ASU School of Molecular Sciences students admitted to prestigious doctoral programs

The School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University is celebrating the outstanding achievement of its students — Barrett Mercer, Ava Campbell and Madeline Linden — who have all been accepted into doctoral programs at Northwestern, Stanford and Caltech, respectively.

“I think it is fair to say that graduate admissions committees across the country are starting to recognize that ASU’s (BS in chemistry) graduates consistently rank as some of the top students in their applicant pool,” says Professor Ryan Trovitch, who is also the associate director of graduate programs in the School of Molecular Sciences. “The research-intensive environment that our chemistry majors experience prepares them to become top performers in their program of choice.”

Mercer, who will begin his program this fall at Northwestern University, conducted research in Assistant Professor Justin Earley’s lab. His work focused on studying subtle differences in biologically important sugars using advanced laser-based techniques. He also used computational tools to analyze how light interacts with these molecules and helped develop a system to measure how they emit light over time.

“The research I've conducted has made me a more flexible, resilient, and passionate learner and has fully prepared me for the next steps in my academic career," says Mercer.

“My end goal is to be a professor of physical chemistry. I have also explored joining the FBI's new physical chemistry department. “

Campbell is headed to Stanford's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences doctoral program in the fall. She recently won the Distinguished Chemistry Merit Award, which was presented at the School of Molecular Sciences Annual Scholarship and Awards Ceremony. Campbell was also recently inducted into the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

“I conduct high-pressure experiments to study hydrogen-producing water-rock reactions in the Earth’s mantle for planetary evolution and sustainable energy applications,” says Campbell. “After my PhD, I want to stay in academia as a researcher and eventually a professor."

Campbell conducted her undergraduate research in Dan Shim’s lab. Shim is a professor in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration.

Linden, a Barrett Honors student and the School of Molecular Sciences’ Dean’s Medalist, is graduating in May with a double major in chemistry and mathematics. She also conducted research during her academic career at ASU, in Assistant Professor Justin Earley’s lab.

“The most important thing Professor Earley has taught me is the value of knowing what you don't know,” explains Linden. “You can be a genuine expert in your field and still be a student in someone else's. The willingness to let others teach you, to ask questions without fear, is what separates good scientists from great ones. That lesson has reshaped how I approach everything.”

Linden’s honors project focused on using tiny defects in carbon nanotubes as quantum bits — the building blocks of quantum computing — a topic that goes well beyond introductory study. The project brought together quantum science, materials chemistry and advanced spectroscopy — the kind of work where even small mistakes could lead to weeks of unusable data.

Linden will pursue a PhD in physical chemistry at Caltech in the fall.

“These achievements are not only individual milestones,” Trovitch says, “they reflect the caliber of students and mentorship in our program — and the exciting directions our science is headed.”