Accelerated Masters Alumni

Allison Batka

In Fall 2020, I will begin a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. I aspire to go into academia and continue to have a positive influence on students through research, mentorship, and teaching. 

I used my time as a Master’s student to further develop my academic interests by performing research, taking classes in different subfields of chemistry, and attending seminars. Since my background at Michigan is largely in inorganic chemistry, I hope to bring a unique background to chemical biology at UC Berkeley, where I will study bioinorganic chemistry.

Robert Moeller

Why I chose Michigan:
I decided to come to Michigan for the opportunities and possibilities it offered to me, from a diverse and engaging chemistry program to being able to attend and complete my graduate studies in only a year so I can go out and be a leader and the best in industry.

Advice to  students:
The ADP allowed me to focus on the subfields of chemistry I was interested in while also allowing me to continue my research with my lab group for an additional year. The graduate experience is incredibly engaging and personal, allowing for far more meaningful faculty-student interactions.

Natalie Potter

I plan on finishing up my project here at Michigan and then moving into industry to experience Chemistry apart from an academia setting.

Why I chose Michigan: I grew up here, so the University was quite literally in my backyard and I knew that I wouldn’t have to worry about adjusting too much to a new city so I could focus on my courses. The number of opportunities that are available here was also a huge factor. I wouldn’t have been able to do or experience all the things I did if it weren’t for the number of resources.

Advice for prospective students: I would tell students to take advantage of the opportunities offered here. Try out a club or apply to a program that looks interesting, you never know what might happen and even if you end up not liking it knowing what you don’t like is valuable as well!

How the ADP influenced what I want to do next: ADP gave me the opportunity to explore more specialized areas within Chemistry that I didn’t get by enrolling in just undergraduate courses. This extra year allowed me to become more hands on in my project and take on more responsibilities. I also gained more professional skills that will set me apart from others when applying to jobs.

Makayla Brunt

My future plans include working as a scribe in the emergency department and attending medical school. 

The Advanced Degree Program has given me a competitive edge when applying to medical school. My advice to future students would be to always ask questions and be confident. 

Rami Hourani

This coming fall [2019] I will begin a Chemistry PhD program at Stanford University. The experience I gained from doing research at the graduate level with the master's program has definitely helped to prepare me for my upcoming PhD program, and I am very thankful for everything the department at the University of Michigan has done to help guide me on this journey toward graduate school. The research done by the faulty at the U-M and the effort put forth by each of the graduate students in order to do research has excited me about the field of Chemistry and was a major influence on me. Originally I entered the department as a premedical student; however being part of this department and gaining experience from the masters program helped me realize I can pursue a dream of becoming a chemist! 

Trever Bostelaar

I am continuing my graduate studies by pursuing a PhD in Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where I will be working on inorganic synthesis.

I believe that this program had a considerable influence on my admission to MIT's PhD program. I had received a GSI position teaching general chemistry lab during my first semester as an ADP student that, along with a personalized graduate curriculum, was excellent training for my future plans. 

Brian Carlson

The Accelerated Degree Program allowed me to finish my research, expand my skillset, and try my hand at teaching for the first time. The extra time in the classroom and in lab provided an amazing opportunity to grow as a scientist.  I'd highly recommend the program to any undergraduate interested in a continued career in chemistry research.

After graduation [Spring 2018] , I'll be moving to Louisville, Kentucky to work for a pharmacogenomics company as a clinical research scientist.  

Jonathan Kuriakose

The MS in Chemistry has allowed me to gain a stronger understanding of the chemical underpinnings in biological systems. The various seminars, classes, and events occurring through the Chemistry Department allowed me to expand my interests and delve deep into the science. This experience has bridged my interests in chemistry and medicine, which will guide my future research endeavors.

I will be researching surgical outcomes through the Institute of Health Policy and Innovation, and teaching in Detroit through City Year (Americorp), while applying to medical schools. 

Melissa Lin

My advice to current/prospective students is to take advantage of the ability to choose your own classes, as it allows flexibility in exploring different topics. During one semester, I took a polymer class, a spectroscopy class, and a tissue engineering class. I was pleased to discover all the classes overlapped with my research to some degree and that I could view one problem from different perspectives. Besides the fundamental knowledge gained from the curriculum that I created, I also gained critical thinking and problem solving skills at the graduate level that I can now apply in my transition to industry.

After graduation [Spring, 2018], I will work in R&D for a consumer goods company.

Qian Hou

I am a first year graduate student at the Tri-Institutional (Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial  Sloan Kettering Qian HouCancer Center, and Rockefeller University) PhD Program in Chemical Biology.

The Accelerated Degree Program has helped me identify my academic interest and promoted further intellectual maturity. I feel very lucky for finding a passion in chemical biology, and a pursuit of applying chemical tools in solving biological problems.

--Posted May, 2017

Brandon Yik

Currently doing/future: Brandon is enrolled in the chemistry PhD program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. There, he is working with Prof. Henry La Pierre to establish f-element photochemistry by developing f-element photosensitizers.

Advice: Take advantage of all the wonderful seminars that the department offers as an opportunity learn about the incredible science that is happening around the world. Enroll in courses that you find curious and integrate that into your research. Spend the time learning about science and immerse yourself in it.

Influence: I used the ADP program as a means to finish up my undergraduate research project. I also took advantage of being able to design my own curriculum, allowing me to explore different areas of chemistry different from my research and exposed me to what I now find fascinating. This naturally transitioned to enrolling in a PhD program.

--Posted February, 2017

Wuliang Zhang

I’m currently a Ph.D. student in Chemistry at Northwestern University so my short-term goal will be to get a Ph.D. degree; after that I will most likely work in industry.

Things I wanna share with prospective or current students: 

Undergraduate is a great time trying to figure out if you have passion for chemistry and what kind of research you are interested in.

For those of you who are determined to go to graduate school, start working in research labs as early as possible and if you don’t like the research you are doing, don’t hesitate to switch labs! It will be great if you can find the research field you really like through undergraduate or ADP.

I take my year in ADP as an important transition from undergraduate to Ph.D. life. During that year, I found that I like spending hours in lab, and thankfully I liked my research field. It makes my research lab selection easy when I started my Ph.D. program.

--February, 2017