The GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. Program participants are seen as future experts who will contribute significantly to research, education and innovation in the STEM fields.

Computer science and mathematics major Mithra Karamchedu has been involved in three main research projects as a student at 91̽�� Mudd. “Since my freshman year, I’ve been working with computer science professor Lucas Bang on research in graph algorithms, where we study the problem of generating the spanning trees of a graph G up to the automorphisms or ‘symmetries’ of G,” he says. “I’ve also been doing research in Ramsey theory with former HMC President Maria Klawe, my brother Chaitanya Karamchedu ‘21 and mathematics professor Andrés Vindas Meléndez. In our research, we attempt to determine the Ramsey numbers of graphs known as ‘double stars.’ As part of an REU program with the Santa Fe Institute after my sophomore year, I’ve also been working with Cristopher Moore and Gülce Kardeş, researching the so-called ‘phase transitions’ in hard computational problems.”

Karamchedu is a member of the HMC improv club DUCK! and has been an Academic Excellence tutor for mathematics and a CS department grutor. This fall, he will begin a PhD in theoretical computer science at Columbia University, where he hopes to specialize in combinatorial algorithms and complexity theory.

During her sophomore year, engineering major Marika Ragnartz conducted research in Professor Steven Santana’s lab, working on developing a 3D bioprinter to print synthetic tissue. However, she says, “most of my experiences have actually not been in research labs. I was part of the Summer Entrepreneurship Studio at Mudd and worked on a project with my friend Sara Wexler ‘26 making a thermoelectric-cooling wearable for multiple sclerosis patients. We received multiple grants to continue working on it past the summer. I’ve worked with two other startups, Lifemotion Medical Technology for Clinic and Telos Health during an internship, on devices for heart and lung failure patients and stroke patients.” Ragnartz also was a grutor and teaching assistant for E79 and has been a member of the 5C hip-hop group Groove Nation throughout her time at 91̽�� Mudd.

In the fall, Ragnartz will begin a PhD program in mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, doing research on soft robotics and controls for rehabilitation robotics.

“Models of opinion dynamics have the potential to explain how individual beliefs and collective opinions spread in a social network. However, many canonical models in this field are deterministic and thus fail to capture uncertainty present in social interactions,” says mathematics major Madeline Reeve. “My mathematics senior thesis focuses on how adding randomness affects long-term behavior in a class of opinion dynamics models called bounded-confidence models. In particular, my work focuses on when adding noise promotes consensus, or when all agents eventually adopt the same opinion.”

Reeve made the most of her summers during college. In 2023, she conducted biostatistics research at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. This work helps explain the natural history progression of oral cavity cancer when untreated in an individual. In 2025, she conducted research at Williams College as part of the SMALL REU, studying chip-firing games on Graphs, “totally different from my thesis and the more applied work I’ve done otherwise,” she says. “My research team and I proved theoretical results about a quantity called the gonality of a graph, a discrete analog of a classical concept in algebraic geometry.”

Since 2023, Reeve has worked for the Office of Career Services as a peer consultant, hosting workshops, meeting with Mudders to review their resumes and cover letters and helping organize OCS events. She has also been a mathematics department grutor, including for Math131: Mathematical Analysis 1, and an Academic Excellence mathematics tutor/facilitator. Reeve also served as a North Dorm president. 

After graduation, Reeve will move to Salt Lake City to pursue a PhD in mathematics at the University of Utah, where she plans to conduct research in applied mathematics and/or mathematical biology.

Lilian Zhu is a mathematics major with emphasis in environmental analysis and data science. With her thesis advisor, mathematics and climate professor Robert Sanchez, Zhu researched salinity feedbacks in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) for different climate models and studied how to disentangle natural versus anthropogenic forces in the AMOC response to rising CO2.

In 2024, Zhu participated in an REU at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) with advisors Rodney Johnson and Dennis McGillicuddy. Zhu investigated mesoscale eddy transformations using Argo float and satellite altimetry data and took part in weeklong research cruises to collect data. Zhu also worked at BIOS as an education intern, developing Python tutorial workshops for local Bermudian students to expand oceanographic data science knowledge for the BIOS Curriculum Enrichment program. 

“I spent the last two summers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research studying humidity trends in the U.S. Southwest with advisor Isla Simpson,” Zhu says. “Climate models simulate a rise in humidity contradicting observations that show a decline. My work analyzed evapotranspiration regimes within models and observations to diagnose this problem.”

