I received my Bachelors in Chemistry (Physics minor) from Berea College, KY. I went on to obtain my PhD in Biochemistry from Rice University under the mentorship of Dr. John Olson and Dr. George N. Phillips. While pursuing my graduate research as a wet lab biophysicist on hemoglobin assembly, I ran into research questions involving rapid changes the molecules were undergoing, questions that I discovered could not be addressed by just applying experimental techniques. This led me to pursue my post-doctoral training in computational chemistry with Dr. David Case at Rutgers University, and later on with Dr. Martin Gruebele at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. My academic training over the years helps me to navigate research questions at the intersections of chemistry, physics, and biology.  When not doing science, I like to spend my time taking evening walks with my husband, and cooking comfort food from my home country Malaysia. Fun fact: Kimia is the Malay word for Chemistry!

Courses I teach at SLU: Physical Chemistry I and II