My name is Zachary Mauri, and I will be graduating as a physics major this Spring. My academic interests extend beyond just physics, to both quantum chemistry as well as applied mathematics. It has been through my emphasis in mathematical physics that I have gained a solid foundation and intuition in mathematics, which has allowed to find my passion for theoretical research. My experience as an undergraduate researcher in the Pribram-Jones group for the past four years has exposed me to the wonderful world of quantum chemistry and reinforced my desire to continue research after graduation. I will be starting as a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering next fall at Stanford University. There, I will be applying the knowledge I have at gained at UC Merced to study exciton dynamics in 2D materials in the Jornada group.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of my outstanding mentors. Were it not for the support of my advisor, Dr. Aurora Pribram-Jones, and my wonderful coworkers, the daunting learning curve of electronic structure theory may very well have gotten the better of me! I would also like to thank Dr. David Strubbe and Dr. Frank Graziani for supporting me throughout the graduate school application process. I hope to emulate the crucial role that these mentors have played in my next steps as a graduate student and beyond.
