Kristina Brault Rios
Class of 2000
Currently at U.S.C. Medical School
Trying to decide if Chemistry is for you? As a Chemistry major from the Class of 2000, I might be able to provide some insight. Having actually survived the program, I can honestly say that everything from all-nighters in the lab to stressing over exams is definitely worth it. The material you will learn is interesting and diverse, and professors approach science in such a way that students learn not only to absorb information, but to think innovatively. The departmental staff is extremely friendly and always welcomes student input on how things can be improved.

The rather small size of the department combined with classes that encourage group studying create a sort of "chemistry family", where you can bond with your fellow chem majors. (Weekly chemistry socials and other events with free food are also helpful in that respect!) Finally, it's possible to be a chemistry major while remaining dedicated to many non-academic activities. While I was in the department, I was involved in Bodyhype Dance Company, various theater productions, and volunteer translating at the local hospital. If you decide to concentrate in Chemistry, be prepared for an arduous academic experience, but not without a lot of support.


Ian Hagemann
Class of 2000
Medical Scientist Training Program
Washington University in St. Louis
"I haven't once regretted my decision to concentrate in the Department of Chemistry. Academically, the department brought together many of my interests, including physics, biology, materials, and computation, and was flexible enough to let me sample widely from course offerings in a variety of departments.

The mentorship in the department, the commitment to undergraduate advising rather than just supervision, was of rare excellence even for Princeton. Chemistry isn't an easy major, but it's a very rewarding one--and the rewards include great food which is served without fail at every social occasion. A concentration in chemistry provides excellent preparation for graduate or medical school, of course, but I think it leads naturally to many jobs, say in education, finance, or public service, in which analytical thinking and a knack for explaining things are valuable skills."


Delia Markiewicz
Class of 1999
Currently a Graduate Student at U.C. Berkeley
Majoring in Chemistry at Princeton demonstrates the excellence that collegiate education can achieve. The Department exceeds any expectation of flexibility, strongly encouraging you to take related courses in other departments, even offering departmental credit for them.

Coursework inside the department bears the personal mark of the distinguished faculty. Their thorough contemplation of the material and of effective teaching methods for it impress during, and especially after, the experience. Most significantly, the Department offers as much challenge as you seek. Graduate courses and, most of all, research allow you to create whatever learning experience you desire and to push yourself as hard as your stamina will allow. Only one year out of Princeton, I already find the lessons I learned in the Chemistry Department indispensable in my scientific and intellectual endeavors.


Jordan Cummins
Class of 1999
Currently in Johns Hopkins combined MD/Ph.D. Program
The Chemistry Department at Princeton offers one of the most versatile programs at the University. Since it really trains one how to think, an AB degree in this practical niche of the physical sciences is invaluable preparation for any number of future endeavors including careers in chemistry, the biological sciences, engineering, medicine, and many others.

As a freshman I chose chemistry because I eventually wanted to embark upon a career in biomedical science, but not without a strong background in the chemistry governing biological structures and processes. Princeton Chemistry gave me such a background, and, moreover, a special mentor, lifelong friends, and a t-shirt with the periodic table of elements.

I am currently a second-year student in the Johns Hopkins combined MD/Ph.D. Program. I plan to pursue my Ph.D. in the field of pharmacology, specifically in the development of cancer therapeutics. I can't thank Princeton Chemistry enough for giving me the tools to thrive here.


Laura Certain
Class of 2000
Currently Research Assistant, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
I joined the chemistry department simply because I loved the subject. Once in the department, however, I realized that I had made a fantastic choice. The undergrads are comrades, not competitors; the grad students are friends, not TAs.

Its small size and friendly atmosphere make the Chemistry department a great place to be, even when things in the lab aren't going so well. I am now working as a research assistant at the Children's Hospital
Medical Center in Cincinnati, while I apply to MD-Ph.D. programs.


Emmanuel Chang
Class of 1999
Currently a Graduate Student in Biologic Sciences at Rockefeller University
Chemistry, for me, was an ideal major for two reasons. First, in a flexible department like Princeton's, it creates many options. Chemistry is applicable to so many different disciplines, including biology, physics, engineering, computer science and mathematics. Second, studying chemistry gives one a thorough training in how to think like a scientist.

Since graduating from the Princeton chemistry department, I have begun graduate studies in biological sciences at Rockefeller University. I am currently in a bioinformatics lab that focuses on developing and applying computational tools to cutting-edge problems in biology and biotechnology, such as the analysis of whole genome sequences and DNA microarray data. I feel that the time I have spent in the chemistry department at Princeton has prepared me wonderfully for my graduate studies-- especially in starting to develop the ability to build bridges across different disciplines, and in thinking analytically and rigorously.


Andre Conjusteau
Fifth Year Graduate Student
I decided to apply to Princeton University in order to join the group of Professor Scoles and carry out my Ph.D. dissertation work in the field of HElium NanoDroplet Isolation (HENDI) spectroscopy. My work focuses on the use of high resolution lasers to study the structure and dynamics of excited molecules embedded in ultracold droplets.

After completion of my Ph.D., I intend to work as a post doctoral fellow in an area related to Physical Chemistry to become acquainted with the guidance of graduate students and the management of a research laboratory, as my long-term professional goal is to teach Chemistry at a University.


Jennifer Davis
Ph.D. 1999
I chose to come to Princeton as a graduate student for a variety of reasons. Probably the most important is that Princeton has a "small" school feel – especially within the academic departments – but is still on the cutting edge of scientific research.

