From discovering how fine-motor skills shape early reading to helping farmers hedge against drought, University of Maine doctoral students doggedly pursue solutions to wicked problems.
These ambitious learners came to Maine’s learner-centered R1 to advance meaningful work as part of a tight-knit community — one that continues to grow.
According to the Graduate School, UMaine’s doctoral enrollment reached a record high for the 10th consecutive year, driven by top-tier research opportunities, a culture of mutual growth and highly engaged faculty mentorship.
UMaine’s enrollment census shows doctoral enrollment has increased 6% since last year and 24% since 2020, reflecting a well-established reputation for research excellence and productivity — affirmed earlier this year when the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education renewed UMaine’s R1 status.
With 92% of the Pine Tree State’s Ph.D.s conferred by UMaine last year, this growth is a boost for Maine’s innovation-driven sectors. But behind these numbers is a doctoral community powered by purpose.
Students choose UMaine because they want to take part in groundbreaking innovation and solve real problems, said Giovanna Guidoboni, interim vice president for research and dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing.
“Students want purpose, connection and mentors who are invested in their success,” she said. They want experiences that prepare them for their future careers, and they find them here.”
And behind every data point are individual students — each with a distinct sense of purpose — whose paths led them to Orono.
Scribbles versus screens
Kristen Braun has been teaching first graders on Maine’s coast for ten years. A few years ago, she noticed a pattern: students who struggled with handwriting also struggled with reading.
“People are quick to blame COVID,” said Braun, who grew up in Bucksport, Maine, and teaches in the Mount Desert Island school system, “but reading scores started declining around 2010. The Common Core standards that were introduced at that time didn’t include handwriting, but it did include keyboarding.”
Braun’s doctoral work examines what happens when children put pencil to paper. After her students head home, Braun dives into her research exploring the connections between fine-motor development, memory, attention and early reading.
“When we put a pen to paper, so many areas of our brains light up that simply don’t activate when we’re scrolling or keyboarding,” she said. “We can’t ignore that.”
The UMaine alum returned for her Ph.D. because she wanted to stay rooted in the community she cares about while advancing research that can improve literacy outcomes in the state.
“I’ve been so impressed with UMaine,” she said. “My professors are incredibly supportive and always looking for ways to expand my experience. I feel genuinely cared for.”
She hopes that one day, pediatricians will give families tools to help toddlers develop fine motor skills so they come to school more ready to start writing.
“If we want strong readers, we need to invest in our youngest learners,” she said. “That’s part of our social contract.”
The ideal mix for impact
Growing up in Bangladesh in South Asia, Kallol Barai saw firsthand how unpredictable environmental conditions could threaten farmers’ livelihoods. He wanted to give farmers high-tech tools to help care for their crops, and found the unique combination of expertise he needed to develop these ideas at UMaine.
“Precision agriculture changes outcomes,” he said. “My advisors have the expertise in plant physiology and remote sensing I need to develop tools that will help growers improve their yields.”
At UMaine, Barai is developing technology that will give wild blueberry growers real-time insights to manage irrigation, fertilization and environmental stresses.
“The partnerships between researchers and growers create an environment where science can have direct, immediate impact,” he said. “The UMaine community is helpful and friendly, making Maine feel like a second home.”
Barai is part of a growing contingent of international and out-of-state doctoral students at UMaine. This year, applications from outside Maine reached an all-time high, reflecting the university’s expanding reputation for research opportunities.
Staying for the community
Jordan Miner of Baldwin, Maine, got her start in research as an undergraduate at UMaine, where more than a quarter of bachelor’s degree students were involved with research last year. She discovered she loved being in the lab, and stayed.
“What brought me back to UMaine was the research atmosphere,” she said. “We have this tight-knit community of grad students and faculty. We do potlucks and people check-in with each other.”
Now as a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering, Miner studies how breast cancer progresses. These findings will eventually help doctors know which patients are more likely to have aggressive forms of cancer, and customize their treatment accordingly.
UMaine also launched Miner beyond her home state. At her adviser’s encouragement, she applied for a NASA internship — and got it.
“I’m from a small town, and you don’t always know what’s possible until someone pushes you to step out of your comfort zone,” says Miner, who was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. “That’s what UMaine has done for me.”
Connected for discovery
At UMaine’s marine lab on the Damariscotta River, Kyle Oliveira is finding out if scientists can learn more about great white sharks from traces of DNA they shed in their environment, also known as eDNA.
“I want to know whether eDNA can tell a full story about habitat suitability,” he said. “If we understand where sharks are likely to be and why, that can help both science and management.”
Oliviera, who is co-advised by researchers at UMaine and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, grew up in New Jersey but was drawn to Maine by the university’s robust collaborations.
“UMaine’s marine research network is unmatched,” said Oliveira, who received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “I wanted a program where I could combine fieldwork, modeling and community impact, and this was the place.”
Oliveira speaks just as enthusiastically about the people around him.
“The grad students in the School of Marine Sciences are second to none,” he said. “Even though I live on the coast, I feel closely connected with them. People really look out for each other.”
UMaine also gave him a chance to build practical skills, earning both his divemaster certification and scientific diving qualifications.
“The flexibility here has been huge,” he said. “It’s a place where opportunities open up if you want them.”
There’s no place like Maine
After years of working in government and policy roles in Virginia, Gianna DeJoy came to UMaine seeking to understand why so many rural communities struggle to access maternal health care.
“My son’s birth made me think about two things at once,” the Blue Hill native said. “I wanted to raise my family in Maine, and I wanted to do work that would make him proud.”
Her research is rooted in what she started as an undergrad, when she interned with Planned Parenthood and designed a project on how Maine’s islanders access care. She expected to focus on contraception and family planning; what she found surprised her.
“What women wanted to talk about most was obstetric care — where they were going to give birth, how far they had to travel, whether services would still be available,” said DeJoy, who earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Richmond and her master’s at Columbia University.
Her dissertation examines changing access to maternity care in Maine, New Brunswick and northeastern North America, exploring how environmental and policy shifts shape where and how people can receive care.
UMaine was the only place she wanted to pursue this work.
“I wanted to be embedded in the communities I was studying,” she said. “And Maine is such a special place. If you are in another part of the world and run into someone from Maine, there’s an immediate connection. I don’t see people from other states hugging some random person. I think we’re kind of bonded by the seasonality of life here.”
Contact: Erin Miller, erin.miller@maine.edu