At HMC, Zhu served as a grutor for the mathematics and CS departments. Having benefitted from the College’s Gateway to Exploring Mathematical Sciences program as a high school sophomore, Zhu volunteered as a mentor for the program’s monthly workshops throughout her time in college.

After graduation, Zhu will pursue a PhD in physical oceanography at MIT-WHOI, studying coral reef hydrodynamics and using machine learning to optimize the performance of autonomous underwater vehicles. “I’m excited to continue my outreach through both community education and creative science communication,” she says.

Venkatachalam, a joint physics and mathematics major with a linguistics concentration, will pursue an Open Study/Research Award focused on liquid–liquid phase separation, a process in which mixtures spontaneously separate into distinct liquid phases. Understanding this behavior is critical for advancing research in areas such as biological systems and materials science.

While working in Heidelberg’s physics department, Venkatachalam aims to develop a physics-informed generative machine learning model to better predict how these systems behave under different conditions.

“I’m really looking forward to making connections in Germany, both through my research and through campus and community outreach,” said Venkatachalam. “One of the things that drew me to Fulbright is the chance to engage in meaningful conversations across diverse backgrounds and experiences, to share my perspective while learning about others.”

She will be building upon her research in hard and soft condensed matter physics that she conducted at 91̽��, California Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago. Her work has resulted in multiple co-authored publications and presentations at national conferences, including the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit.

In addition to her research, Venkatachalam is engaged in teaching and outreach. She serves as a facilitator for HMC’s Academic Excellence program in Core mathematics courses and has supported peers across physics and math through tutoring and grading roles since her sophomore year. She is also co-president of Minoritized Genders across Physics and leads STEM outreach initiatives that bring hands-on science programming to younger students, including the annual Science Day event for local elementary schools.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have access to mentors and opportunities that helped me imagine a future in science, and I want to help make that path more visible and accessible for others,” she said.

Following the grant, Venkatachalam will pursue a PhD in theoretical chemical physics, where she hopes to explore how fundamental physics can be used to understand and predict complex chemical systems.

“I hope my Fulbright year helps me become a better scientist, mentor and advocate,” said Venkatachalam. “I want my research experience to be an opportunity for exchange, not just in terms of technical skills, but also in learning how different communities approach science, education and inclusion.”

, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the nation’s flagship international educational exchange initiative, promoting mutual understanding through academic and cultural exchange. In partnership with more than 140 countries, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program supports academic and professional development while fostering cross-cultural collaboration to address global challenges.

Johnson Ho ’27

Johnson Ho, a chemistry and biology major, conducted green chemistry research with Donald A. Strauss Professor of Chemistry David Vosburg. Since his first year, Ho has been researching the use of mild peptide-coupling reagents to form carbon-carbon bonds and synthesizing probes for protein assays. He has also been developing a green, one-pot method for synthesizing triazolodiazepines, a class of pharmaceutically relevant compounds.

Ho is a member of the Chemistry Academic Excellence team and is a mentor for 91̽�� Mudd’s Summer Institute, working with students underrepresented in STEM. He also volunteers at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. After graduating, Ho plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry and explore his interests in endocrinology or cardiology. 

Cole Plepel ’27

A mathematics and computer science major, Cole Plepel conducted research across numerical linear algebra, combinatorics and quantum information. He studied randomized algorithms for tensor decomposition with Iris and Howard Critchell Assistant Professor of Mathematics Jamie Haddock, focusing on how approximate solutions to large linear systems affect the performance of the alternating least-squares algorithm.

Plepel later joined 91̽�� Mudd mathematics professor Andrés Vindas Meléndez’s research group, collaborating on work examining symmetries of symmetric edge polytopes. Plepel also worked with physics professor Jason Gallicchio on quantum position verification, evaluating cryptographic vulnerabilities and practical implementation challenges of protocols that use quantum mechanics and relativity to verify location.

Outside of academics, Plepel is a puzzle designer for MuddEscapes, the College’s escape room club. After graduating, he plans to pursue a PhD in cryptography.

