Student from Paso Robles graduates from Princeton, accepted to Caltech
Angel Yahir Gomez.
Angel Yahir Gomez began his studies at Princeton in August 2021 after receiving a full-ride scholarship to the university
– Angel Yahir Gomez, a Paso Robles native and graduate of Paso Robles High School, is set to graduate from Princeton University on May 27 with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry. Gomez will continue his academic career this fall at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, where he has been accepted into the doctoral program in chemistry.
Gomez began his studies at Princeton in August 2021 after receiving a full-ride scholarship to the university. During his time there, he conducted undergraduate research in the Roque Research Laboratory, focusing on catalysis and organometallic chemistry.
His senior thesis, titled Photoinduced [Ni]–CF3 Cleavage Enabled by Ligand-Centered Radicals, spans 173 pages and introduces a new method for activating a chemical bond involving a transition metal and a CF3 functional group. The research has applications in pharmaceutical drug development. Gomez’s work used light energy and a photoresponsive unit under mild conditions to break the bonds, representing an alternative approach to modifying transition metal complexes. A manuscript based on the project is currently in preparation for publication in a scientific journal.
Gomez is an alumnus of Lillian Larsen Elementary School and earned his high school diploma in Paso Robles. At the California Institute of Technology, which has an acceptance rate of 2.7%, Gomez will receive a stipend to support his research. He plans to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship after completing his doctoral studies and aims to establish his own research laboratory.
His sister, Stephanie Gomez, said, “We are so proud of Angel, he has worked so hard to get to where he is and we can’t wait to see how much more he accomplishes, he is simply a great example to follow.”
