Julia Espinoza Mejia

Julia Espinoza is an international, first-gen, and nontraditional graduate student from Peru. Chemical engineer from the National University of Engineering (UNI) –Peru from where she graduated as a Master in Process Engineering. In 2010, she joined the National Petroleum Company of Peru (PETROPERU). She earned the Fulbright-CAREC scholarship in 2019, which allowed her to graduate with M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Kansas (KU) where she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at KU as part of the NSF Project EARTH. Her research focuses on the separation of azeotropic hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) mixtures from refrigerants using ionic liquids as solvents. Julia serves as a Graduate Engineering Ambassador and adviser for the Peruvian Student Association at KU. Outside the lab, her interests include learning languages, cultures, and practicing Zumba and swimming.