What does graduate research sound like?
To celebrate the UW Graduate School’s partnership with the KEXP BBQ, we invited graduate students to connect their research with music. We wanted to know what songs capture the questions they’re asking, the ideas that inspire them, or the work they’re doing?
Their answers are as diverse as their fields—from landslides and prosthetic design to digital archives and healthy aging. Explore their research, listen to their selections, and discover the many ways graduate scholarship at the UW finds its rhythm.
Satria Ardianuari
UW’s 2026 3MT runner-up Satria Ardianuari ‘s presentation, Can Prosthetic Leg Features Help Reduce Knee Stress?, explored how prosthetic design can improve mobility and long-term health outcomes for people with limb loss. By combining engineering innovation with insights from clinical care, his work aims to help people move more comfortably, independently and safely.
- “Profound” (The Bridge) by Gavin Luke
- “Gratitude” (Gratitude) by Gavin Luke
- “Journeys” (Endeavour) by Symbio
Paul Monroe Morgan
This year’s UW 3MT winner, Paul Morgan, presented, Damability Maps Can Help Prevent Landslide Dam Disaster, exploring how landslides can reshape entire landscapes and create new hazards. His research helps scientists better identify where landslide dams may form, providing critical information that could improve disaster preparedness and public safety.
- “Sunsleaper” by Barry Can’t Swim
- “Enjoy Your Life” by Romy
- “Earthquake” (DJ Fresh vs. Diplo feat. Dominique Young Unique) by DJ Fresh and Diplo
- “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
Rijul Jain
Ph.D. candidate and Gates Cambridge Scholarship recipient Rijul Jain blends literature and computer science, collaboratively designing alternative search interfaces that offer new ways to explore digital archival collections.
- “Roman Holiday” by Fontaines D.C.
- “Bluebird” by Bonnie Raitt,
- “High Noon” by Ora Cogan.
Augusto Ferraris
UWRA Patrica Fellowship in Aging recipient Augusto Ferraris focuses his research on medication safety and dementia prevention. His goal is to provide clinicians and patients with clearer evidence about the long-term cognitive implications of widely prescribed medications
- “Desire”by Kamasi Washington
- “Genio del Abasto”by Camionero