Ms. Jiao graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geophysics. Shortly after graduation, she joined ExxonMobil as a geoscience technician. Her work there motivated her to pursue a graduate degree in the subject. She chose the Professional Science Masters Program at Rice University because it offers her the opportunity to study in a program with highly qualified professors in a close knit community of peers who have the same interests as her. She pursued the program on a part-time basis.