, disease modeling and studying neural activity.

Because brain organoids contain soft and vulnerable tissues, researchers are unable to use conventional rigid sensors to record neuronal activity for fear of damaging the material. Chung is working on developing flexible and biointegrated electronic systems designed to safely interact with living tissues and organoids.

“I see my work as contributing tools that can help unlock the secrets of the human brain by developing advanced interfaces and measurement technologies,” said Chung. “I hope my research can serve as the key that enables neuroscientists to better understand the human brain function in disease and help cure suffering from brain diseases.”

At South Korea’s Kyung Hee University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in advanced materials engineering, Chung developed a strong foundation in soft materials, device mechanics and interdisciplinary research, which directly informs his current work in flexible bioelectronic systems.

He chose to study materials science at Carolina because of the research focus of assistant professor Wubin Bai’s lab and the University’s interdisciplinary research opportunities. Chung is driven by the challenge of merging materials science, electrical engineering and biology to create new tools for health care and neuroscience.

“It’s important to build a strong foundation in one area but also to remain curious and open to learning new tools and perspectives,” he said. “Interdisciplinary research — which leads to new and different research outcomes — can be challenging, but it is also extremely rewarding.”

Chung also serves as a teaching assistant for a data literacy course, helping first-year students understand the importance of data and how to manage it using computer software. “The students are actively participating in my class, and that makes me smile,” he said. “I work hard to be accessible to students so they can always ask any questions whenever they’re having a hard time.”

Chung credits Scott Warren, an associate professor of chemistry, for inspiring his teaching style. “I was really impressed when I first came to UNC-Chapel Hill, and I took a course about fundamentals of materials science under Dr. Warren,” said Chung. “He was so knowledgeable, organized and professional.”

Chung said he is honored to be a Druscilla French Graduate Fellow. “As someone who has come a long way from South Korea, I am so grateful for this opportunity to study and have such diverse experiences,” he said. “I genuinely enjoy my research, which makes my life here very happy and fulfilling.”

Chung said that the financial support he has received gives him the freedom to explore new avenues in his research, work that he hopes will contribute to human health.

By Michele Lynn, College of Arts and Sciences

This story is part of a package of stories on graduate students that will be published in the spring 2026 issue of Carolina Arts & Sciences magazine.

The post Unlocking the secrets of the human brain appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

Submitted photos

Each year, UNC-Chapel Hill honors its most gifted educators with University Teaching Awards recognizing excellence in classroom instruction. While many of these awards acknowledge professors who have dedicated their careers to education and mentorship, others highlight those earlier in their teaching journeys — including those who remain students themselves.

The Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Students recognizes scholars whose early forays into teaching have supported and inspired undergraduates in unique ways. Selected from a pool of nominations by the undergraduates themselves, five graduate students received awards this year, including four from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Charalampos Gappas, Department of History 

Charalampos Gappas is an exceptional instructor who deeply fosters students’ intellectual growth. One student noted, “Charalampos always encouraged students to voice their opinions. According to him, no answer is a silly answer,” highlighting his inclusive approach to discussion. He consistently uses creative questions and diverse materials to extend learning beyond simple lecture summaries. Another student wrote, “He respected students as individuals, first and foremost, as well as scholars,” reflecting his personal attention and respect for each student. His meticulous preparation, broad academic knowledge, rich life experiences, and balance of teaching and research set him apart from other graduate student instructors. Beyond the classroom, his humility, sincerity, and mentoring presence inspire students and leaves a lasting impact, making him a perfect recipient for the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants.

Erica Janko, Department of Sociology

Erica Janko is an outstanding educator who brings together rigor, creativity and genuine care to create classroom experiences that students describe as transformative. A “natural teacher,” she turns courses in the Sociology of Work and Social Stratification into supportive learning communities grounded in what she calls “mutual care” and “grounded growth.” Drawing on her own research and a talent for inventive pedagogy, she designs hands-on projects such as workplace field observations, zines that integrate course themes, museum visits, and collaborative art exercises that make theory come alive. Students say Erica’s classes have reshaped how they think about work, equity, and even their future careers. One wrote that one of Erica’s courses was “The best course I have taken at UNC.” With exceptional evaluations, a department teaching award, glowing praise from faculty mentors, and now a recipient of the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants, Erica stands out as an inspiring, joyful, and deeply impactful teacher. 

