“The two important things I like about Boise are that I feel safe and the city is clean. I find it interesting that people are always smiling.”
Gissela Pascual Pariona is a Peruvian Andean woman. Gissela studied biology at Federico Villarreal National University and took a master’s course in environmental science at National Agrarian University. Then, she obtained an MSc and PhD degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tohoku University of Japan, where she also served as an assistant professor. Her research background covers biology and ecotoxicology, where she used DNA as a genetic material.
Currently, she is a postdoctoral research fellow at the quantum DNA (qDNA) research group of the Micron School of Material Science and Engineering at Boise State. The qDNA group consists of five research teams; Gissela belongs to the DNA construct synthesis team. The group uses DNA as an engineering material to control the organization of dye aggregates that exhibit unique emergent properties. The collective sharing of electronic excitation energy between dyes – known as exciton delocalization – can be applied in application for quantum information systems. Gissela performs modeling using an in-house developed model based on the Kühn-Renger-May theory (KRM model) and experimental data analysis. Based on the photophysical properties of dyes and dye aggregates, she estimates the geometry of dye aggregates and their excitonic coupling strength responsible for exciton delocalization.
Outside of work, Gissela enjoys cooking because that is a chance to be creative. She also loves dancing because it connects her with music and cultures.
For Gissela, International education means an opportunity for personal and professional development. It is the best mechanism to expose future leaders in a multicultural environment, broadening their viewpoint and way of thinking about people from different nations. International education expands career opportunities by exposing leaders to a multidisciplinary environment and reviewing their knowledge by international standards that inspire them to think and act globally.