Originally from Columbus, GA, Tia Gray first came to Rice in 2017 as a Questbridge Scholar. She is a double Rice alumna, having earned her B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2021 and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Nanoengineering in 2025. Gray is also a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and GEM Fellowship. Her thesis research focused on the growth and characterization of diamond and 2D materials for advanced electronic device applications. Currently, she is a National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, where she continues to conduct research on advanced semiconductor materials and devices.

Beyond the lab, Gray is deeply committed to mentorship and community engagement. During her time at Rice, she held leadership roles and organized programming and professional development initiatives through groups such as RCEL, BGSA, MSNE GSA, Youth Science Workshop, GSA, and GPS Fellowship Writing Coaching. She is driven by a mission to empower others to see themselves in science, engineering, and research. Outside of work, she enjoys running, spending time in the sun, playing the violin, and solving The New York Times puzzles.