Physical Sciences students who graduate from UCI have gone on to amazing things in a variety of fields. Here are several Anteaters that have shared what they enjoyed most about studying their major while at UCI and what they have done since earning their degree. 

If you are a former Anteater and would like to be featured on this site, please click HERE and fill out our Alumni Questionnaire.

Kareem Afdal Allam
	Major: Mathematics and Physics
	Year: 2007
	Employment: Medical Student
	Bio: After graduation from UCI, I attended UCLA and received a MS in Physics. I then studied pre-medical at UCLA. During that time I volunteered in a hospital and tutored disadvantaged children in physics, algebra and chemistry. I am currently an M2 medical student at University of Illinois School of Medicine and will graduate in 2019. I plan to enter a residency and practice in a field where I can use my physics background to improve patient health and advance medicine.
	Experience at UCI: While studying Mathematics and Physics at UCI, I most enjoyed understanding how the universe works and how mathematics and physics contribute to the knowledge of our relationship to it.

Erik Anderson
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 2008
	Employment: Medical Student at SUNY Downstate School of Medicine Class of 2017
	Bio: I am currently a 4th year medical student at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. After graduating from UC Irvine in 2008 I spent time working at UCI and UCSF in genetic epidemiology research positions. I started medical school in 2013 and am now applying for a residency in Emergency Medicine.
	Experience at UCI: I enjoyed working closely with the great faculty and graduate students as well as the LARC program. There was always someone there when I needed help and I always felt like I had tons of support.

Eric R. Armstrong
	Major: Mathematics
	Year: 1984
	Employment: Senior Programmer/Analyst at Lobel Financial
	Bio: I stayed on to get a master's degree in Math and a teaching credential. I taught in secondary schools for awhile, but ended up taking a programmer/analyst position in industry.
	Experience at UCI: I enjoyed the subject and the teaching. I also liked the efficiency of the Quarter system.

Kenneth Brady
	Major: Physics
	Year: 1974
	Employment: Chief Engineer at Thales Avionics, Inc
	Bio: I received my BA in 1974 and continued on to receive an MA in physics in 1977.  While the broad scope of a Physics education made initial entry into a specific industry position more difficult, the range of expertise developed has permitted me to be able to apply my education more broadly across the wide range of technologies utililzed in the Aircraft/Aerospace industry.
	Experience at UCI: I loved how Astrophysics combined all of the aspects of a Physics education.  This method of finding the applicable approach, combining different specialties, not only applied to my astrophysics study but extended into my every-day analysis of how to approach problems in my industry.

Brandon Brown
	Bio:
	Brandon Brown graduated from UC Irvine in 2004 with a BS degree in Applied Math and was on the 5 year plan. But in this time, he conducted research at Cornell University, spent a year at the National University of Singapore, and was an intern at HSRC in South Africa. Brandon also conducted research at the UCI Department of Medicine, and was involved in mentoring and mathematics tutoring with the UCI CAMP program.  After graduation, he spent time at the National Cancer Institute and was subsequently accepted into the MPH program at UCLA with a focus on Epidemiology.  This focus allowed him to make use of his skills and training in mathematics, while also branching out into public health. He received full financial support as a staff research associate, and subsequently worked as the program director of the CAMP Summer Science Academy. After 2 years at UCLA, Brandon entered the Doctor of Philosophy program in International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health under full fellowship.  Training in applied math at UCI helped him excel in the strenuous biostatistics and epidemiology courses. In 2008, Brandon became a PhD candidate and left Baltimore with his wife for Lima, Peru where he is currently working on his dissertation on HPV vaccine. Brandon was recently married and reunited with friends from UCI including Cindy Fern who was always supportive of his goals. Zot zot zot!

Robert Dale Chapman
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 1977
	Employment: Retired Research Chemist at Naval Air Wafare Center (U.S. Navy)
	Bio: Ph.D. 1980, Chemistry, UCI. Postdoc 1981, Univ. Colorado Boulder Chemistry Dept.; Postdoc 1981-82, Chemistry Division, Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, CA. Research Chemist: Air Force Rocket Propulsion Lab (Edwards AFB, CA), 1982-1989; Fluorochem Inc. (Azusa, CA), 1989-1991; Unidynamics/Phoenix (Goodyear, AZ), 1991-1992; TPL, Inc. (Albuquerque, NM), 1992-1995; Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake, CA), 1995-2015. Retired, 2015-
	Experience at UCI: He enjoyed the opportunities for research of a quantitative nature.

