Emily Chen | Student Spotlight

Emily Chen

PhD Candidate
Materials Science and Engineering

"Through both research and advocacy, I hope to contribute to meaningful progress in materials science and help make academia a more welcoming place for everyone."

At Stanford, I study a class of materials that are just a few atoms thick but that could play a key role in the future of electronic and quantum technologies. These 2D materials host excitons—correlated pairs of electrons and holes— that govern how the material absorbs and emits light. What makes them fascinating is that excitons with specific spin and momentum can be selectively activated using circularly polarized light. This ability to control quantum states opens up possibilities for advanced light-emitting devices, sensors, and new ways to store and process quantum information.

My research focuses on using ab initio computational methods— simulations grounded in the basic principles of quantum mechanics—to model and understand these excitons. I run large-scale calculations on supercomputers to study how excitons behave in different material environments, and how we can engineer their properties for useful applications.

I am fortunate to be supported by both the Shoucheng Zhang Graduate Fellowship and the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship. These fellowships have not only enabled me to explore exciting research directions, but also reinforced the importance of representation in science. Computational research can be an intimidating field, and I’m deeply grateful to the mentors—especially women of color—who helped me build the confidence and skills to succeed. I try to pay that mentorship forward through our department’s PhD mentorship program and undergraduate research grant initiative.

Outside of research, I am active in the Stanford Graduate Workers Union, where I advocate for better working conditions and fair pay for graduate students—efforts that are essential to making higher education more equitable and accessible. At a time when science and higher education face growing political challenges, I think it’s especially important for researchers to support one another and help build a more inclusive research environment.

Through both research and advocacy, I hope to contribute to meaningful progress in materials science and help make academia a more welcoming place for everyone.