“The University reminds students that life is bigger than just your work and your accomplishments.”
First-generation physics scholar Michelle Kwok ’24 was widely recognized during her undergraduate career for her academic prowess and drive. She shared her talents as a tutor and an accomplished researcher—something she does now as a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University.
But she didn’t always have her sights set on attending the University of Notre Dame, despite growing up in the nearby city of Mishawaka.
“I chose to come to Notre Dame largely because of the Lilly Scholarship. It was the program that I felt best suited my interests within Indiana,” she shared, adding, “It didn’t hurt that it was closer to home and a more comfortable transition during the pandemic.”
Michelle came to Notre Dame as a Lilly Scholar and a Glynn Family Honors Scholar. She joined the Women in Physics Club, having selected both physics and philosophy as her areas of study. Soon, her interests would garner prestigious research awards and opportunities to travel nationwide in the pursuit of excellence.
Pursuing research at the highest levels
From her first year, Michelle went about paving her own Notre Dame journey. “Because physics is a relatively small group of people, cold emailing actually works. If you’re interested in someone’s research and they have time to take on an undergraduate student, they usually say yes.”
She reached out to Dr. Chris Howk, a Notre Dame professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, during her second semester freshman year. Over that summer, she worked with him on researching gas cloud structures in astronomy.
“The next couple of summers, I did REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates), an undergraduate research program funded by the National Science Foundation, at other universities,” Michelle explained.
In summer 2022, she researched density functional theory and metal systems at Cornell University. The following year, she continued the program through Duke University. “I was able to go to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and work on an experiment called ATLAS. There, I was working on developing a particle tracking system for their upcoming upgrade.”
She even had the opportunity to tour CERN, the European laboratory for particle physics, taking the summer to live in France and bike to Geneva, Switzerland, every day. “It was really exciting to see the history of what they’ve done there at CERN and to be around so many people doing physics from everywhere in the world.”
Michelle’s work was inspiring and widely recognized. In 2023, she was named a Goldwater Scholar—a national award given to a select pool of applicants in recognition of exceptional promise as a future research leader in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Notre Dame’s Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) collaborated on her application, and she credits the center’s assistance in receiving the award.
While studying abroad in Dublin, Michelle assisted Dr. Christopher Kolda, professor of physics and astronomy at Notre Dame, with research around the relationship between dark matter and primordial black holes. Of Michelle’s academic excellence, Professor Kolda said, “Michelle never stops, yet she does everything at such a high level. Her class work, her work tutoring children in math, her research, and REUs—she has been able to do it all while remaining one of the strongest physics majors we have seen at Notre Dame in years. She has all the ingredients to develop into a top physics researcher and teacher.”
In 2024, Michelle was named an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Candidate and was recognized with an Outstanding Physics Major award in the College of Science.
Rising while lifting others
“While I wasn’t highly involved in clubs or organizations, when the chance came up, I would try to provide help for other students through tutoring.” Michelle shared her gifts with fellow students, both on campus and abroad. “When I was in Ireland, I was involved in an organization that was helping people who had just learned English within the last couple of years. I was involved in helping first-generation immigrants adjust to school and tutored them.”
Michelle currently volunteers with the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering group at Boston University, where she’s pursuing her Ph.D. “I’m involved with a mentorship program that helps girls who are interested in pursuing graduate school in STEM, answering questions about what they need to do to get to grad school and on this path.”
Michelle is a first-year graduate student concentrating in theoretical particle physics. She looks forward to staying in the competitive field of academia, whether through a post-doc or as a faculty member—a way to stay engaged in the field while continuing to help others rise with her.
Exploring diverse interests at Notre Dame
“Notre Dame was great in providing me resources to be able to succeed.”
When Michelle’s studies in physics began, she wasn’t sure where her focus should lie. “In undergrad, I played around a lot with my interest in physics. I jumped from field to field; I did a bit of astronomy, some condensed matter theory, and high-energy experiments and theory. The area I stuck with for grad school was high-energy theory.”
While exploring her interest in physics, Michelle also added a second major in philosophy. “Even in high school, I was interested in reading literature,” Michelle explained. She decided to stick with the field after taking a few philosophy courses to satisfy undergraduate requirements. “I was more interested in the aspects of philosophy that weren’t physics-related,” she detailed. “Some of my favorite classes were Feminism and Philosophy and Contemporary Political Philosophy.”
Michelle described the connections that exist between her two fields of study. “There is a big crossover between physics and philosophy. Even in physics, there are arguments about the correct philosophical interpretation of certain things.” While this wasn’t her focus, Michelle was able to study both at Notre Dame, rounding out her interests.
In reflecting on her studies as an undergraduate student, Michelle noted, “The physics major was great. It was really flexible with what you wanted to do. The fact that they set aside the semester for study abroad meant that I didn’t have to worry about where to go and what classes would be available,” she explained. “It gave me a lot of freedom in choosing what to do in undergrad. My physics professors have all been very supportive. I’m very grateful that they took me on as an undergrad; I learned a ton working with them.”
Of her experience at Notre Dame, Michelle shared, “The University reminds students that life is bigger than just your work and your accomplishments.” She also outlined the University’s emphasis on service for and with others, especially outside of work and classroom settings.
As she looks ahead to her five-year Ph.D. program, Michelle discussed her ambition to work in higher education. “I really enjoy what I work on,” she said. Because my work is a bit more theoretical and niche, higher education is one of the only ways for me to keep doing particle physics,” she said. “I love being in an academic environment. It’s fun to work on things we’re interested in and to take a break and chat about other happenings in the physics world.”
From Indiana to Switzerland, the physical to the theoretical, Michelle’s path demonstrates the breadth of a Notre Dame education. Her journey to become a force for good in the world is brought to life through the generosity of the Notre Dame Family, which creates invaluable opportunities for accomplished students like Michelle to find their spark.
Thank you for your loyalty to For Good and the students of Notre Dame. Because of your generosity, alumni and students like Michelle continue to shape Notre Dame and the world for good. To read, listen to, or watch more stories, visit givemonthly.nd.edu.