Minda Chen '15

Originally from Chengdu, China, Minda Chen ’15 graduated from Knox College and subsequently earned a PhD in chemistry from Iowa State University. He is currently working at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Chen discovered Knox through an unexpected Google search. He had always been drawn to smaller liberal arts colleges with close connections, as opposed to most universities in China, and thought Knox was a great fit. 

“Smaller class settings are better than classes with hundreds of students, where no one receives attention and everyone hesitates to ask questions,” he said.

Influenced by his father, a mechanical engineer, he was exposed to numerous gadgets and mechanical part designs from a very young age, which developed a love for science early on and eventually led him to pursue a career in science. His engaging chemistry classes at Knox inspired him to major in chemistry. He fondly remembers Professor of Chemistry Tom Clayton. One of his classes on nanochemistry sparked Chen’s interest and eventually laid the foundation for his grad work.

Looking back, Chen credits Knox with shaping more than just his academic path. He values Knox’s emphasis on soft skills such as communication, resourcefulness, and problem-solving, which he thinks are critical but are not taught by everyone, making them even more valuable. 

“What you learn at Knox goes beyond textbooks,” he said. “It’s about how you think, how you connect with others, and how you face new challenges. A lot of things I learned at Knox may not be directly applicable every day, but they are fundamentally shaping the way I think and work.”

After graduation, he felt an undergraduate degree wasn’t enough to fulfill his curiosity, which pushed his decision to pursue a PhD.

“In terms of chemistry, there are so many cutting-edge developments that go far beyond what is covered in your undergraduate textbook. It’s ever evolving and I wanted to learn more,” he said.

While working toward his PhD, Chen worked under Professor of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry Wenyu Huang, in a research group focused on nanomaterials. He learned to specialize in imaging with the help of electron microscopes, and handled the microscopic work throughout his graduate studies. After five years of experience in that area, he decided to pursue a job at a microscope manufacturing company.

Today, he works for a company called Thermo Fisher Scientific, one of the world’s largest scientific instrument manufacturers. He focuses on training and sharing knowledge about electron microscopes with customers from universities, national labs, and companies across the country. Chen enjoys his job because he works with customers and samples from a variety of fields. It could be a metal or ceramic sample, a nano-sized catalyst, a semiconductor device, a lithium battery, or a life science sample like tissues, cells, or proteins. 

As a former international student, Chen encourages others to embrace new experiences.

“Expose yourself to new things. When I came to the U.S., everything felt different. But try to understand it, try to respect and welcome it. Try things once and decide if it's for you or not. There's a lot of potential in you,” he said.