Zachary Ahmad
He/Him
I am gay and I am a materials scientist and polymer engineer.//
I am a first-generation PhD student in Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), funded by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. At Caltech, I work with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop new methods of additive manufacturing via reaction bonding of dense and high temperature materials for space exploration.
Growing up as a low-income, gay person in rural Mississippi, a career in science was something that I never thought was possible for me. After several family hardships delayed college, I enrolled at the age of 24 and worked to succeed in the ever-evolving world of STEM. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Polymer Science and Engineering and a minor in Chemistry from The University of Southern Mississippi in May of 2022. After beginning graduate school at Caltech, I chose to work with Prof. Katherine Faber, who provided me with the opportunity to work with NASA to develop the kinetic models for structural control processes that design ordered, reproducible, and dimensionally uniform porous structures for spacecraft assimilation. While at Caltech, I am also dedicated to expanding opportunities for underrepresented students as an Engineering & Applied Science (EAS) Chair Scholar and as a member of the EAS Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
After earning a Ph.D. in Materials Science, I plan to pursue a career in academia as a research professor and principal investigator in the field of phase transitions and materials kinetics for space materials. It is my goal to operate my own lab while also using the tools gained from my years as a Ronald McNair Scholar to welcome and mentor young minority researchers as an openly gay man.