Logan Mitchell, Department of Philosophy 

Logan Mitchell, a graduate teaching assistant in Philosophy, is widely regarded as one of the department’s strongest instructors, praised for “overflowing energy,” outstanding communication skills, and a deep commitment to student learning and well-being. Observers note that Logan is “completely confident in [the] classroom … which is not true for a lot of instructors early in their careers.” Logan employs an interactive, Socratic style that helps students to “apply the concepts to new scenarios.” They are highly adaptive in their pedagogy, moving easily among PowerPoint, think–pair–share, active learning activities, and media examples. Equally distinctive is Logan’s care for students’ wellbeing, integrating meditation and breathing exercises to support mental health and focus. Many describe transformative impacts on their career trajectories and lives beyond UNC. One student credits Logan with helping them “begin my law school career.” Others describe discovering lasting interests in philosophy and Buddhism. These testimonies are proof that Logan Mitchell is a great choice to receive the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants.  

Bex Nelson, Department of Mathematics  

Bex Nelson has accrued an extensive record of teaching excellence in the Department of Mathematics, having taught 13 courses and served as the department’s Senior Teaching Fellow, an advanced opportunity reserved for one doctoral candidate per year. Her undergraduate students uniformly identify Bex as among the best instructors they’ve had, citing her impeccable organization, and engaging yet straightforward explanations of the course material. Students praise her infectious enthusiasm and her clear investment in them as individuals, helping them see math as engaging and fun in a way they had never seen before. As one student put it, “Bex gave me confidence in a subject I usually doubted myself in … She showed me that with the right approach and support, I can grow in areas I never thought I’d be good at.” We are proud to announce Bex Nelson as one of the recipients of the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants.

Learn more about the 2026 University Teaching Awards.

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Jaime Lindh (photo by Donn Young)

Jaime Lindh is passionate about understanding the causes of inequitable government policies and finding policy solutions to increase governmental effectiveness. Currently in his fourth year of the political science doctoral program, Lindh studies the relationships between local governments and business communities in his native country of Chile.

Lindh’s inquiry is shaped by his work doing research at Chilean think tanks, where he examined fiscal decentralization and political institutions. “In Chile, things work relatively well in terms of the government at the national level,” he said. “I’m interested in understanding how business leaders engage with local governments and the negative or positive consequences of their involvement in terms of development and policymaking.”

Lindh notes that there is a high quality of life in the capital city of Santiago and surrounding communities, but that the quality of life decreases significantly in peripheral areas. “Many people don’t have the capacity to move to the metropolitan area,” he said. He hopes that his research will facilitate change for those residents.

He was drawn to Carolina because of the political science department’s commitment to theoretically informed and empirically rigorous research. “I appreciate how the department lets me approach a research question by going into the field and speaking with people and triangulating between different actors in the field,” he said. “They help me to build a theory, create and state a hypothesis, and test those hypotheses empirically with data.”

An expert in data analysis, Lindh has taught a master’s level course in the subject and has served as a teaching assistant for “Essential Mathematics and Statistics” and “Intro to Comparative Politics.”

“We spent a whole semester with my cohort and faculty discussing topics such as how to design a syllabus and classroom strategy to improve the teaching practice,” he said.

Lindh says teaching is rewarding. “The students are super engaged with the program and very motivated to learn,” he said.

A multi-year recipient of the Thomas M. Uhlman Graduate Fund in Political Science, Lindh has also received support from the Whit Ayres Fund for Graduate Student Support in the Department of Political Science and the Director’s Fund for Excellence in Latin American Studies.

“The private donor support has been super consequential and allowed me to understand better the questions that I have been working on,” he said. “The funding has allowed me to do field research in Chile and present and share our research at UNC-Chapel Hill and at conferences.”

Lindh believes that graduate students contribute to Carolina not only through their research and teaching, but by serving as ambassadors for the University. “Whether we go into the private sector or academia, the research and work that we do will have been formed by where we earned our Ph.D.,” he said.

By Michele Lynn, College of Arts and Sciences 

This story is part of a package of stories on graduate students that will be published in the spring 2026 issue of Carolina Arts & Sciences magazine.

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Kennedy Kehaulani Guess has always been driven by a deep desire to help others, a passion that has shaped every step of her journey.

