EVE – Ecology.
EVE’s sole mission was to collect data about life on Earth. She’ll likely need to work on her data analysis skills but armed with a PhD, she will be invaluable to the re-colonization of the planet. Specializing in urban ecology or sustainability, she will have a lot to contribute to establishing a healthier relationship between humans and their new ecosystems.
Ellie – Latin American Studies.
Ellie’s one dream in life was to go to Paradise Falls in South America. Based off of Iguazu Falls in Argentina, Ellie’s dream might have come true sooner if she studied Latin American Studies in graduate school. She could have done field research near the falls or at least traveled to conferences hosted in the region – and conference travel is a great way to see new parts of the world using university (or external scholarship) funding! Focusing on ecotourism or the relationship with animals across different Latin American cultures would be perfectly suited for her experience as a zookeeper!
Joy – Positive Psychology.
Eternally optimistic, Joy would want to figure out how to bring that same happiness to others. The positive psychology branch of psychology focuses on human flourishing rather than floundering, on what makes a good life worth living, with several studies on techniques for promoting feelings such as self-confidence, compassion and gratitude. Joy might even build on work by Fowler & Christakis about how contagious happiness is. I’m sure she’d be looking out for Riley too by investigating how this phenomenon holds in young adult populations. I wonder if this might even explain the popularity of boy bands.
Sadness – Social Psychology.
On the flip side of Joy, Sadness would likely study depression, dabbling a little bit in its relationship to memory formation. I would be worried about Sadness facing impostor syndrome while in graduate school but with Joy by her side and studying depression herself, I think she’s well-equipped to take on any emotions that come with the hard work required.
Cruz Ramirez – Mechanical Engineering.
Cruz is apparently quite a whippersnapper with the latest technology but she’s also mastered motivational speaking. She’ll put those smarts to work studying ways to improve engines (and other machines to train her fellow cars). Her personality will really shine through when she leads her own lab because she will likely be a very engaged mentor and well-regarded member of her department.
Mama Imelda – Musicology.
Mama Imelda always wanted to do music but repressed that part of her when Hector left her; pursuing a PhD in Musicology would allow her to fully appreciate music. While she would not be performing as much, she would be able to study music and its cultural contexts. I think she might be particularly interested in exploring several case studies of familial relationships with music in Mexican culture.
Coco – Marriage and Family Therapy.
If only Coco had earned her PhD earlier, maybe Hector could have visited his daughter on Día de los Muertos a few more times. Coco would definitely use her doctoral training to help her own family and dozens of others resolve their interpersonal conflicts. She could even specialize in Latin American therapy and would be a valuable resource in the era of family separation at the U.S. border.
Voyd – Astrophysics.
I can already see it: Violet and Voyd earning their PhDs in physics simultaneously even if they are across the country or world from one another. With the ability to create wormholes, Voyd would likely be fascinated with the next best thing: black holes. Thus, a PhD in astrophysics would give her the training on the underlying mechanisms of her own powers and she’s already got a get-up suited for space travel.
Edna Mode – Textiles.
Although most fashion designers do not have their PhDs, Edna is something else. These programs are found more outside of the U.S. but would be well-suited for her passions for materials that need to perform in extreme conditions. With her reputation, she would likely be a superstar at conferences and would no doubt be able to find a great deal of funding. She might not enjoy the longer-term projects typical of PhD research but she seems well-suited for pulling all-nighters to prepare for presentations the next day.
