The Ph.D. ceremony will begin at 9 a.m., December 17, and will feature a keynote address by Andrés J. García, executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and Regents Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.

García’s research program integrates innovative engineering, materials science, and cell biology concepts and technologies to create cell-instructive biomaterials for regenerative medicine and generate new knowledge in mechanobiology. In addition, his research has generated intellectual property and licensing agreements with startup and multinational companies, and he is a co-founder of three startups: CellectCell, CorAmi Therapeutics, and iTolerance. García is also the recipient of Georgia Tech’s Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award.

Shan Cooper, executive director of Atlanta Committee for Progress, will deliver the keynote address at the master’s ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. on December 17. Cooper provides leadership on key issues related to economic growth and inclusion for all city of Atlanta residents.

Cooper was named Georgia Trend magazine’s 2015 Most Respected Business Leader, was among Black Enterprise magazine’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America in 2017, and one of Georgia Trend’s 2021 Most Influential Georgians. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and religion from Emory University and an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School. She is also a graduate of the Rutgers University Executive Master’s in Global Human Resource Leadership Program. 

The bachelor’s ceremony is scheduled for December 18 and 10 a.m. University of California Davis Chancellor Gary S. May will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary degree from Georgia Tech. May was part of the faculty in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering for nearly three decades, and served as the dean of the College of Engineering for six years. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2018 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.

May has won numerous honors for his research in computer-aided manufacturing of integrated circuits. He has authored more than 200 technical publications, contributed to 15 books, and holds a patent related to this work.

All ceremonies will be held with health and safety protocols in place. The ceremonies will also be streamed online. More information about these events is available at commencement.gatech.edu.