Why did you choose to study MSE?

I first learned about materials science during high school while working on solar cell research that happened to fall under the university's MSE department. I still wasn't entirely sure what MSE was, but really liked the lab I was part of, and started to learn more about the exciting applications of materials work. Once I came to Berkeley and learned more about the field, I realized it was a great fit for my interests.

 

What do you like most about MSE? 

I love the way MSE is so directly relevant to understanding the world around me and consequently essential to solving so many of the world's problems. Whether it's PPE for COVID-19 or carbon sequestration, materials are at the core of so many of the biggest environmental and medical challenges we face today.

 

Any interesting projects/research you are working on now that you’d like to share?

I'm currently quarantining at home, but for the past few years I've been a part of Professor Kevin Healy's lab, in which I work with semi-synthetic hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels for tissue regeneration applications. These hydrogel scaffolds mimic the natural extracellular matrix, and have shown great promise in treating volumetric muscle loss injury, among other regenerative medicine applications.

 

What do you enjoy doing outside of school?

I'm involved with teaching on campus, enjoy reading about anything and everything, and like working on puzzles, hiking, and writing.

 

What are your future plans? 

In the fall, I'll be starting grad school at MIT (or potentially at Zoom University). I'm not sure what I want to do long-term, but I'm hoping to end up in a career that involves some combination of teaching, research, and policy work.