Senior Spotlight: Louie Zhong

Louie Zhong is a fourth-year materials science and engineering student at UC Davis and plans to continue his research as he pursues his M.S. in materials science and engineering at Stanford University after graduation.

A big part of Louie’s UC Davis experience was being an undergraduate researcher in assistant professor Roopali Kukreja’s lab, where he studied how materials behave on ultrafast timescales as short as a picosecond. Their research and materials can potentially be used for next-generation memory devices, which will have a major impact on computing down the line.

Louie got connected with Kukreja’s lab after attending a department event about undergraduate research. He decided to become an undergraduate research ambassador at the Undergraduate Research Center and helped other undergraduate students get connected with the resources they needed to start their own path in research.

Outside of class, Louie enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and listening to music. He is also a member of the Davis Historical Fencing Club, which replicates fencing styles found from real historical manuals. He is also an avid Yo-yoer. Although he no longer plays competitively, he finds yo-yoing relaxing and helps him meditate during stressful times.

“There’s a lot of pressure to hit the ground running in college, but it’s never really too late to get involved, as long as you have the time and are willing to put in the work,” said Louie.