Warmest congratulations to our alumni Shaylin Cetegen ’19, David Cowles ’17, and Dominique Schiraldi ’20 on being recognized with 2026 GOLD Rising Star Awards by the UConn College of Engineering!
The GOLD Rising Star Awards recognize graduates of the last decade whose professional accomplishments and contributions to engineering demonstrate significant promise and impact.
Cetegen earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UConn in 2019 and completed her Ph.D. at MIT in 2025. Her doctoral research developed an optimization-based framework for the technoeconomic assessment of liquid air energy storage systems across U.S. and European markets. She has authored eight peer-reviewed publications and received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
Cowles earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UConn in 2017 and is an engineer with MPR Associates, where he provides technical consulting for the commercial nuclear power industry. His work includes nuclear power plant modernization, hazards analyses, electrical distribution reviews, and regulatory documentation.
Schiraldi earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UConn in 2020 and serves as Senior Manager, MES Engineering Cell Therapy Network Business Partner at Bristol Myers Squibb. Her work supports advanced cell therapy manufacturing through the design and maintenance of Manufacturing Execution Systems that translate complex scientific processes into scalable and compliant production workflows.
We are proud to celebrate these three alumni and their continued contributions across energy, nuclear power, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
Read more about the 2026 GOLD Rising Stars on UConn Today.