As a PhD student in electrical & computer engineering, Adriyel says the process of learning at WPI has afforded him opportunities to explore his interests and expand his knowledge on everything from statistical signal processing to machine learning.

Adriyel is one of WPI’s distinguished GEM Fellows, a prestigious fellowship that supports under-represented ethnic minority students in their post-graduate education. He first learned of WPI at a conference where he was introduced to Alex Wyglinski, associate dean of graduate studies and professor of electrical & computer engineering, and the exciting work done in his Wireless Innovation Lab (WILab). The introduction proved fortunate. “Dr. Wyglinski has been paramount to my success at WPI during the pandemic,” he says. “His availability and support for my research has afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with other students and professors that I normally wouldn’t have connections to.” 

The support Adriyel has received at WPI came in the form of mentorship, formal and informal academic experiences, and working collaborations that have advanced his PhD studies. He spent two summers interning at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, a learning experience that helped him along his path of obtaining a PhD.

Adriyel’s research is focused on developing wireless simulations and experimenting with software defined radios. Eventually, he would like a professional career as a wireless distributed systems researcher.

In his time out of the lab, Adriyel enjoys exploring WPI’s campus and looking for the best cup of coffee at the various shops in Worcester. Outside of WPI, he enjoys hiking in the northeast and aspires to exploring the various trails and state parks in the area.

Working with peers and undergraduates gives Adriyel insight to how WPI’s project-based learning, and the close teamwork necessary for successful results, impacts students’ academic experience and their career success. The students he works with thrive on the hands-on engineering experiences, he says, and the resulting high skill level they develop in the process gives them the qualifications sought-after engineers need in the job market.