Embracing Chaos and Opportunity: Dr. Mija Hubler's Impact in Women of Carbon

Welcome, everyone, to today’s interview with Dr. Mija Hubler, a leading woman featured in the acclaimed documentary Women of Carbon screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival. In this insightful conversation with Dr. Mija Hubler, we’ll uncover the personal and professional experiences that have shaped her journey. Dr. Hubler earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in May 2006. She then pursued her Master’s degree in the same field at Cornell University, completing it in May 2009. Dr. Hubler continued her academic journey with a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University in December 2013, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which she completed in December 2014. Her work not only highlights the critical role of women in combating climate change but also sets a powerful example for future leaders in sustainability. 

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Welcome, Mija! It’s a true honor to have this conversation with you, and I genuinely appreciate the opportunity. I loved Women of Carbon, and your insights really resonated with me.

Dr. Mija Hubler: Thank you, Nicole.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Thank you! You mentioned that being raised by a physicist shaped your perspective on science and creativity. Could you elaborate on how that experience influenced you?

Dr. Mija Hubler: My father was a physicist studying chaos and nonlinear dynamics, so growing up, I often saw him bringing concepts to the dinner table that felt a bit like magic. He would talk about ideas that were difficult to predict, like how trees branch as they grow, yet he was able to extract useful insights from them for developing new batteries. Even today, I can’t shake the feeling that those connections are a bit magical. So whenever I find similar things in the world where I'm like, "Oh, this is a theory that could really transcend the paper and turn into something useful and insightful in the real world," I get really excited because it feels like I'm doing what he did.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Wow, that's truly beautiful! It’s fascinating because, as I mentioned in my email, I’ve always felt that the phrase "studies chaos for a living," about a physicist, is so iconic that it deserves more attention in films. So, if your father was studying chaos, do you ever feel like you're studying chaos in your own work?

Dr. Mija Hubler: (Laughs) Yeah, I feel like I see chaos more, or what we might not call chaos, but it’s around us a lot nowadays. Often, we talk about a lot of uncertainty. For example, in construction materials, it’s not like we’re doing careful manufacturing.We're just dumping a bunch of rocks, sand, and water in there, and somehow we end up designing these structures that people trust every day to drive across or live in, you know? There’s so much inherent randomness and chaos that goes into actually manufacturing and building them, yet we’ve found ways to make that work for us. So I see chaos in what I do, even though it’s not the classical physics definition of chaos. I also think my father liked to map his ideas to people and the relationships we form, and all the chaos in our lives. That perspective sometimes helps me embrace risky projects and not knowing what’s next—and that’s okay.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Wow, you have such a youthful spirit and a positive outlook! Even when you mentioned facing several challenges over the past 15 years across multiple institutions, I’m curious—how do you maintain your sanity and prioritize your health while keeping that positivity and humor along the way?

Dr. Mija Hubler: Oh, this changes with time. (Laughs) You know, we all change as we grow, but I think about what I want. It sounds very self-centered, but if I have this vision—like, for my career, things weren’t necessarily going in a straight line across all these different institutions—I really sat down and thought, “Is now the time to switch my vision?” I felt, oh no, it’s not actually. I think there might be another way to move forward with this. Maybe there’s another angle or something I’ve missed. If I start over at another institution, maybe I’ll broaden my horizons or find other opportunities. Let me reword this again; it sounds complicated. I think I like to collect opportunities. Sometimes, when one thing isn’t going as expected, it becomes a new chance to gather other opportunities. I really appreciate the opportunities that do come my way, and that’s the kind of perspective I have. I often feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunities that suddenly appear.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: I love that mindset! In addition to your impressive list of accolades and distinctive projects, you also earned your PhD. I have several friends who are PhD candidates, and they’re really struggling with the process. What advice would you give them? As you mentioned in the film, many feel like they need to surpass their advisors or that they’re not receiving the best guidance. How can they maintain their sanity during this challenging time? What effective strategies can they use to build resilience and assert their ideas while continuing in academia?

