Randall Scholars Speaker Series 2025

Dr. Ynhi Thai Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at BCM, Assistant Medical Director at the Ben Taub Hospital Emergency Center, and an Investigator at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt). With expertise in public health, medical anthropology, and leadership in quality improvement, she develops interventions to enhance emergency care for mental health crises. Her research, funded by federal and private entities, addresses substance use disorders, suicide prevention, and clinical decision support. She has led projects such as an FDA-funded study on kratom's abuse potential and NIH-funded initiatives on diagnostic accuracy, authored over 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts, delivered more than 25 presentations nationally and internationally, and earned multiple honors including the 2024 Chao Physician-Scientist Award and 2023 Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine President's Momentum Award. Dr. Thomas graduated summa cum laude in Chemical and Biological Engineering at UA. She completed her M.D. and M.P.H. at the UAB, her M.Sc. in Medical Anthropology at Oxford University, and her Emergency Medicine residency and fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Daniel J. Preston directs the Preston Innovation Laboratory at Rice University conducting research at the intersection of energy, materials, and fluids. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the ASME Old Guard Early Career Award, and the Energy Polymer Group Certificate of Excellence. His group’s recent work has been published in PNAS, Science Advances, Science Robotics, Nano Letters, and Advanced Science. His lab is funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy, among other sources. Dr. Preston earned his B.S. (2012) in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama where he conducted research with the Randall Research Scholars Program. He earned his M.S. (2014) and Ph.D. (2017) in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following his graduate degrees, he trained as a postdoctoral fellow from 2017–2019 at Harvard University in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology prior to joining Rice University as an assistant professor in July 2019.

Manoj Sunny is a Senior Associate at Fidelity’s Direct Lending group. Mr. Sunny prepares investment recommendations for leveraged loans ranging from $30MM-$150MM per investment with the goal of having successful investments grow pension funds, university endowments, and institutional capital. Prior to Fidelity, Mr. Sunny worked at Barclays Investment Bank in NYC and Piper Sandler in Chicago. Mr. Sunny earned his bachelor’s in finance and economics concurrently with his Master’s in finance both from The University of Alabama (2018) where he conducted research as an Emerging Scholar. While at UA, Mr. Sunny received the Financial Executives International Award and was involved with Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Blue Key Honors Societies.

Dr. DJ (Darryl) Outlaw is an Assistant Professor in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Outlaw graduated from The University of Alabama in 2011 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He conducted research at UA through the Randall Research Scholars Program and is a fellow of the Witt University Fellows Program. After graduating Dr. Outlaw completed medical school (2015), residency (2018), and fellowship (2021) at UAB. He is humbled to work with wonderful patients and tremendous multidisciplinary teams as a medical oncologist and hematologist. Dr. Outlaw is forever grateful to be part of the UA and Randall family, and he is incredibly thankful for his wonderful wife (Rebecca) and two children (Ellie Kate and William).