2023 - 2024 Scholars

Originally from Edinboro, Pennsylvania, Alexis is a rising Mechanical Engineering PhD student in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering. She completed her undergraduate degree at Duquesne University in Biomedical Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Biochemistry. During her time in undergrad, she was an active advocate for women in STEM, serving as the president of Duquesne’s Society of Women Engineers chapter. Alexis was also a recipient of the Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship Award for her final two years. Her research interests are in computational fluid dynamics and its applications to the cardiovascular system. She plans to pursue research under the guidance of Dr. Amir Arzani on developing patient-specific computer models to observe how blood flow affects stroke.  Alexis received the Ruth Novak and Paul and Karen Ross Award.

Dallin Littlewood is a recent University of Utah alumnus who graduated with a combined Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering with multiple honors, including Magna Cum Laude. Dallin has gained extensive systems engineering experience while working with catalytic reactors and solid oxide fuel cells at a local clean technologies company, OxEon Energy. Dallin will be returning to the University of Utah to pursue a PhD in the department of Chemical Engineering, where he will be working with Dr. Tony Saad’s and Dr. James Sutherland’s research groups. It is anticipated that Dallin’s areas of research will encompass fast computational fluid dynamics solvers and reduced-order modeling of turbulent reacting flows.  Dallin recieved the ARCS Utah Chapter Award.

Chase Paulson, MD, completed his Bachelor of Science at Brigham Young University while playing collegiate lacrosse. He earned his medical degree from the University of Utah. Under the mentorship of Barbara Wirostko, MD, at the John A. Moran Eye Center, he has worked on a variety of projects and publications in the field of pseudoexfoliation syndrome and glaucoma with related systemic associations. Working with Moran’s Global Outreach Division, he has conducted research in Guatemala and has studied these conditions across Utah, including the Navajo Nation. Other projects have included gender representation of speakers at major ophthalmology conferences and the preservation of cutthroat trout in the Intermountain West. At Moran, he plans to utilize unique database resources and continue research in optimizing high-quality care locally, regionally, and globally.  Chase received the Diane and Tom Might Award.

Nadim Azar, MD, graduated with high distinction from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2017. He earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut in 2021. He then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Duke Eye Center.  At Duke, under the mentorship of Victor Perez, MD, he focused on research in ocular immunology, including the therapeutic and preventive potential of peptides. His clinical research has also focused on applying artificial intelligence in ophthalmology and pioneering innovative methodologies for detecting dry eye disease. He has presented his research at numerous conferences and has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. As a Moran resident, Dr. Azar plans to expand his research, particularly in cornea and anterior segment. Nadim received the Kathie and Mark Miller award in honor of Randall J Olson.