Desiré Whitmore, Chemical and Material Physics, UCI

Since childhood I have always been curious about the mechanics of things and could always be found around the house disassembling anything electronic in order to understand how it worked. Even now, in my spare time I rebuild classic Volkswagens. This curiosity is what first made me fall in love with mathematics, chemistry and physics in high school. My undergraduate studies at UCLA provided me with a broad base of knowledge in Chemical Engineering, but I chose to attend graduate school in order to deepen this knowledge.

Choosing to do my graduate work at UC Irvine was an easy decision once I saw the abundance of interdisciplinary research that takes place here. In the Chemical and Material Physics Ph.D. program I can expand my knowledge in both Chemistry and Physics, while performing groundbreaking research with some of the best researchers in the nation.

As a first generation college student, achieving my goals wasn’t always easy, but giving up would have been even harder. As the oldest of five children, I know that everything I do in my life is being watched and emulated by my siblings. To me, the most satisfying aspect of my achievements, thus far, is that I am acting as a role model for the underrepresented youth who are in dire need of mentors and leaders. Obtaining a Ph.D. will enable me to help many young people, as it is of the utmost importance to me to return in part the many wonderful opportunities that have been bestowed upon me in my academic career. With the low numbers of female and/or minority professors in the sciences I feel that I can be a good professor and also help to spread the love of academia to future generations of minorities and women.