Graduate Fellows Program

Jack Beatty is an MBA Candidate at the Wharton School of Business, focusing his studies on entrepreneurship and innovation. He is also a Wharton Teaching Fellow and teaches basic marketing courses at Wharton. He is a former Air Force Officer and received his Bachelor's in physics from the University of Virginia. He is a parishioner of St. Patrick's.

Grant Bruner is a PhD student in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the intersection of land, labor, and inequality in the Roman World. Grant is also interested in the early Church and the development of Christian spaces in Late Antiquity.

Elizabeth Campbell is a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Education and the School Visit Manager at the Penn Museum. An experienced archaeology and history educator, Beth holds a masters degree in Roman archaeology from the University of Leicester, an MA in Secondary Education from Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she was an Operation TEACH Fellow, and a BA in history from the University of New Hampshire. Prior to moving to Philadelphia, she taught High School Social Studies in Baltimore, MD, and worked in museums on three continents (including the British Museum in London).

Abi Chavez is pursuing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Abi is broadly interested in neurological disease and how to unveil the mechanisms behind neurodivergence. She wishes to focus on the translational aspect of research while leveraging electrophysiological techniques. In her free time, she enjoys trying new things, hiking, singing, traveling, and baking.

Frances Choi is a high school history teacher pursuing a Master's in Education at Saint Joseph's University. Before moving to Philadelphia, she had lived in Boston all her life and received her undergraduate degree in History of Science and Classics at Harvard College. She is active in the St. Agatha-St. James community.

Andres is an MD/PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include chemical biology and molecular imaging. He is currently working on developing small-molecule targeted degraders of pathological aggregates in models of neurodegeneration.

Justin is a fifth year PhD candidate in Biochemistry, Structural and Molecular Biology at Thomas Jefferson University. His research explores noncanonical functions of tRNAs and the role of various small non-coding RNAs in diseases ranging from tuberculosis to schizophrenia. He is a parishioner at St. Patrick’s Church.

Adrienne is working part-time on her Masters in Computer Information Technology (MCIT) through the online program at the University of Pennsylvania while also working as systems engineer in the defense industry. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, whether it is skiing in the winter or hiking in the summer and enjoys attempting to cook new cuisine. She is a parishioner at St. Patrick's. 

Joshua is a doctoral candidate in the Theology and Religious Studies program at Villanova University, where he pursues interests in medieval intellectual history, political theory, and education. Originally from a small town in Alabama, he now lives with his wife and son in Drexel Hill and can be found there reading on the porch or playing basketball, music, and board games with friends. He is a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales. 

Kylie Konrath is a second year PhD student in the Cell and Molecular Biology program at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research uses protein structure to guide vaccine design for coronaviruses and influenza. She is a Saint Patrick's parishioner.

Felipe Martins is a second year Physics PhD student investigating how physical systems attain functionality with the help of both new data science techniques and traditional condensed matter ideas. Felipe is broadly interested in medieval thought and art.

Colby Agostino is a second-year PhD student studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Colby works in the Kulp lab at the Wistar Institute and his research focus on the development and application of protein engineering methods for immunotherapy applications.

Christina Mitchell is a city planning master's student at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in urban planning theory and its application, specifically how the built environment impacts social networks and community formation. With a background in sociology, she hopes to explore the influence urban design principles have on our communities and seeks to highlight their intersection with the Catholic faith. In her free time, Christina enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and planning community gatherings.

Rodrigo Morales is an Economics PhD student at Penn. His research focuses mainly on Numerical Macroeconomics and Networks. In his free time, he enjoys doing sports, hiking, dancing, climbing mountains and biking.

Joseph Nicolello received his M.A. in English at Fordham University, was 2022 Karmiole Fellow at UCLA, is 2022-2023 Schoenberg Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, and is a doctoral student at Temple University. His research interests include Milton, William Blake, theology, philosophy, providence, phenomenology, and medicine. He is presently working on a textual and pictorial exegesis of William Blake's Milton: A Poem. Nicolello is also a poet and the author of several books, including a Künstlerroman in 100 chapters modeled on Dante's Comedia (3 volumes, 2021), a platonic dialogue concerning Thomism and medieval philosophy in the literary theory of Flannery O’Connor (2021), and an in-progress quartet of novellas based on the four seasons in New York City. His works are available in most Philadelphia bookstores.

Christopher Quintana is a doctoral student in the Department of Philosophy at Villanova University. His dissertation focuses on the social and political philosophy of the Aristotelian tradition. In addition, he has interests in virtue theory, early modern political thought, and the philosophy of technology. He has presented papers on the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza as well as Alasdair Macintyre.

Matt is pursuing a Master's in Computer and Information Technology through Penn's part-time online program (MCIT). Professionally, Matt works full time as a data scientist, primarily focusing on automation and machine learning. From this joint perspective, he hopes to understand the moral effects of evolving artificial intelligence technologies on student and professional life. He is a parishioner at St. Patrick's Church in Rittenhouse.

Jonathan is a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania studying Physics. His research employs nonlinear and ultrafast optics to study nontrivial topology and superconductivity in solid state materials. He is broadly interested in the relationship of the sciences to diverse fields of philosophy, religion, economics, and politics.

Catalina "Mica" Udani is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania studying International Relations. Her research interests include conflict, immigration, authoritarianism, and human rights. She studies the effect of ethnic and religious identities on collective action and how international conflict affects individual domestic outcomes and social identities, with a focus on authoritarian states in the global South. Beyond writing on global geopolitics, she is also a freelance illustrator and musician.

 Noah Zimmermann is a second-year (2L) law student at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He received a Master of Theological Studies from Duke Divinity School, where he wrote a thesis on Nicholas of Cusa, Thomas Aquinas, and analogical reasoning. His undergraduate studies at Furman University were in philosophy, politics and international affairs, and poverty studies. Noah's primary intellectual interests include theology, political theory, and law, and in his free time he enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and playing basketball.