Kripa Adhikari, an international doctoral student from Nepal, is graduating from the Civil and Environmental Engineering department with her Ph.D. this semester. She has spent the last five years building a home away from home here in Texas and looks forward to continuing her research on geothermal energy stateside after walking across the stage.
Adhikari earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering in Nepal before enrolling at the University of Houston.
“I was not here physically [while applying], but I was impressed by the department’s research and the quality of labs on the website,” she said. “The University of Houston gave me an offer, and that’s how it all started.”
“I am proud of the computational research I have been doing in areas like microvascular composites, geothermal energy, and chemical transport,” she shared. “One of my main research focuses is geothermal energy — a form of renewable energy that harnesses the heat from beneath the Earth’s surface. It’s a field I’m truly passionate about, and I’m excited to continue working on it after graduation.”
“I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Dr. Kalyana B. Nakshatrala, for his unwavering support and motivation throughout this journey. All my achievements wouldn’t have been possible without his guidance,” Adhikari said.
Adhikari has been recognized with multiple fellowships and awards in her time as a Cullen student, including one of only eight recipients of the prestigious UH-Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship in 2023.
“It was really a turning point to me due to their recognition of my research in the field of renewable energy. That really motivated me to keep working in the field. I also got an internship offer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in summer 2024. That was a new and very valuable experience for me, and I express my gratitude to Dr. Maruti K. Mudunuru, a UH alumni who is currently a scientist at PNNL, for all his guidance and support,” she said.
Adhikari was also recognized as an Outstanding Teaching Assistant that same year. As she prepares to graduate, she has also been honored with the Andrea Prosperetti Research Computing Student Award for 2024–2025 in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of computational research. This award is one of the highest distinctions bestowed by the Cullen College of Engineering.
Adhikari first arrived at UH in January 2020, “so you can understand what was going on,” she said. There were only three months between leaving Nepal and getting caught in the COVID lockdowns of March 2020, so it took some time to fully settle into her new life here in Houston.
“In 2022, everything finally started up again, and I got to really explore my interests. I learned how much I like supporting UH sports. Football, baseball, basketball… I even went to San Antonio earlier this month [for the NCAA championship], and unfortunately, we didn’t win, but I still enjoyed the whole experience.”
2022 was also the year that Adhikari found her future spouse.
“I got engaged to a fellow Cougar and Ph.D. researcher in the Mechanical Engineering department at UH in 2022. We have been sharing the challenges, struggle, happiness, everything together in this Ph.D. journey.”
Meanwhile, Adhikari’s sister lives in Dallas with her own growing family — something that kept homesickness at bay from the very start, even during early 2020 lockdowns — and their brother is also currently pursuing his master’s degree here at UH. In fact, it’s the first time Adhikari and her brother have gone to school “together” in 15 years.
“It reminds me of memories that we used to have when we were small kids. That’s something I value a lot,” she said. “And definitely, I miss my parents back in Nepal, who are cheering for me from afar and celebrating every milestone I reach with pride.”
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, our department head Dr. Roberto Ballarini, all the professors from whom I’ve learned so much, and the dedicated staff who supported me throughout my journey,” she added. “I am grateful to have met such wonderful friends and colleagues during my time at UH.”
More than anything, Adhikari’s experiences at UH have taught her that good things come to those who wait.
“I believe many students, especially those in research, can relate: some days go smoothly and meet our expectations, while others don’t. But what matters most is to keep learning every day. As my advisor often says, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. I am proud of the journey I’ve taken and of being one of the few women in the field of computational mechanics. The experience couldn’t have been better, and I wholeheartedly thank the University of Houston for providing me the platform. Go Coogs!”