Vanessa obtained her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University. Prior to starting her graduate education Vanessa worked five years at ExxonMobil as a drilling engineer. At Purdue she is a direct Ph.D. student working towards building a game mechanism incentivizing energy conserving behaviors in smart and connected communities. Her main research interests are game-theoretical modeling and developing resilient sociotechnical systems. Vanessa is an avid tennis player and enjoys playing intramural sports such as ultimate frisbee.