Brandon Christensen
	Major: Physics
	Year: 2005
	Employment: Senior Software Engineer at Silver Spring Networks
	Bio: After graduation I moved back to San Diego and started working for Wind River Professional Services doing embedded software projects.  I worked on DVRs, digital cameras, cell phones, car entertainment systems and more while gaining experience in professional software/product development.  In the past 4 years I've switched to working on Smart Grid systems, writing server software to manage networks of millions of devices communicating over RF. This has been a fun return to my physics background, considering things like path loss, frequency interference, and having to remember how logarithmic units work.
	Experience at UCI: I feel that the Physics program gave me a very strong problem solving mentality that translates to many other areas of my life.  The most memorable part of the program were the lab classes, I always really enjoyed the hands-on aspect.  I especially enjoyed the senior lab where we got to re-create classic experiments and had a lot of freedom to do the work with our lab partners.

Wade Curtis
	Major: Physics
	Year: 2009
	Employment: Co-founder/Principal Analyst at 1031 Crowdfunding, LLC
	Bio: As I graduated, in the depths of the 2009 Great Recession, I witnessed the financial world crumble apart.  This instilled a fascination with economics and finance, which has set the path of my career.  After starting out in banking, I was hired at a private equity firm to do financial modeling and forecasting.  A few years later, myself and another co-worker started 1031Crowdfunding.com.  We are now 2 1/2 years old and have received quite a bit of recognition in the equity crowdfunding space, being ranked 11th among all crowdfunding website and 1st for 1031 exchanges.  I am now pursuing an MBA, recently married, and work in Lake Forest, CA.
	Experience at UCI: I studied physics with an emphasis in astrophysics.  Space has always fascinated me, and while that is not where I chose to start my career, it has opened many doors for me in the financial industry.  I have been told directly that if I had studied economics or business, that I would not have gotten the job.  I am where I am now because of the credibility and respect that a degree in physics gives you across many disciplines.

Monica Dunford
	Bio:
	I started college at the University of California, Irvine intending to major in chemistry, maybe math but absolutely under NO circumstance physics. Ten years later, I find myself with a B.S. in physics from UCI and Ph.D. in the subject from the University of Pennsylvania and an Enrico Fermi Fellowship working on the LHC experiment ATLAS with the University of Chicago. What changed my mind? The UCI physics department was full of opportunities for undergraduates to work in research labs. Starting as a freshman and continuing throughout my four years at Irvine, I worked on two gamma- ray experiments, Milagro and Project GRAND (with Notre Dame University), the Fermilab collider experiment, DZero, and two neutrino experiments, IMB and Super-Kamiokande. Working on these experiments was for me the moment of revelation: 'Wow, there is more to physics than boxes on an incline!'

Charles Falco
	Major: Physics
	Year: 1970
	Employment: Professor of Optical Sciences and of Physics at University of Arizona
	Bio: M.S. Physics, UCI. 1971, Ph.D. Physics, UCI. 1974, Argonne National Laboratory 1974-1982, University of Arizona 1982-present

Sandy Hernandez
	Major: Earth System Science
	Year: 2014
	Employment: Agriculture and Environment Extension Expert at Peace Corps
	Bio: I graduated with my undergrad and started my journey with the United States Peace Corps almost immediately after. I always knew that I wanted volunteer abroad with the experience I gained in my educational career. I got the offer to serve as an Agriculture and Environmental Extension Expert in a rural town  of Ethiopia. I got intense language, cultural, and technical training my first three months in Ethiopia before I was sent off on my own to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. My site of Agarfa was located in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. They Peace Corps will be the toughest job you will love... and it was. Serving in the Peace Corps was definitely a life changing experience. I became one with the people as I learned to live with them and become their sister and friend. I got to learn the stories of people who would otherwise never be heard. I got to share with them what I learned throughout my educational experience at UC Irvine as an Earth System Science graduate as I worked alongside teachers, students, farmers, and government agriculture office workers. I gained a family through my fellow Peace Corps peers and residents of Agarfa. Due to unforeseen event that were out of my control, I had to take interrupted service and finish my journey in Ethiopia four months earlier than was planned. I am now a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and would be more than glad to talk to any students who may seem interested in joining the Peace Corps family.
	Experience at UCI: I had a late change in major, as it was not until halfway into my educational journey at UC Irvine did I realize Earth System Science was the route I wanted to take.  Every ESS professor's lecture that I sat in as I worked on my switch of major, I could tell they had a passion for what they did. Whether it was the study of ocean, air, corals, caves, ice, weather, satellites, etc. I always felt that every teacher was excited with the work that they were doing. And it made me excited. I promised myself that one day, wherever life took me, I would also be excited with the job I would have to motivate others the way professors at UC Irvine motivated me. I used that motivation during my Peace Corps service, and which to continue doing the same.

