A Note of Thanks

On January 2021, I started my PhD journey with a lot of uncertainties moving to a foreign country for the first time. I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to work with an amazing group of researchers and professors at one of the best universities to work on bridge engineering. In the last four and a half years, I got the chance to work on three research projects during my studies at UT Austin. My PhD dissertation was from my work on a research project funded by TxDOT (Project 0-7116). On 7th April 2025, I successfully defended my PhD Dissertation on “Analysis and Design of I-Girder Bridges for Heavy Deck Overhang Loads”.

I am very thankful to have worked with my supervisors Dr. Todd Helwig and Dr. Eric Williamson, who have fundamentally changed the way I think, solve and present my research work. Their support throughout my PhD meant a lot to me personally and professionally. I am also thankful to Dr. Michael Engelhardt for his feedback during the course of the research project and on my dissertation. Dr. Stelios Kyriakides, the external committee member of my dissertation, provided valuable insights on the dissertation opening areas for future research. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory and The University of Texas at Austin.

I believe every research project needs a team of motivated and supportive people. Tanakorn Ngamjarungjit and I spent a lot of time together working on the TxDOT 0-7116 project, sharing ideas and giving/receiving feedback from each other. I am thankful for his support navigating during the fun and difficult times together. I am also happy to have friends from India and different parts around the world who cheer for me and motivate me. My family deserves special thanks for continuously supporting me to become a first-generation graduate with a doctoral degree. Finally, I am thankful to everyone who helped me reach this milestone with their kindness.

I will share more details about my research in the coming months with the publications.