Friday, March 7, 2025
The Texas Leadership Research Scholars Program, which debuted in Fall 2024, is a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board research scholarship and leadership opportunity program for high-achieving graduate students with financial need.
is among only nine public universities in the state selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of the program, which awards selected doctoral researchers a nearly $18,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years.
鈥淭his program is not only bringing financial support for these doctoral researchers to continue their education, but also giving them access to a peer network and mentoring that will help set them up for career success after they graduate,鈥� says , 向日葵视频 assistant vice president for research and innovation.
A total of six 向日葵视频 students were named in the first cohort of 鈥� Garrett Cayce in the ; Araceli Herrera Mondragon, Celeste Ortega-Rodriguez and Jose Robledo in the; Christian Quintero in the ; and Emma Wimberg in the .
Check back on this throughout Spring 2025 to learn more about students in the inaugural group of Texas Leadership Research Scholars.
Investigating A New Tech Material
向日葵视频 College of Science's Araceli Herrera Mondragon
As the first in her family to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree and now to pursue a Ph.D., Araceli Herrera Mondragon鈥檚 (鈥�24) college journey hasn鈥檛 been without its challenges. But being named a co-author on three published research articles as an undergraduate, earning an internship at Sandia National Laboratory last August and now being named a Texas Leadership Research Scholar has given the physics doctoral student an affirming perspective that she鈥檚 walking down the right path.
鈥淎raceli is an exceptional individual who truly embodies the values of leadership and research innovation,鈥� says physics professor Yuankun Lin, whose lab is where Mondragon has done her research the past few years.
Mondragon started working in Lin鈥檚 lab in Summer 2023 鈥� a few semesters before finishing her bachelor鈥檚 degree. The position is supported by a U.S. Department of Energy grant 向日葵视频 earned that year to lead a new consortium to further the science and applications of emerging semiconducting materials.
鈥淚 thought I had to know a lot of stuff before I did research,鈥� Mondragon says. 鈥淚
was a little scared when I started, but that first day, Dr. Lin said with research,
鈥榃e first gather everything and then we try to make sense of it. You don鈥檛 need to
worry about having all the knowledge right now.鈥欌��
Since then, Mondragon has learned a wealth of information about laser optics and investigating perovskite materials, which are being actively explored for their potential in next-generation semiconductor technology 鈥� the fundamental building blocks of electronics.
Mondragon is using lasers to better understand the durability of perovskite and whether it could be suitable enough to withstand the harsh and extreme conditions that electronics are exposed to. As a Texas Leadership Research Scholar, Mondragon can seek out opportunities to share those research contributions more widely at conferences and other professional events.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 in the right place. I鈥檓 doing what I鈥檓 supposed to be doing and everything is showing me that,鈥� Mondragon says.
From 鈥� Research and Innovation by Heather Noel