Elio Thadhani ’27

Elio Thadhani is a physics major who has conducted research spanning astrophysics and quantum information. He improved a computational tool used to predict the long-term stability of exoplanet systems, and he is first author on a paper published in Research Notes of the AAS. Thadhani later conducted quantum information research, developing a protocol for efficient quantum communication under constrained resources. He contributed to research on quantum position verification and is working on developing and experimentally implementing adaptive entanglement witnessing protocols.

Thadhani serves as a physics tutor and grader, a Core Scholars tutor and a student mentor with the Office of Residential Life. After graduating, he plans to pursue a PhD in physics with a focus on quantum information.

All college sophomores and juniors are eligible to compete for Goldwater scholarships. Each year, the College nominates up to four students, and the Department Chairs Committee serves as the nominating body.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

Leilani Elkaslasy, an engineering major with an emphasis in environmental analysis, will pursue a project titled “Designing Inclusion.” Traveling to Argentina, Brazil, Kenya, Egypt and Thailand, and guided by the question, “What does it mean to be disabled, and how can small adaptations help people thrive?” she will work with communities and organizations serving people with disabilities to explore how adaptive design can foster inclusion and improve quality of life. She will then co-create assistive technologies tailored to local needs.

Her work will span a wide range of contexts—from collaborating with an inclusion-focused nonprofit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to engaging with special education programs in Brazil to supporting mobility aid fabrication efforts in rural Kenya to helping design an accessible, community-run coffee shop in Cairo. She plans to conclude her travels in Thailand, working with rural communities to develop tools that improve access to education for children with disabilities.

Her approach emphasizes relationship-building and collaboration, using adaptive design as a way to better understand the lived experiences of individuals and the cultural contexts that shape inclusion. By working closely with community members, she aims to develop sustainable solutions and share knowledge that can continue beyond her time in each location.

On campus, Elkaslasy founded and grew 91̽�� Mudd’s Adaptive Design club, partnering with organizations such as AbilityFirst, Pilgrim Place and The Danbury School, to create assistive technologies. She is also involved in SALSA Mudd and the Society of Women Engineers. Her research experience spans water sustainability in the Bahena Lab and materials science in the Krauss Tribology Lab.

Miski Nopo, a mathematics and physics major, will explore the relationship between mountain regions and the people that inhabit them. Her project, “Mountain Communities,” will take her to China, Bhutan, Japan, Morocco and New Zealand, where she will examine how cultural, spiritual and environmental perspectives shape human connections to mountainous landscapes.

Nopo’s project is inspired by her upbringing in Peru and her connection to the Andean cosmovision, in which mountains—known as Apus—are regarded as living spiritual beings that protect and guide surrounding communities. This perspective contrasts with Western views of mountains as barriers and informs her interest in how different cultures understand and relate to the natural world. Through her Watson year, Nopo aims to learn from diverse communities and explore what these relationships reveal about conservation, connection and social development.

At 91̽�� Mudd, Nopo has combined rigorous scientific research with campus leadership and mentorship. She serves as director of the Committee for Activities Planning on the Associated Students of 91̽�� Executive Board and has supported student life through additional roles, including as a mentor, academic excellence facilitator and president of the Minoritized Genders across Physics Club. Her research spans multiple institutions and disciplines, including work in biology professor Danae Schulz’s Lab, collaborations with faculty at 91̽�� Mudd and Pomona College and international research at CERN, applying machine learning to astrophysical models. Her senior thesis, advised by HMC physics professor Brian Shuve, focuses on dark matter interactions, and she has also conducted research in nuclear physics using deep learning at Texas A&M, presenting her work at the American Physical Society Division of Nuclear Physics.

Nopo and Elkaslasy, who plan to begin their travels in July, exemplify the curiosity, initiative and global perspective that define Watson Fellows, using their year abroad to pursue work with both intellectual depth and meaningful human impact.

The competition hosted 4,329 students from 487 institutions. The top individual score on the exam was 110 out of a possible 120 points, while the average score was approximately 10, and the median score was 2.

As a team, based on the ranks of the top three scorers from each school, 91̽�� Mudd placed 11th in the nation.

Special recognition goes to the following individuals: Alan Kappler ’27 for placing in the Top 100, Alan Lu ’29 and Adam Tang ’26 for placing in Top 200, and to Silas Brock ’28, Aidan Deshong ’28, Spencer Lewis ’28, Kai Mawhinney ’27 and Luke Wang ’27 for placing in Top 500.

