Senior Success: Published Researcher Marcos Molina to Pursue PhD at Princeton
Marcos Molina, a chemical engineer with a penchant for complicated algorithms, made a tough call when deciding among Ph.D. programs at several graduate Ivy League institutions. In the end, he chose to pursue theoretical and computational research at Princeton.
“It allows me to be closer to family and friends, and I enjoyed the atmosphere when I visited,” said Molina, who has been a star researcher in Professor Gennady Gor’s research laboratory.
Gor recognized his potential even as a first-year student and Molina hit the ground running.
His very first project led to what student researchers covet: authorship on a paper in a published journal (https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0040763). Max A. Maximov, his mentor on the project and Ph.D. student at the time, Gor and Molina researched ways to more accurately simulate gas adsorption of porous carbon on the nanometer scale. Specifically, they looked at three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous (3DOm) carbons, whose pores overlap and create interconnected windows between them. These windows allow for a multitude of applications and uses: double-layer capacitors (allowing for quick-charge and -discharge applications used in many electronics) and the efficient storing and transportation of natural gas, for example.
One of the clearest examples, explained Molina, is that 3DOm carbons can be used to create a molecular filter separating differently sized types of molecules with the carbon pore size, similar in effect to a kitchen sieve’s mesh screen sifting baking ingredients.
Until his research project, the standard method for measuring pore size distribution assumed that these pores were spherical, without considering these interconnections present in 3DOm carbons.
In a kitchen sieve, if the mesh hole size is not consistent, it makes separating differently sized components, like sugar and flour, almost impossible. Pore size distribution accuracy — or mesh size consistency a la kitchen sieve — is paramount to the work on the molecular level.
“I believe this publication was why I was able to be accepted at so many of the top chemical engineering Ph.D. programs in the country,” said Molina, who noted the impact of his first research project. Molina also emphasized the major role Maximov, the first author of the publication, played in his early research career.
“Dr. Maximov had previous experience as a software engineer and throughout the project, he always guided me and told me how to improve my code and programming skills. He was a great role model and someone I hope to emulate.”
Molina, who conducted intense research and consistently took the maximum amount of courses per semester — throwing in some graduate-level courses as an undergrad — was also busy helping at his father’s HVAC company.
“Time management was certainly a challenge, especially during my first few semesters. The key is to make the most of every minute and plan out what you will do far in advance,” he recounted.
Molina, who has been awarded prodigiously throughout his time at NJIT, places his authorship as one of his fondest memories here, and the catalyst for starting a career in research.
“I felt that all of the hard work I had put into the project came to fruition, and I had something to be proud of. I felt like I had finally contributed something to science, regardless of how minor it may be, and I want to continue to do that throughout my life.”