December
Meet Gabriel Vargas
December 20, 2018
![Gabriel Vargas](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Gabriel Vargas grew up in San José, Costa Rica. He received a Licenciatura (Bachelor’s plus professional degree) in microbiology and clinical chemistry and a Master’s degree in microbiology from the University of Costa Rica. He is now pursuing a PhD in geophysical sciences with a concentration on microbiology. We interviewed him about his experiences at the University of Chicago.
Meet Margaret Nichols
December 18, 2018
![Margaret Nichols](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Margaret Nichols grew up in Minneapolis, MN. She received her BA in math with a minor in computer science from Oberlin College. She is now pursuing her PhD in mathematics with a focus on geometric topology and the study of 3-manifolds. We interviewed her about her experience at the University of Chicago.
PSD’s Research and Innovation Milestones of 2018
December 17, 2018
![Parker Solar Probe takeoff](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
This past year brought us the launch of NASA's Parker Solar Probe, named after Prof. Emeritus Eugene Parker, the next generation South Pole Telescope, metal-organic nanoflowers to treat cancer, and more. Here is a look back at ten highlights in research and innovation in the PSD.
Meet Rupak Gupta
December 13, 2018
![Rupak Gupta](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Rupak Gupta grew up in Delhi, India. He received a bachelor's in engineering from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi University and master’s in financial mathematics at UChicago. We interviewed him about his experience at UChicago.
Meet Becca Thompson
December 11, 2018
![Becca Thompson](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Becca Thompson grew up in Evanston, IL. She attended Amherst College and worked in healthcare technology for two years before starting at the University of Chicago. She’s now pursuing a PhD in chemistry. We interviewed her about her experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet Bernard Dickens III
December 6, 2018
![Bernard Dickens III](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Bernard Dickens III is a Chicago native. He received a BS in computer science from Morehouse College and is now pursuing a PhD. We interviewed him about his experiences at the University of Chicago.
Meet Rebecca Diesing
December 4, 2018
![Rebecca Diesing](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Rebecca Diesing grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her BA from Northwestern and is now pursuing a PhD in astrophysics. We interviewed her about her experiences at the University of Chicago.
November
Meet Chris McKennan
November 29, 2018
![Chris McKennan](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Chris McKennan was born in New York City and grew up in New Canaan, CT. He earned his undergraduate degree in math and physics from Cornell University. He is now pursuing a PhD in statistics. We interviewed him about his experiences at the University of Chicago.
Meet Lipi Gupta
November 27, 2018
![Lipi Gupta](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Lipi Gupta grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. She earned her undergraduate degree in physics from Cornell University and is now pursuing a PhD in physics. We interviewed her about her experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet Justin Finkel
November 20, 2018
![Justin Finkel](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Justin Finkel grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He studied physics and mathematics as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. He’s now pursuing a PhD in Computational and Applied Mathematics. We interviewed him about his experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet Claire Zurkowski
November 15, 2018
![Claire Zurkowski](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Claire Zurkowski was born in Baltimore and grew up in Havre de Grace, Maryland. She received a BS from San Francisco State University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in geophysical sciences. We interviewed her about her experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet Ayaan Quraeshi
November 13, 2018
![Ayaan Quraeshi](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Ayaan Quraeshi grew up in Wellington, Florida. He received a BA from the University of South Florida. He is currently pursuing an MS in financial math. We interviewed him about his experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet Jean Salac
November 8, 2018
![Jean Salac](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Jean Salac was born in Singapore to Filipino immigrants and moved to the US when she was 15. She received her BS from the University of Virginia and is now pursuing a PhD in computer science with a focus on human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer science education. We interviewed her about her experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet Lei Sun
November 5, 2018
![Lei Sun](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
Lei Sun grew up in Dailan, China. He received his BS in automation from Tsinghua University and an MS in signal and information processing from Peking University. Now, he is pursuing his PhD in statistics. We interviewed him about his experience at the University of Chicago.
Meet MurphyKate Montee
November 1, 2018
![MurphyKate Montee](https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/shared-resources/i/template/transparent.gif)
MurphyKate Montee was born in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. She majored in math and music and the University of Notre Dame and received her MASt in mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Now, MurphyKate is pursuing her PhD in mathematics, focusing on geometric group theory. We interviewed her about her experience at the University of Chicago.