Dr. Mija Hubler: I think the process of writing a thesis and earning your PhD is about learning to conduct a large project and demonstrating that you can take something from an initial concept to fruition. It’s like running a marathon. At some point, you’re going to think, “Oh my gosh, I don’t have any more to give,” or you might wonder, “Am I really heading in the right direction?” Here’s the key insight: the PhD is a test of perseverance. When I mentor my PhD students now, I work with them at the beginning of the project to ensure they feel a sense of ownership over their topic. It’s important that their research aligns with the vision of the type of researcher they want to become. You need to have that internal interest and motivation in the topic to sustain your drive. Your own curiosity about the subject is what keeps you focused and ultimately drives you to complete this work.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: That’s very helpful, Mija. But how can they combat negativity, especially if they’re not working with the best professors or advisors? As you mentioned, they might feel like they’re running in circles. How can they refocus themselves in such a challenging environment?

Dr. Mija Hubler: I guess that's where the opportunity collecting comes in. I think we do have an impact on the opportunities that come our way. It could be volunteering to help teach someone else's class or signing up for a workshop that you noticed, which wasn’t necessarily something your advisor told you about, but that you saw on the side. It’s about continuing to develop yourself and finding those opportunities for growth, even if you’re facing some setbacks in your main goal of pursuing your PhD. So I think focusing on the positive and seeking out new opportunities that can lead to positive experiences—ones you might not even be aware of yet—is how you move forward through those challenges.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Since we're pressed for time, let's refocus on you. What projects are you currently working on that you’re really excited about? This entire article is centered around your enthusiasm.

Dr. Mija Hubler: So, some projects I'm excited about—I always feel like I'm doing so many things. I don't have my list ready right now, but one of the biggest efforts I’m currently working on is this initiative to recognize that we can create new materials and build exciting new things. However, maybe we should also rethink how to maintain what we already have. I’ve started really embracing how I can rethink some of these innovative technologies and their use to rehabilitate and preserve what we've already created in our environment. I'm really excited about this because our preliminary work in that direction is going better than I imagined. For example, can we actually get a building to fix itself? I’m very excited about that. Other things I’m working on involve borrowing concepts from my background in biology. I've been fascinated to find out, could we borrow other technologies from this field in our area? Could we use some of these algorithms for diagnosing different health problems to assess the materials we build with? For instance, could we x-ray our buildings and say, “Oh, that’s going to be diagnosed with this condition or that”? Right now, we rely on visual inspections. Someone can go look at it, but we have many technologies we could continue to develop in that direction.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: That’s wonderful! For my last question, I’d love to hear more about your childhood. Did you always feel destined for this path? Did you have a sense of yourself and know you would take on a leadership role in this direction?

Dr. Mija Hubler: My position as a professor has evolved into a really good fit for me. This is true for two reasons. First off, growing up, I knew I enjoyed teaching. I realized this as early as elementary school when I thought, "I might want to be a preschool teacher someday." I just wanted to teach—I didn’t yet have confidence in my skills or what I wanted to teach, but I had a desire to share knowledge. Later on, after many years of experience on construction sites and working with materials firsthand, I developed a strong interest in this particular field. Being a professor allows me to combine those two passions: I get to teach and share knowledge about a topic I love. That’s how it all evolved for me.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: So, as a child in elementary school, were you inspired by anything in particular? Perhaps, you were reading books that sparked your interest?

Dr. Mija Hubler: Some kids are different, but no, I wasn't actually focused on that in elementary school. I was just dreaming about teaching someone something, whether it was art or anything else. By high school, I started to become a bit fascinated with buildings; I think it began in middle school when I started drawing pictures of them. I thought, "Oh, maybe architecture is for me—I like the look of these things." By the time I finished high school, I still wasn’t exactly sure how to combine my interest in teaching with my appreciation for buildings. I started spending a lot of summers on my parents' construction site, really getting my hands in the dirt and looking at all the materials. I think the pieces began to come together after that point. It wasn’t until after I finished my undergraduate degree that my father suggested, “You might not have considered this, but I could see you being a professor.” It just never came up before. He thought the lifestyle might fit me pretty well. Oh my goodness, what a full circle! I love all of it. (Laughs)

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Thank you so much Mija! You've provided me with plenty of material, and I truly can’t wait to see how you continue to flourish. From this point on, I’ll be following your career closely. If you’re ever in town, please invite me to any of your speaking engagements—I’d love to attend. I’ll also bring some of my academic friends along! You are truly inspiring, and I’m so proud to have had this moment with you.

Dr. Mija Hubler: Thanks, Nicole! Did you happen to see my TED-style talk that I did through my university? If you’re interested, I can send you the link.

Nicole Alicia Xavier: Yes, please send that to me! I’ll include it on the website so people can watch it as well. Once again, I appreciate you so much! Enjoy the rest of your evening.