People Spotlights

Founder and CEO, MightyMeld

Steven Schkolne

Steven Schkolne (MS '99, PhD '04, Computer Science) has been fascinated by computers long before they became mainstream. His early experiences with programming and video games have fueled a career that successfully integrates art, design, and mathematics. As the founder and CEO of MightyMeld, a visualization and creation platform for web applications, Schkolne's pioneering work has solidified his reputation as a leading figure at the intersection of technology and creativity. Additionally, Schkolne's PhD research led to the first fully functional drawing programs for virtual reality, establishing him as one of the foremost experts in 3D interface design worldwide.

John Kitching

For John Kitching (MS '92, PhD '95, applied physics), keeping time is not just a necessity for daily life; it's his passion and career focus. Kitching holds several patents in the areas of spectroscopy and quantum systems, and his ground-breaking inventions of the chip-scale atomic clock and chip-scale atomic magnetometer earned him recognition as a 2022 Fellow of both the National Academy of Inventors and IEEE.

Xingxing Zuo

Before joining Caltech as a postdoc in January 2024, I had the pleasure of working as a full-time research scientist at Google. My academic journey led me to get my doctoral degree from Zhejiang University, China, in 2021, followed by a Postdoc position at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from 2021 to 2023. My research interests are centered around robotic perception and 3D computer vision. I am passionate about advancing the perceptual and spatial intelligence of mobile robots by harnessing the potential of combining data-driven deep neural networks with the principles of state estimation. My long-term aspiration is to empower robots with human-level perception and intelligence. At Caltech, I am fortunate to be co-advised by two distinguished professors: Professor Soon-Jo Chung, an expert in the field of robotics, and Professor Georgia Gkioxari, a renowned figure in computer vision. I am eagerly looking forward to engaging with the fantastic research opportunities that lie ahead and contributing to the vibrant scientific community at Caltech.

Graduate Student, Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Emily de Jong

I moved to Caltech from Princeton University in 2019, excited and nervous to enter the world of mechanical engineering and fluid mechanics after my ChemE undergraduate degree. Ultimately, I found myself studying very small-scale phenomena in the atmosphere—the liquid water and ice particles that make up a cloud, which are inherently challenging to model, yet crucial to Earth's climate and weather. I have always been interested in the dynamics and mathematics of complex physical systems related to energy and the environment, and learning and applying new mathematical and modeling techniques. Cloud microphysics has been the perfect topic to satisfy this curiosity while also contributing to our understanding of changes and feedback in the atmosphere in future climate scenarios. When I'm not deriving, coding, or writing at my desk, I go outside for "observational fieldwork," observing real clouds from a distance on my bicycling, climbing, and hiking adventures in the mountains.

Graduate Student, Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Jiaqing Jiang

Hi there! I am a G3 in CMS. I am broadly interested in quantum information, especially in quantum algorithms and quantum complexity. Recently, I have become interested in finding potential quantum advantages for the local Hamiltonian problem, which is one of the most promising applications of quantum computers and is related to quantum chemistry and condensed matter physics. I also like solving math problems just for fun, purely enjoying the feeling of keeping focus. Before I came to Caltech, I obtained my master’s degree at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in computer science, and my bachelor's degree at Nankai University in Mathematics. Outside of research, I like playing games, reading books, hiking, and listening to music. I have also recently started learning guitar.

Graduate Student, GALCIT

Michael Stramenga

I am a fourth-year Space Engineering PhD student in the Caltech Hypersonics Group under the guidance of Professor Joanna Austin. I received my BE in Mechanical Engineering and Management at McMaster University in 2020 before joining the Caltech community. My research involves running experiments in hypersonic flows that replicate the extreme environments spacecraft are exposed to as they reenter Earth's atmosphere. I conduct my experiments in Caltech’s T5 Reflected Shock Tunnel, which can produce freestream velocities up to 5 km/s! The data I collect from my experiments is used to improve predictive capabilities for hypersonic flight, leading to the design of safer spacecraft. Outside of lab, I enjoy playing guitar, skiing, scuba diving, and training towards my private pilot license. Having grown up in Canada, I also enjoy playing ice hockey if anyone wants to get a Caltech team started.

All Spotlights