Thomas Herrinton
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 1978
	Employment: Vice Provost - Academic Affairs & Associate Professor of Chemistry at University of San Diego
	Bio: After graduation, I went directly into graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I earned a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry.  Thereafter, I was an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Rockford College for three years. I became a faculty member at USD in 1987 and was promoted and tenured. After 15 years as a faculty member I was recruited into administration, first in the Dean's office then the Provost's office.
	Experience at UCI: I enjoyed working with other students in study groups to learn the material. I also enjoyed helping other students as a Chemistry tutor, as a Physical Sciences Peer Academic Adviser, and as a Chemistry Laboratory TA (although since I was an undergraduate my official title was reader).

Amanda Janesick
	Bio:
	Amanda Janesick is a student with many interests. After graduating from Pacific Coast High School, she attended several community colleges in Southern California and Nevada so she could pursue her joint interests in science and ballet. She enrolled at UCI as a transfer student in the Fall of 2006 and excelled in Math, Chemistry, Biology and Dance. Her undergraduate research was also interdisciplinary. First, working with Professor Kormarova in the Mathematics department, she explored the bridge between mathematics and biology in a study of  the evolution of viruses. Then she switched to the School of Biology where she studied gene expression with Professor Blumberg. Amanda graduated in 2008 with a UCI GPA of 3.9; a major in genetics and a minor in Mathematics. She could have attended any graduate school she wanted, but decided  to stay at UCI both because she received a fellowship from the LifeChips program and because “I really like UC-Irvine and feel that there are so many great professors and opportunities right here.”  Amanda plans to occasionally perform with the Ballet, but says “Science is my passion.”

Mina Kazemian
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 2010
	Employment: Anestheisology Physician Resident at Riverside University Health System
	Experience at UCI: she enjoyed the application to medicine and drug design through Chem 177/L

Catharine Larsen
	Bio:
	Prof. Catharine H. Larsen is proud to return to the U.C. system having been the first undergraduate at U.C. Irvine to win a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG/DOD) based on research carried out with Prof. Keith Woerpel.  She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) with Prof. David MacMillan and went on to postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with Prof. Stephen Buchwald.  {Her graduate work at Caltech studied how to catalyze reactions previously considered impossible using simple organic molecules made from amino acids.  At MIT, the focus changed to the application of metal-centered catalysts to develop new ways to create chemical bonds.}  The research in the Larsen Group at U.C. Riverside combines both metal-based and metal-free approaches and strives to expand the methods chemists currently possess to selectively form bonds for the synthesis of small, biologically active compounds with therapeutic potential.

Peter Mac
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 2014
	Employment: Process Engineer at Fluor Enterprises
	Bio: After receiving my Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, I went straight to work in industry as a process engineer.
	Experience at UCI: The best part about my studies at UCI is the professors who put effort into teaching students.

Marisa Mares
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 2016
	Employment: Teacher at Orange County School of the Arts
	Bio: I  am a science teacher at OCSA. I teach 7th grade life science and 9th grade biology.
	Experience at UCI: I really enjoyed my hands on labs that allowed me to go out in the field, collect data, and see how the concepts I learned in class could be applied to research.

