Aidan C. de B. Daly '13 named Rhodes Scholar

Updated November 19, 2012

Cambridge, Mass. - November 18, 2012 - Aidan C. de B. Daly '13, a computer science concentrator at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is among six students at Harvard, and 32 nationally, who have been named Rhodes Scholars today.

Aidan C. de B. Daly '13, Julian B. Gewirtz '13, Allan J. Hsiao '13, Benjamin B. H. Wilcox '13, Nina M. Yancy '13, and Phillip Z. Yao '13 will all begin their studies at the University of Oxford in October 2013.

A senior in Harvard College, Daly has combined his computer science studies with a minor in molecular and cellular biology. With an interest in computational approaches to science, he has participated in research at Harvard on quantum computational chemistry. He also completed internships at New York University (in DNA computing) and the American Museum of Natural History (in population genetics).

“Not only have I had the chance to take wonderful and eye-openingclasses, but I have had the chance to take part in a large-scale research project in clean energy these past two years spanning the chemistryand computer science departments,” Daly told the Harvard Gazette.

“The U.K. is a particularly auspicious location to studybiological problems, being the site of the two largest revolutions inbiology: the Darwinian, and the DNA," he said. "I believe computational biology isthe next revolution. Oxford’s partnership with Microsoft for their 2020Science Program, among other things, reveals a similar belief and makesit a particularly attractive place to study.”

A well-rounded student, Daly has also pursued interests in iPhone app development, video production, book illustration, and athletics: he was coxswain on the varsity lightweight crew and is now co-captain of the Harvard kendo club.

"My participation and eventual leadershipof that club has been a wonderful experience, improving me physicallyand mentally,” he told the Gazette.

Daly and three of the other students selected from Harvard are neighbors in Quincy House.

"It's crazy that we all went in together and came out together," Daly told the Associated Press.

The Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes; the awards cover all costs for two or three years of study atOxford. The winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential, and physical vigor, amongother attributes.

Daly intends to pursue Oxford's 2-year master's degree through research.

To see a complete list of the 2013 Rhodes Scholars and read the winners’ bios, visit the Rhodes Scholars homepage. For full coverage, read the Harvard Gazette.