Hongyi Dang

BS Tianjin University
MS University of Texas
PhD program

“I discovered that the more I knew, the better I could solve problems in process engineering. That was a strong motivation to return to school. My degree will give me more alternatives, no matter whether I stay in research or return to process engineering.”

After completing her master's, Hongyi worked as a process engineer in the semiconductor industry for a manufacturer of silicon wafers. When her husband took a job in Buffalo, she decided to go back to school. She already knew the UB chemical engineering program from friends.

Hongyi chose to work with Mark Swihart's group because his nanoparticle research satisfies interests she developed working in the semiconductor field. She plans to do her research in computational simulation of silicon nanoparticle formation by thermal hyposis.

She says that her whole learning experience is different now because her primary motivation is to know rather than to simply succeed. About the program: “I love it!”