Biography:
Ximena Cid is a Chicana and Indigenous American physicist, physics educator, and physics education researcher. She is also an advocate for increasing diversity and supporting minority students in STEM and physics. Currently, she serves as the chair of the physics department and is an associate professor at California State University Dominguez Hills. Ximena Cid is recognized as the first Latina student and the first Indigenous student to earn a PhD in physics from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is also likely the first Indigenous person to chair a physics department in the country.
Born in Sacramento, California, Ximena Cid is the daughter of Armando Cid and Josephine Talamantez. Growing up, her family had a strong involvement in community organizing and activism, particularly in the Chicano Movement and the American Indian Movement. Ximena and her family marched alongside labor leaders and activists such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Her father, originally from Zacatecas, Mexico, was an artist who participated in the Royal Chicano Air Force in Sacramento. Her mother, of Chicana and Yaqui descent, was a cofounder of Chicano Park in San Diego and worked within the California Arts Council. Furthermore, her maternal grandfather was a member of the Yaqui tribe.
For her undergraduate studies, Ximena Cid attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she pursued a degree in astrophysics with a focus on space physics. During her time at Berkeley, she participated in the Summer Bridge program and conducted research under the guidance of Janet Luhmann. In order to support herself financially, she played the violin in a mariachi band. In 2005, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics.
Following her undergraduate studies, Ximena Cid took a year-long break before entering graduate school. In 2006, she began her graduate studies at the Florida Institute of Technology under the mentorship of Ramón E. López. After one year, she transferred to the University of Texas, Arlington, where López had started teaching. During her time in graduate school, Ximena collaborated with cognitive science groups on campus, focusing on physics education research and visual spatial cognition. In May 2011, she submitted her graduate thesis.
Ximena Cid’s research interests include 3-D simulations to enhance the comprehension of complex systems such as gravitational fields, electric fields, and magnetic fields. Her dedication to physics education research and her efforts to increase diversity in STEM fields make her a prominent figure in the field of physics.