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Hui Dia

Why fellowship support is valuable

I am greatly honored and grateful to receive fellowship support. The fellowships have made it possible for me to pursue my doctoral degree at the University of Chicago and to study and work with so many distinguished professors and inspired students. In comparison with other kinds of financial support available to graduate students, the fellowships have allowed me more time to study and more flexibility in doing my research.

Why I chose Chicago

I used to browse the official website for Nobel Prizes a lot when I was in college. I was greatly impressed that so many Nobel Laureates had studied or worked at Chicago. After careful investigation, I found out that besides its reputation as a prestigious institution and its location in such a beautiful city, Chicago has what I deeply love: an inspiring academic atmosphere; first-class research groups, especially in my area of interest, theoretical high energy physics; intimate interactions with the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory; and close relationships between students and the faculty. I feel at home here.

Plans for the future

I would like to become a professor in a major research university or institution.

About myself

I was born in Hubei province in China and lived there until college. In 1998, at the age of fifteen, I attended the University of Science and Technology of China, which is located in another province. I spent five years at the University majoring in physics and mathematics. During that time, I gradually realized that I was interested in research. I graduated with a BS in 2003 and immediately came to the United States to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago. I earned my master’s degree last December and I am continuing with my PhD studies. I have many non-academic interests as well, especially watching movies and soccer games, reading history or geography, hiking, playing chess, badminton, and ping-pong.

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Hui Dia, Robert R. McCormick Fellowship, Maurice L. Rothschild Scholarship, Robert G. Sachs Fellowship
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