Bio

Sowmya is from Naperville, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor's Degree in Materials Science & Engineering in 2020. She later earned her Master's Degree in Materials Engineering at Purdue in 2022 with her research focused on structural nuclear materials. She transferred to the ENE Ph.D. program in the Spring of 2023 and is assisting in research on Empathy in Engineering Design.

She is also passionate about the mental health and well-being of engineering students and how engineering culture can affect them. Her dissertation research is focused on Second Generation South Asian women's experiences with mental health in engineering Ph.D. programs. In her free time, you'll find Sowmya running, hanging out with her dog, or listening to Taylor Swift!!

Selected Works

Hess, J. L., Panuganti, S., & Anakok, I. (2026). Intersections between ethics and diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering practice: Insights from practitioners’ mental models. Journal of Engineering Education, 115(1), e70042. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.70042

Panuganti, S., & Major, J. (2024). WIP: Accomplices and Allies: The Role of Chosen Family in Empowering Engineering Students American Society for Engineering Education. https://nemo.asee.org/public/conferences/344/papers/41964/view

Panuganti, S. S. (2022). Comparison of Neutron Irradiation Effects on PM-HIP and Cast Grade 91 Steels [Thesis, Purdue University Graduate School]. https://doi.org/10.25394/PGS.19658760.v1

Clement, C. D., Panuganti, S., Warren, P. H., Zhao, Y., Lu, Y., Wheeler, K., Frazer, D., Guillen, D. P., Gandy, D. W., & Wharry, J. P. (2022). Comparing Structure-Property Evolution for Pm-Hip and Forged Alloy 625 Irradiated with Neutrons to 1dpa. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4184542