While at Princeton, I worked in Professor Warren Warren’s group both in the lab and on the computer. In lab, I built a laser, measured and "shaped" laser pulses, and used these laser pulses to study fundamental properties of small molecules. I also had the opportunity to work on the theoretical side of light-matter interactions. Basically, we invoked well-established electromagnetical and quantum mechanical theories in order to explain new phenomena caused by the interaction between matter and very short (<1 ps) laser pulses.

I have been working at SciTec, Inc – a small company located in Princeton that does aerospace work – since defending my thesis in June, 1999. Although I no longer get to play with lasers, I have been using a lot of the mathematical techniques as well as some of the physics that I learned in graduate school in my job at SciTec (which involves extracting meaningful information from spectral data collected by satellites and airplanes). Of course, I have had to learn a lot of new science for my new job as well, which is really the main point (of going to grad. school in the first place)…


Peter Khalifah
Fifth Year Graduate Student
My decision to get my Ph.D. from Princeton was based on the size of the department, the quality of the faculty with whom I talked, and the character of the students I met. I appreciated the ability of the students here to do serious research while still maintaining a lively existence outside of their labs.

I always tell people that the best part of my Princeton experience is my advisor. He has the instincts to find research projects that are exciting, has close collaborations with other researchers in the field which ensure that the projects are rapidly and successfully concluded, and takes the time to teach his students the skills they need to become independent researchers.

My research project involves the discovery and characterization of electronically and magnetically active transition metal oxides. I have studied systems that exhibit highly correlated electrons, geometrically frustrated magnetism, large thermoelectric effects, low dimensional magnetism, spin gaps, and quantum critical behavior.

In addition to being well equipped to perform chemical syntheses, our lab has the necessary instruments to both calculate and measure the physical properties of the systems we study, making our education a thorough mix of solid state chemistry and physics. I plan to seek a career in research after obtaining my Ph.D., although I have not yet decided whether to pursue it in an academic or industrial setting.

Roxanne Spencer
Ph.D. 1997
When choosing a graduate school, I was looking for an intellectually challenging program that would allow me to be treated as an individual. The chemistry department at Princeton offered a small program with diverse faculty interests. I was encouraged to take responsibility for my research and to investigate my own ideas. Overall, my graduate education provided a solid basis in how to "do science" and to analyze and solve problems.


Michael Kelly
Ph.D. 1997
Princeton was a wonderful place to study. I expected a world-class faculty and interesting students from all over the planet, and Princeton certainly delivered. But these assets were only the beginning. The chemistry department was small and personable. The different research groups often worked together to produce the most complete and interesting science possible. On a professional level, the Princeton name has been invaluable in the development of my science career. On a personal level, I formed many lasting friendships and met my wife. We were married in the Princeton chapel. To this day, my years at Princeton remain the most rewarding of my life.


Laurie Witucki
Ph.D. 2000
I chose Princeton for graduate studies after working in the area at American Cyanamid Agricultural Research Co. in Princeton NJ from 1989-1995 as an Organic Synthesis Chemist in the company's Chemical Discovery Dept. At the time I worked for Cyanamid I was taking graduate courses at Rutgers while auditing several courses from Princeton under Princeton's IAP program. Specifically, I audited Prof. Taylor's Heterocyclic chemistry course and Prof. Semmelhack's Organic chemistry course.

I decided to start full-time graduate studies in the Fall of 1995 and was interested in combining my interests in Organic synthesis with research in biochemistry. At Princeton I found I had several research groups to choose from with investigations in this Bioorganic area. I choose Professor Kevan Shokat for my thesis advisor and worked in the area of tyrosine kinase substrate specificity. Here, I found the combination of organic synthesis and biochemical enzymatic research that I was looking for. Another aspect of my graduate education that I enjoyed was student teaching. I was fortunate to have a variety of opportunities to teach undergraduates at Princeton. These include teaching in the Freshmen General Chemistry Labs, helping facilitate in an "experimental" small group learning environment in Organic Chemistry, and running evening study halls for minority students. I found the research and educational environments of the Princeton Chemistry Department fostered a climate that was challenging and invigorating.

Currently, I am teaching Organic Chemistry as an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.


Clark Chang
Ph.D. 1999
I chose the Chemistry Department at Princeton for my graduate studies because I liked the interactions between the research groups and industry. Even though my thesis with Professor Andrew Bocarsly was about inorganic photochemistry, I had the opportunity to work on projects relating to the chemical composition of Mars and the electrochemistry of proteins. I currently work for the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, Virginia, analyzing naval missile systems for air defense. My work at Princeton certainly helped hone the research skills and critical thinking that I need for my job.

Kevin Meagher
Ph.D. 2000
In selecting a graduate program in chemistry I was looking for a faculty and a department that had an interdepartmental and varied approach to the study of novel materials. Specifically I was looking for a program where many chemistry faculty were actively engaged in research with professors from other departments and the industrial sector. I saw this as way to gain a broad perspective of the types of problems encountered in materials research. As a chemist, I find it very important to be able to draw upon the perspective of theoreticians, physicists, engineers. Now looking in retrospect I find that this experience was indeed quite valuable. I particularly enjoyed the intimacy of the chemistry department at Princeton, and its flexibility for individuals to develop their own approaches and areas of interest. I think the combination of these traits is unique in most highly successful chemistry programs.