Yuanxin (Miranda) Li Awarded the 2020–2021 Broida-Hirschfelder Fellowship

The Broida-Hirschfelder Graduate Fellowship program is administered by the UCSB Graduate Division. PhD students in several science and engineering departments are eligible.

The UCSB Faculty Women's Club Broida-Hirschfelder Fellowship was first awarded in 1992. It was endowed by Ina Broida and Betty Hirschfelder, both long-time active members of the UCSB Faculty Women's Club.

Ina Broida, wife of UCSB Physics professor Herbert Broida, was very active in women's issues in Santa Barbara. She passed away in 1992; however, she left a legacy of charitable donations and good works throughout the university and Santa Barbara communities. 

Elizabeth (Betty) Hirschfelder received a PhD in mathematics in 1930 and taught mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for 20 years. Her husband was Joseph O. Hirschfelder, a guiding force in modern theoretical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin and an adjunct professor of Chemistry at UCSB.

This year, Miranda Li has been selected for the fellowship as a recognition for her academic excellence. Her PhD projects focus on the development of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) enhanced NMR method to study complicated bio-solid systems, particularly the tau aggregation pathway, which is associated with Alzheimer's diseases. With the approach to design a DNP spin system to overcome the low sensitivity issue of NMR spectrum of tau aggregates, Miranda's research provides her with the knowledge of the state-of-the-art DNP instrumentation, high field EPR experiments, bio solid-state NMR experiments as well as electron & nuclear spin dynamics. 

Miranda is the first member of the Han lab to receive the Broida-Hirschfelder Graduate Fellowship.

Congratulations, Miranda!