Advice for graduate students: Find a topic of interest...and work hard!

In high school, Nadya Mason discovered that she liked hands-on research. In early college classes she was most drawn to physics and the way that it explained nature. She worked hard, earned a PhD from Stanford, and credits supportive parents and teachers with her success.

“I’m an African American woman in physics who really likes her job,” explains Mason, an associate professor of physics at Illinois. “I am happy with the choices I’ve made, and it is important to me that others have the same opportunities that I’ve had—to choose jobs, to make choices—especially in the sciences.”

Prior to joining the Department of Physics faculty in 2005, Mason was a Junior Fellow in the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. Her current research focuses on the conduction of electrons in materials, especially graphene.

Although she does not dwell on labels, Mason has spoken about being a “double minority” as an African American woman in science.

“You have to know that people notice you,” Mason remarked. “But as you grow up in the field, it becomes smaller and smaller. You learn that your own subgroup of physics is a very tight-knit community where everyone knows each other and everyone recognizes you as a colleague. That’s been a nice experience. Like most people, I prefer to be judged just on my work.”

When it comes to hiring students for her own group, Mason thinks anyone who is willing to work hard should have the opportunity.

“I want a student who is really interested in the topic and who is willing to work for it. That is the biggest indicator for success in grad school. There is a lot of grunt work—a lot of things you just have to persevere through. You must be willing to do it for your own interest and motivation.

“At Illinois, we do pay attention to recruiting and retaining female and underrepresented students,” she added. “One of the saddest things that I realized about this field is that the number of women and minorities has been fixed for the past few years and all of the top schools are vying for the same people. We do our best to recruit them here. We think it is important for our department.”

In addition to helping her own students succeed, Mason does a lot of informal mentoring.

“Colleagues sometimes have their students email me. I’d like to be a role model. That’s valuable to me.”

The Mason lab consists of Professor Mason, a postdoctoral researcher, six PhD students, and two undergraduates. Research focuses on measuring the electronics of very small, nanoscale materials such as graphene, a carbon that is one atomic layer thick. In these materials, interesting physics such as quantum mechanics can dominate, leading to new behaviors and novel device applications.
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Editor's note: Article originally appeared in the Engineering at Illinois Magazine (Vol. 3, No. 2).

Contact: Nadya Mason, Department of Physics, 217/244-9114.

Writer: Rick Kubetz, senior communications specialist, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-7716.