Despite her self-described “classically nerdy” persona and lack of “natural athleticism,” Julia’s height (6 foot, 3 inches tall) put her on the radar of her high school basketball coach, who convinced her to join the team. She’d never played a game. “One of the first games of the season, our star center suffered a serious injury and was out for rest of the season, leaving me to start every game after,” Julia said. “I’ll never forget that first game – all I could think about was trying to not let my team down.” Julia went on to become a team co-captain, and even played into college. She credits the support of her coach and teammates as part of the reason she became successful. She also came to understand that many of the same team principles from athletics applied to her burgeoning career in science. “As part of a research team during my undergraduate studies, I learned that great research is done through collaborative projects,” Julia said. “Successful scientists don’t work alone – they work in groups, in teams. Being able to articulate your ideas and seeing them amplified … that’s what science is about. If it was about sitting in a lab by myself all the time, I wouldn’t do it!”

Chemical process engineering chemical safety and management reservoir engineering Chemical Engineering