Elizabeth Lowell Putnam founded the event in 1927 in memory of her husband, William Lowell Putnam, a Harvard graduate and advocate of intercollegiate intellectual competition. 

Administered by the Mathematical Association of America, the exam, composed of 12 problems worth 10 points each, has been offered annually since 1938 to regularly enrolled undergraduates in the United States and Canada who have not yet received a college degree.

91̽�� Mudd students first participated in the Putnam competition on Dec. 2, 1961. In 1991, the 91̽�� Mudd team earned third place.

The Beckman Scholars Program is designed to stimulate and support research activities by talented, full-time undergraduates. At 91̽�� Mudd, the program will provide a distinct 15-month mentored research experience in chemistry, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences, or interdisciplinary combinations of these fields.

A New Standard for Interdisciplinary Excellence

The 2026 BSP is designed to leverage the College’s highly interdisciplinary STEM enterprise by serving as a distinct and prestigious research fellowship that is open to students in biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics, as well as those pursuing computer science as a joint major with another discipline. This integration reflects the College’s institutional commitment to building the interdisciplinary pedagogy central to its mission.

“Engaging students in cutting-edge, graduate-level research is a hallmark of our mission to help young scientific investigators learn, grow and thrive,” said Karl Haushalter, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “The tenets of Arnold Beckman’s life—innovation and integrity—are at the bedrock of 91̽�� Mudd’s mission. Implementing the Beckman Scholars Program is instrumental in shaping the future of our research endeavors, setting a new standard for excellence in leadership and discovery.”

The Scholar Experience: Beyond the Lab

Each Beckman Scholar will receive a $26,000 award package ($21,000 stipend for the student and $5,000 for mentor and institutional support). The 15-month commitment includes two full-time summer research terms and academic year research credits.

Beyond laboratory work, Scholars will participate in a comprehensive professional development suite:

• Leadership & Networking: Scholars will plan and host the Beckman Scholars Program Seminar Series, inviting and networking with renowned external scientists.
• Scientific Communication: Students will undergo training in scientific writing, oral presentation and guided peer review. During the College’s fall research conference, Beckman Scholars will showcase the research they conducted during the summer and share their experiences participating in the BSP.
• Advanced Mentorship: Scholars will be trained on high-caliber instrumentation and receive personalized coaching for employment and graduate school preparation and for prestigious fellowships such as the NSF-GRFP, Hertz and Goldwater scholarships.

Cultivating Future STEM Leaders

The Beckman Foundation’s focus on fostering the invention of new methods and materials aligns seamlessly with 91̽�� Mudd’s vibrant research enterprise. The College has a proven track record with the program; former HMC Beckman Scholars have gone on to forge successful careers in medicine, academia and the private sector, with two having served on the College’s board of trustees.

Participating Faculty Mentors

The 2026 cohort will be supported by faculty mentors across diverse disciplines:

• Chemistry: Spencer Brucks, Colm Healy, Maduka Ogba, David Vosburg, Bilin Zhuang
• Biology: Danae Schulz
• Physics: Mark Ilton
• Engineering: Albert Dato
• Mathematics: Lisette de Pillis
• Computer Science: Calden Wloka

Application Information

The application for the Beckman Scholars Program opened to rising 91̽�� Mudd sophomores, juniors and seniors on Jan. 16, 2026, and closes on Feb. 6, 2026. The selection process is designed to identify and support outstanding students from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences who demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing their academic and professional goals in STEM.

About 91̽��: 91̽�� is the premier liberal arts college of engineering, science and mathematics. The College’s mission is to educate engineers, scientists and mathematicians of the highest ability who also have a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society.

About the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation: Located in Irvine, California, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports leading-edge research in chemistry and the life sciences, and fosters the invention of methods, instruments and materials that open up new avenues of research and application.

Lower-income areas of Los Angeles face persistent teacher shortages. School districts struggle to fill vacancies with fully credentialed teachers, particularly in STEM subjects. As a result, students across the region face inequal access to engaging and challenging math learning opportunities, creating barriers to further pursuing STEM subjects or careers. Teachers can have a significant impact on student learning and can be important change agents within their schools and districts.

“The working conditions for teachers are the learning conditions for students,” says Yong, an award winning educator, author and researcher of effective strategies for teaching and learning mathematics in higher education. This is his 10th NSF grant supporting work to enhance teacher quality, retention and empowerment as well as student learning.

