#SoCaltech: Soyoung Shin

“I was a non-STEM major when I moved to the US 10 years ago, and I never thought I could be good at science. But my parents were like, ‘You're in the new world, why don't you try new stuff?’ I don't know why, but I decided to study chemistry—and it was amazing. … Somehow I got into UCSD as a transfer student, and I joked to my friend that I would go to Caltech for grad school. But then I actually got in.

“I was kind of nervous because I didn't have a deep background in STEM, but when I first came in, people were very nice. From my perspective, I thought, ‘I’ll be the dumbest one in my cohort,’ so I was so ready to learn from them. And then they were so kind to teach me—but at some point, I was actually able to help them. They were impressed by my math skills, for example, and I was so excited because it was a two-way exchange at some point. For me, that was very memorable. I am very proud that I succeeded. I'm done, and I'm getting the degree! I have the first PhD in my whole family, and it’s from Caltech—a school that everyone knows. This is kind of a big deal.”

Soyoung Shin received her MS in chemical engineering in 2024 and will graduate with a doctorate in chemical engineering this June. Her research, in the lab of medical engineer Wei Gao, focused on developing bioinspired wearable biosensors for continuous sweat sampling and metabolic monitoring, with the goal of advancing noninvasive tools for tracking gout and other metabolic diseases.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.