Fischell Institute community members share their UMD love stories

For two Fischell Institute community members, the University of Maryland, College Park campus offers more than a place to conduct their research—it’s where their partners are, too.

Proma Bhattacharya, a postdoctoral researcher who works in Fischell Institute Fellow, Wilson H. Elkins Professor, and Mechanical Engineering Associate Chair of Research and Administration Don DeVoe’s Maryland MEMS and Microfluidics lab, never imagined she would meet her husband online—let alone move to the United States to work at the University of Maryland—but that is precisely what happened.

In 2020, Bhattacharya met her husband, Shouvik Mukherjee, online. After a whirlwind romance, the two married, and soon after moved to Maryland after Mukherjee was offered a postdoctoral position in Gretchen Campbell’s Laser Cooling and Trapping Group at the Joint Quantum Institute.

Once in Maryland, Bhattacharya applied for a postdoctoral researcher position in DeVoe’s lab, and was offered the job.

Bhattacharya works on 3D-printed mini-cyclones for particulate matter separation, while Mukherjee’s research focuses on cooling sodium atoms to form Bose-Einstein condensates.

Since arriving at the University of Maryland, the couple has built a collection of unforgettable campus memories—such as the night they stayed in their labs too long and missed the last bus to Greenbelt, which lead to an impromptu late-night adventure of strolling through the quiet, empty campus and grabbing dinner at Looney’s; or their first Maryland Day, when they embraced all things Terp, hoarded turtle souvenirs, and went zip lining.

“The best part—or the biggest advantage—of being in a relationship on the same campus is beating the research blues,” Bhattacharya said. “Be it failed results or good news, we can just walk 100 steps and see each other to share the news.”

The couple plans to return to India in the near future to continue their respective research and settle down with their cats, Pluto and Kilimanjaro.

For Camilla Edwards, arriving at the university in 2019 to join Fischell Institute Professor for Translational Engineering, MPower Professor, and Fischell Institute Fellow Chris Jewell’s research lab and pursue a Ph.D. in bioengineering offered an exciting new chapter after working in industry for a few years.

In 2021, she met Rudi Gerdenich, a MBA student in the Robert H. Smith School of Business, at a Prince George’s County CrossFit gym. Soon after meeting the two began dating and are still together three years later.

In the Jewell research lab, Edwards’ research focuses on delivering tunable vaccines directly to the skin using engineered patches. Across campus, Gerdenich’s studies specialize in supply chain management.

Despite being on opposite sides of campus, the two have grown close over the past three years, sharing occasional lunches at the picnic tables outside of the agriculture building, taking walks around campus, and reminiscing about their first date at Taqueria Habanero in College Park.

“It’s nice to have someone to commiserate with regarding the stress of being a grad student,” Gerdenich said. “There’s a baseline level of understanding there, so we don’t have to explain when we’re having a tough week. She gets it, and I get it.”

Both Edwards and Gerdenich are set to graduate in May and are currently searching for jobs on the East Coast—Edwards in pharmaceutical research and Gerdenich in supply chain or operations management.

Published February 14, 2025