I go by Mimi. I am a senior undergraduate majoring in Chemical Engineering at the University of Houston, where I also work in the Brgoch research group in the Department of Chemistry. My research uses first-principles calculations (density functional theory) to study point-defect energetics in wide-bandgap semiconductors and the thermodynamic stability of Zr–Au hydrides.
Working with calculations makes me feel calm: if something goes wrong, I know it is 99% my fault, and that certainty brings me peace. I think the hardest things to deal with are the variables I don’t know about and can’t control, both in research and in life. In my free time, I like to lie down and nap.