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Adrian Maker, a 2026 University of Maryland (UMD) chemical engineering graduate and incoming reliability engineering Ph.D. student, has been selected for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
The fellowship will support Maker as he sets out to address gaps in risk assessment of integrated energy systems under the supervision of his advisor, Professor and Center for Risk and Reliability Director Katrina Groth.
With rising infrastructure demand both nationally and globally, many are looking to such systems—combining sources such as gas, hydrogen, and nuclear into a single coordinated network—as part of the solution. But reliability data is sparse for these novel systems. That creates a bottleneck for risk modeling, which is used to draw up codes and standards.
Maker aims to fill in the gaps by leveraging machine learning (ML) techniques to develop a robust, flexible parameter estimation framework. Crucially, he will utilize a Bayesian architecture which will harness ML to extract the maximal predictive values from limited empirical data.
The approach could prove more suitable for integrated systems than classical frequentist methods of parameter estimation, such as Maximum Likelihood Estimation, which tend to fail under severe data scarcity.
“My goal is to create a computationally efficient method to handle the mathematical uncertainty of reliability models when constrained by scarce or limited data,” Maker said. “This framework will allow engineers to establish rigorous, data-driven standards for new energy infrastructure before being exposed to unnecessary risk.”
Founded in 1952, the NSF’s highly-competitive GRF program recruits outstanding graduate students with the potential to make significant contributions to STEM fields. The overarching goal of the program is to ensure the continued strength of the U.S. science and engineering workforce.
"I am blessed and honored to receive such a prestigious award and grateful for the support provided by the NSF GRFP as I pursue my academic and professional goals,” Maker said. “I look forward to using this opportunity to address nationally important challenges and contribute to the safe and reliable advancement of integrated energy systems."
June 10, 2026
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