Meet Lucas Hildebrand Pires da Cunha. Hildebrand Pires da Cunha is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. Hildebrand Pires da Cunha is from Brazil and is a Rice Graduate Ambassador. Ambassadors are students who represent the university and help prospective students gain knowledge of student life as a graduate student at Rice.
Hildebrand Pires da Cunha chose Rice as a graduate school because of the program’s strong fit with his research interest. His research focuses on understanding the mechanical behavior of different types of fluids. Most of these properties are defined by the dynamics of the dispersed particles in the microstructure.
When he is not conducting research, he serves in various leadership roles within the Rice community. He is a part of the American Physical Society (APS) on campus.
Hildebrand Pires da Cunha advises prospective students to be open-minded about their graduate school process, but also aware of their goals.
“Have a good picture in your mind of what you expect from a graduate program,” said Hildebrand Pires da Cunha. “This is a great time to explore, but be sure you know what you want at the end.”
He also advises current students not to give up during their graduate school journey because, “there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Outside of academics, Hildebrand Pires da Cunha enjoys exploring midtown and singing when no one is around to hear him. “I'm a great singer, but the world won't be aware of it, unfortunately,” said Hildebrand Pires da Cunha.
Graduate ambassadors can be contacted via email at gradambassadors@rice.edu. Lucas Hildebrand Pires da Cunha can be contacted directly by email at lh36@rice.edu.