In 2020, while pursuing her master’s degree in speech pathology, she had a fellowship at an aphasia recovery center, where she supported stroke survivors struggling with language, speech, and comprehension challenges.

“I loved it,” she recalls fondly.

But when she received a text from an unfamiliar number, her research interests took an unexpected shift.

“Who is this?” Guess replied to the message. It was a friend from college who was playing in the NFL.

“You told me if I ever needed anything to call you, so I’m calling,” he explained. They quickly moved their conversation to FaceTime.

“He was sitting in a dark room, which felt ominous,” she remembers. “I asked him, ‘What’s going on?’”

His answer was unsettling: “I hate football. I don’t remember anything. I get confused very often,” he confided.

Guess was shocked that her friend, who was only 23 at the time, was experiencing serious cognitive issues at such a young age.

“I happened to be on a dementia rotation in the recovery center at the time,” she says. “Even the way he was talking to me — his speech, his language — it sounded just like my dementia patients.”

Driven by curiosity, she immersed herself in research on sports-related concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), determined to help her friend. She soon discovered the gravity of the situation: A study revealed that one-third of former NFL players from 1960 to 2020 believe they have sustained brain damage from their careers.

Athletes in contact sports like football face long-term risks from repeated head impacts. These TBIs can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition that causes memory loss, dementia, and depression. In some cases, former NFL players with CTE have committed violent acts, which some experts attribute to disease-related brain changes. But CTE can currently only be diagnosed by analyzing brain tissue after someone passes away.

Pursuing her passion to help athletes with TBIs, Guess is now a UNC-Chapel Hill Ph.D. student studying how sports-induced concussions change the way people think and communicate. She hopes to identify physiological, psychological, and behavioral signs that predict long-term brain disorders such as CTE, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.

“We’re going to start seeing retired athletes in their 40s, 50s, and 60s coming into our clinics,” she says. “We need to focus on understanding what is happening, how to prevent these disorders, and how to help them while they’re alive.”

Combining two worlds

Another project explores the often‑overlooked challenges NFL players face after retirement. Using numerous interviews with former athletes, Guess gathered insights into their transition out of professional football, the resources available to them, and the changes they experienced.

Through thematic analysis — a method used to identify patterns across interviews — she found that a dramatic shift in identity is one of the most significant struggles retirees face. Many players described a deep sense of loss, often asking, “Who am I without football?”

For those who have played since childhood and suddenly confront the end of their careers, often not by choice, this identity crisis can be profoundly unsettling.

“That is a heavy mental‑health burden for them,” Guess explains. “On top of that, there’s a looming fear: Do I have CTE? Do I have the brain condition I see in other retired athletes? That uncertainty is an added weight.”

The goal of this project is to better understand the retirement process for NFL players and how the transition reshapes their identity, affects their mental health, and influences how they engage with the world.

Guess’s research places her at a unique intersection where she must constantly translate concepts across disciplines — explaining head‑impact biomechanics to her speech-language colleagues and discourse analysis to her advisor in sport science.

“It’s like constantly having to bridge two fields,” she says. “But it speaks to the need in what I’m doing. When you are pioneering something new, you have to make sure everyone is communicating with each other.”

Expanding reach

While working with athletes is Guess’s primary focus, her most recent project examines how TBIs, concussions, and post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affect veterans’ communication skills.

People with TBIs often have trouble providing clear references in conversation, which can make their statements confusing for listeners. For example, they might say, “Yesterday at the place, we did this,” without specifying what “the place” is or who “we” are.

While their sentences may be grammatically correct, the lack of detail makes it hard to follow their meaning. But standard language tests may not catch this issue, as they focus on grammar and structure.

Guess’s research focuses on a subgroup of veterans with PTSD who receive passing scores on speech, language, and neuropsychology tests yet still suffer from communication and memory issues. She hopes this project will inform assessments that can better differentiate where an individual has communication issues and the role PTSD plays.

Eventually, Guess wants to apply this to the NFL population, as many former players face similar issues. That possibility has deepened her appreciation for the unexpected path her career has taken.

“I’ve opened a whole world that I would have never known about if I hadn’t taken this leap into a new field,” she says. “I just love to learn, even if it leads to more questions. It’s broadening my knowledge and giving me fulfillment, knowing that the projects I’m working on are laying the foundation to help others.”

By Megan Mendenhall, UNC Research

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