Most of IME graduate students work with one of our faculty members; however, there is an extensive list of IME fellows that our graduate students are able to work with as well. Ruben Waldman is a first-year PhD student working with Dr. Seth Darling, scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and IME Fellow. Ruben first learned about Darling’s research during his acceptance visit to IME, and was excited about Darling’s group’s recent efforts into adopting self-assembled nanomaterials for water remediation. Ruben knew he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to have such a close relationship with Argonne as a graduate student, and as a result, he joined Darling’s group.
“Ruben got his feet wet in my group with a brief stint at the end of the summer prior to IME orientation and courses beginning for the fall. Not surprisingly given the IME’s standards, he is an impressively quick learner and rapidly understood the scientific and technological challenges that inspire (and sometimes conspire against) us. Water is a relatively new research direction in my group, and Ruben shares my excitement around this burgeoning topic. He will be researching advanced membranes and other water treatment technologies with aspects ranging from fundamental materials science to rather applied implementations. Through collaboration with Professor Nealey’s group, Ruben is grounded in the University culture while also having access to the world-class facilities and complementary work environment at Argonne. He may be the first IME student to take advantage of this confluence, but he surely won’t be the last,” said Darling.
Ruben was drawn to IME for the opportunity to help shape a new paradigm for graduate education. The IME’s topical approach to research appealed to his goals of using research to address societal problems. Additionally, the close relationship between Argonne and IME on UChicago’s campus really appealed to him, and he feels situated to make the best use of the resources of these two powerful institutions. He thinks Chicago is a great place to be a graduate student and has a lot to offer. For him, it’s good to know that there is a whole city within reach for when he just needs to get out of the lab.