The UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering will celebrate 40 PhD students, 22 Master of Engineering students, 47 Master of Science in Molecular Engineering and Master of Science in Quantum Science and Engineering students, and 46 undergraduate Molecular Engineering majors as part of the class of 2025 at the University of Chicago’s 539th Convocation on Saturday, June 7.
Here are four of their stories.
After graduating with a BS in Molecular Engineering, George Rose will be staying in Chicago to get Rise Reforming – a startup he, fellow Molecular Engineering grad Lucas Zubillaga and rising fourth-year Molecular Engineering major Jona van Oord created – off the ground.
The company has developed a proprietary process for turning plastic waste into high-quality, low-carbon dimethyl ether (DME) and other chemicals in demand as propellants, solvents, fuels and more. They raised more than $400,000 in funding for this novel approach to what they call “the plastic disaster.”
To do this, the Molecular Engineering majors reached across UChicago, finding partners and mentors in UChicago PME, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, The College and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
None of this would have been possible in the siloed structure found in many other engineering schools, Rose said.
“I found UChicago PME’s Molecular Engineering major extremely helpful because of its interdisciplinary approach,” Rose said. “In a traditional engineering program, I probably wouldn’t have ever taken a biology class and discovered an interest in synthetic biology. But the strength of the Molecular Engineering degree is that it forces you to try all the areas out and really find your niche.”
One of the most formative experiences for Ashley Ellis, an Immunoengineering student in UChicago PME’s Master of Engineering (MEng) program, was her externship with the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC). The program gave her greater exposure to and connections within industry, uniting her lab expertise with the marketplace.
She’s currently exploring business development roles at biotech companies and within the hospital space.
“I’d say come in with a good sense of what excites you most, and be open to exploring,” Ellis said. “The MEng program offers so many resources — take full advantage of them. Once you find the path that really clicks for you, don’t hesitate to lean on the faculty and staff. Their support and guidance can make a huge difference.”
During his time at UChicago PME, recent PhD recipient Pengju Li focused on developing minimally invasive, light-controlled bioelectronic devices for cardiac and neural modulation, already leading to such breakthroughs as an ultra-thin, minimally invasive pacemaker controlled by light and 'living bioelectronics' that can sense and heal skin.
For his work in the lab of UChicago Chemistry Prof. Bozhi Tian, Li has taken such honors as the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Asia-Pacific, a MRS Graduate Student Gold Award, ACS DIC Young Investigator Award, William Rainey Harper Dissertation Fellowship, and the Grier Prize for Innovative Research in Biophysical Science.
Li is heading to Princeton as a postdoctoral researcher, where he plans to explore the biophysics of the subcellular world and uncover new strategies for modulating cellular function and dysfunction.
“UChicago PME is where engineering meets real-world impact, from healthcare to energy,” Li said. “If you're driven to tackle meaningful challenges alongside brilliant peers and mentors who truly care, this is the place for you.”
Anchita Addhya, who recently earned her PhD in UChicago PME’s Quantum theme, will be taking her expertise to industry, joining quantum computing manufacturer PsiQuantum as an R&D Engineer in Palo Alto after Convocation.
During her time at UChicago PME in the lab of Assoc. Prof. Alex High, Addhya focused on designing ultra-small devices used for controlling light. It has led to such breakthroughs as a pioneering system of laser-writing qubits—the basic building blocks of powerful quantum computers—into thin diamond films, but she said her greatest UChicago moment was winning the 2024 Maria Lastra Award for her work mentoring her fellow UChicago PME students.
“I have rarely felt so fulfilled,” Addhya said.
One bit of advice she offers future scientists is to take full advantage of all of the University of Chicago’s offerings, both inside and out of the lab.
“This is one of the best places for collaborative work—avail yourself of as many resources as you can and be open to new opportunities!” she said.
From changing the face of recycling to realizing the quantum computers of tomorrow, UChicago PME’s undergraduate, master’s and PhD students are poised to change the world.