The STEM Corps Pilot Program is the result of a collaboration of Math for America Los Angeles, UCLA Mathematics Project and the Cal Poly Pomona Mathematics Project. “The program brings together people from higher education institutions across Southern California who have expertise in providing teacher professional development,” says Yong. “We wanted to combine our forces to do something larger that would serve the needs of math teachers in the greater Los Angeles area. The grant is also a chance for me to get to work with people that I have long respected in our area.”

The program aims to heighten STEM learning experiences for all students (particularly those who have historically been marginalized from STEM fields), to promote the retention of excellent STEM teachers, to elevate the STEM teaching profession and to develop teacher leaders. Two cohorts of 30 teachers will each receive an annual $20,000 stipend, time for teacher collaboration, on-site coaching, funding for supplies and travel to conferences.

“By raising teachers up to be leaders in their schools and providing them with the resources to be leaders, we can make a difference in the math education that students receive,” says Yong. “The grant is a huge encouragement that the work that we are doing is important and needed.”

The program’s impact is anticipated to grow beyond the cohorts. If one cohort teacher reaches 120 students a year, the 30 corps members are anticipated to reach 14,400 students during four years of support. The hope is that each cohort member will mentor other teachers and bring about systemic changes in their schools and districts to broaden access to high-quality math education.

The grant will fund his research through December 2027 and will provide funding for four undergraduates per summer for two summers to explore the world of geometric combinatorics, a field in which geometry, combinatorics, and algebra come together to uncover the underlying structure of complex shapes and patterns.

For the next two summers, Vindas Meléndez will mentor students over 10 weeks. Participants will collaborate on original problems, many drawn from Ehrhart theory, which studies the properties of polytopes (multi-dimensional generalizations of polygons) by counting lattice points, grid-like dots with whole-number coordinates inside or on the edges of shapes.

“I want to take combinatorial objects—graphs, posets, polytopes—and associate them with geometric objects,” says Vindas Meléndez. “By studying these objects’ structures, we hope to understand something deeper about the original mathematical ideas behind them.”

Students won’t be working from pre-made datasets or repeat experiments. “They’ll write their own code, build their own data and search for patterns in the geometry,” he says.

Combinatorics is often called “fancy counting,” Vindas Meléndez says, but it’s more accurately about how objects are classified, arranged, and enumerated. “Geometric combinatorics adds a spatial dimension to that,” he says.

Combinatorics is about distilling complex structures into simpler, manageable parts. While humans may not be able to visualize a six-dimensional shape, for example, computers can. Students will use code to define, manipulate and analyze these mathematical objects, blending abstract theory with hands-on computation.

There are real-world implications. Polytopes appear in natural sciences, data science and optimization problems. They show up in crystal structures, biological cell shapes and even tiling patterns used in architecture and manufacturing.

One exciting aspect of the program is its focus on younger undergraduates, those who may just be finishing their first year and haven’t yet had much exposure to upper-level mathematics.

“It’s really powerful to show students early on that they can do math research,” Vindas Meléndez says. “They don’t need to wait until junior or senior year to start exploring.”

Vindas Meléndez emphasizes inclusion, aligning with federal regulations that require opportunities be open to all. He has consistently mentored a diverse range of students, including women, first-generation college students and students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. “This past summer, half of my research team were women,” he says. “I want students from all walks of life to feel they belong in mathematics.”

While geometric combinatorics has roots stretching back to the ancient Greeks and Euler’s famous polyhedral formula, the field has exploded in new directions over the past few decades.

“The growth of interdisciplinary approaches—combining algebra, number theory, geometry, combinatorics, and many other areas—has really moved this field forward,” Vindas Meléndez says.

Hotspots—caused by shaded solar cells overheating—pose a serious fire risk in solar installations. The team’s proposed solution, idealPV—solar panel technology patented by Kent Kernahan—continuously monitors dynamic conductance and adjusts current flow in milliseconds, preventing reverse bias before it begins. Described by the team as “the airbag of the solar industry,” this technology can keep solar arrays operating safely and efficiently—especially important in high-risk wildfire areas like Southern California.

91̽�� Mudd sophomores Felix Peng (team lead), Amy Li, Anika Sharma and Katie Cheng were inspired by past research led by physics Professor Peter Saeta.