Marta M. Massoodnia
	Major: Earth System Science
	Year: 2015
	Employment: Account Executive at Infor
	Bio: I've always had an affinity for science, technology and business, so I decided to pursue a career in the computer software industry. I'm working as an account executive currently, but I plan on attending graduate school in a few years.  I also hope to start my own tech company one day.
	Experience at UCI: The professors in ESS were my biggest motivators. They are passionate about the topics they teach, and they're beyond resourceful and knowledgeable. I genuinely enjoyed my coursework and I'm thankful and grateful to have had the opportunity to study ESS at UCI. My favorite class that I would definitely recommend to any ESS student would be: ESS 140 (Advanced Geology with the Professor Ferguson) and ESS 116 (Data Analysis with Professor Morlighem). Both professors are by far the most caring mentors I've ever had at UCI and they both go out of their way to ensure their students get the help they need. ESS 140 taught me everything I know about geology and was incredibly interactive and ESS 116 ultimately made me decide what I wanted to pursue a career in.

Paul Nitake
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 2007
	Employment: AP Chemistry Teacher and Varsity Basketball Coach at Torrance Unified School District
	Bio: After graduating from UCI in the Spring of 2007, I didn't know exactly what path I wanted to take for my professional career.  I tutored throughout high school and college and found it easy to relate to students as I helped them earn good grades.  So I went back to my alma mater (West Torrance) high school to coach basketball and substitute teach as I enrolled in the Single Subject Teaching Credential Program (in Chemistry) with CSULB.  Afterwards, I earned my Master's Degree from CSUDH in Education Administration.  And now, I am 8 years into my professional career of teaching (Chemistry AP) and coaching (Varsity Boys Basketball) full-time and I enjoy coming to work everyday.
	Experience at UCI: As much as I dreaded the 8-hour lab days, looking back that was one of the highlights of my experience studying Chemistry at UCI.  I remember extracting limonene from orange peels, making nylon, silly putty, etc - while making friends that I still keep in touch with this day.

Dylan Tyler Pitcairn
	Major: Chemistry
	Year: 2016
	Employment: Professor of Chemistry at Shoreline Community College
	Bio: I graduated early in December 2015, though I walked with my class in 2016. I went on to work at Morpho Detection as a Chemist for the summer. I moved to Seattle, Washington to attend Graduate School for 1 year, receiving my Master's of Science in Chemistry. That same month, I was hired to teach at Shoreline Community College as a part-time faculty for General Chemistry. I currently still teach at Shoreline Community College, and was just hired on to also teach at Edmonds Community College, also for General Chemistry.
	Experience at UCI: The course structure was enjoyable and straightforward (gen chem, ochem, pchem). The choices of majors classes and electives overlapped with classes I wanted to take, so I had no issue finishing my coursework early. The chemistry labs were what sold me at UCI. Couldn't have been happier taking the labs that were 1 day (lots of other colleges break up labs into 2 day events). Research in Chemistry was also fairly fun and enjoyable.

Nazia Rashid
	Major: Physics
	Year: 2010
	Employment: Science Teacher at Torrance Unified School District
	Bio: After UCI, I went to UCLA for my Master of Arts in Education and teaching credential. Afterwards,  I started working as a high school physics teacher.
	Experience at UCI: I loved the small size of the physics cohort. I actually knew everyone's name and became life long friends with many of them.

Joe Tien
	Bio:
	I entered UCI in 1990 and graduated in 1993 with degrees in physics and mathematics.  I then obtained a PhD in physics at Harvard University in 1999, and spent a couple of years at Johns Hopkins as a postdoctoral fellow.  I am now an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, where my research group studies how to grow tiny blood vessels. The scientific training that UCI provided has been invaluable in this journey, and I cannot stress this point enough!  I routinely use the fundamental tools provided by courses in mathematical methods (thank you, Profs. Maradudin and Mayer).  Training in abstract math reasoning by Prof. West enabled me to perform biological studies with a mathematical flavor. Even the courses in quantum mechanics (thanks to the late Prof. Shaw) have served me well. I am very grateful to have a job that essentially pays me to think.  My education in the physical sciences at UCI played no small part in providing this opportunity.

Ryan Trainor
	Major: Physics
	Year: 2008
	Employment: Astronomer at Miller Institute/UC Berkeley
	Bio: I completed a MS and PhD in Astrophysics at Caltech, finishing in 2014. Since that time I have been a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow in Astronomy at UC Berkeley, where I study the growth of galaxies and supermassive black holes in the early Universe.
	Experience at UCI: I enjoyed the passionate professors, opportunities for diverse research experience (I did research in 3 different areas of physics as an undergraduate), and a collaborative atmosphere among students.