Mehdi Nikkhah was recognized as the Graduate Man of the Year at the Graduate School’s Annual Awards Banquet. He received a $500 award for his significant contributions to the Virginia Tech graduate community.
Nikkhah, originally from Tehran, Iran, is a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering. He earned a bachelor’s degree in ME and a master of science degree in biomedical engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology/Tehran Polytechnic in Tehran. Also, Nikkhah earned a Master of Science degree in ME from Villanova University in Villanova, Pa.
He has published more than 20 journal articles and peer-reviewed conference papers, and holds two U.S. patents. Nikkhah is co-founder of Nano-VT, an interdisciplinary student organization focusing on the advancement of nanotechnology. He is a past president of Alpha Epsilon Lambda as well as the Iranian Student Association.
Other awards received are the Outstanding Graduate Student Leadership Award, the Outstanding Doctoral Student in the College of Engineering Award, a National Science Foundation Conference Fellowship, and a Graduate Student Assembly Research Symposium Award.
“This year’s selection committee was impressed with the high quality candidates in the running for graduate woman and man of the year,” said Monika Gibson, director of student services for the Graduate School. “We had a difficult time selecting just one winner in each category,” she said.
Each year a committee of faculty, staff, and graduate students assess the written materials of nominated students. Also, the committee invites potential award winners to respond to questions in an interview format. This year seven high-qualified students applied, or were nominated, for graduate man and woman of the year.
The Graduate School at Virginia Tech promotes graduate education as a critical component in the transmission of new knowledge, research, ideas, and scholarship. It is responsible for the development, administration, and evaluation of graduate education throughout the university, providing support to faculty, staff, and more than 6,000 graduate students. The Graduate School is committed to building a diverse graduate community and vibrant intellectual environment to help prepare graduates to lead. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
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