“My involvement began with a Clinic project to validate Kernahan’s patented technology, which evolved into a full-blown research effort,” says Saeta. The resulting paper, co-written with 91̽�� Mudd professors Richard Haskell and Qimin Yang and five students, was published in the December 2022 IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics. “It was exciting when Felix approached me about entering the DOE competition. I’m thrilled with the team’s win.”

After being selected as an EnergyTech UP finalist and receiving a $5,000 prize, 24 multidisciplinary teams of post-secondary students from universities across the U.S.—pitched their innovative business plans to industry stakeholders and OTC leadership to bring a DOE National Laboratory-developed or other high-potential energy technology to market.

Peng, who competed in DOE challenges during high school and recently with mathematics Professor Weiqing Gu, assembled the team after revisiting Saeta’s published research. “We wanted to build a business case around an innovation with local impact,” he says. “In Southern California, solar innovation and wildfire risk are high, so safety innovation like idealPV made sense to us.”

Each team member brought a distinct strength:

• Engineering major Peng led project management and stakeholder outreach.
• Computer science and mathematics major Li conducted market sizing and economic feasibility analysis.
• Computer science and mathematics major Sharma developed the implementation and scalability strategy.
• Engineering major Cheng focused on articulating the technical edge of idealPV in the competitive solar landscape.

Peng says, “IdealPV eliminates the fire risk problem entirely by dynamically monitoring the slope of the current-voltage curve (dynamic conductance) and adjusting current in real time to keep every cell in safe operating range. We created a full implementation and licensing plan: launching a local pilot with nonprofit CHERP Solar Works, scaling through licensing to larger manufacturers and aiming for industry-wide adoption.”

The team’s success stemmed from a combination of personal connection to the problem, technical fluency and stakeholder validation—including input from firefighters, utilities, nonprofits and solar startups.

“This competition has been a springboard to so many opportunities in the climate tech space,” says Sharma. “I’m grateful for all the connections it brings.”

Student involvement in national STEM competitions reflects 91̽��’s goal of fostering a diverse cohort of engaged STEM leaders through exceptional teaching, learning and research.

Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment and Department of Mathematics

Robert Sanchez is a coastal physical oceanographer interested in understanding how estuaries and coastal systems respond to climate change. He joins the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment as assistant professor of climate science and mathematics. Sanchez’s postdoctoral research included the investigation of the response of estuaries to various oceanic forces, including winds, sea level fluctuations and ocean salinity changes. He has also conducted research on the fluid dynamics of glacial fiords, which are intricately linked with the melting and retreat of Greenland’s glaciers. Sanchez’s fieldwork experience includes a course centered on the UN Sustainable development goals which took place on a large sailing vessel. The course provided hands-on experience with modern and historical observations methods and local outreach in the Caribbean Sea.

A passionate mentor and proponent of interdisciplinary science, Sanchez looks forward to leading an undergraduate research program centered on climate change, including introducing new courses within the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment that center the physics and mathematics underpinning climate science. Sanchez received his bachelor’s degree (geophysics) from Caltech and his master’s degree and PhD (both in oceanography) from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Mathematics

Harrison Li’s research interests are in experimental design, causal inference and model interpretability. As a graduate student at Stanford University, Li studied various design problems that arise in modern experimentation under limited resources, motivated substantially by problems in the social sciences. Li, assistant professor of mathematics, is interested in designing experiments that eliminate an imprecise or biased estimate of the true treatment effect. He holds a PhD (statistics) from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree (statistics and mathematics) from Harvard University. Before entering graduate school, Li worked as a quantitative trader on Wall Street and in various capacities as a data scientist for companies like Waymo and YouTube.

Physics

Eduardo Ibarra García Padilla, assistant professor of physics, is interested in problems that require ingenuity and modeling to study the diverse properties of materials that arise from the behavior of electrons in a lattice. His research focuses on computational physics to explore questions of condensed matter physics and atomic physics and, he seeks to understand fundamental physics governing electron behavior in lattices by stripping the system down to its simplest form. To accomplish this, he creates ultracold atomic systems to serve as quantum simulations of macroscopic materials. His quantum simulations give him the power to carefully tune the parameters of the system and isolate exactly the effect he wants to study. Ibarra García Padilla received his master’s degree and PhD (atomic, molecular, optical, and condensed matter physics) from Rice University and his bachelor’s degree (physics) from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria.