Pixar Women, PhD Part 1

After categorizing Disney princesses into what they would study in graduate school, I thought I would branch out into more female Pixar characters.

Bo Peep - Animal Sciences.

Before Toy Story 4 clarified where Bo Peep had been for the two previous movies, I liked to think she was off earning her PhD in Animal Sciences (although I don't know how she would be able to manage without her support system of the rest of Andy's toys).

This shepherdess would be overly qualified to conduct research on sheep behavior and agricultural practices that can improve the lives of her baaaa-es and other ruminants.

Gypsy - Quantum Physics.

Armed with the knowledge that her moth (and other butterfly) wings are composed of nanostructures with incredible potential for new technologies, Gypsy would want to better understand the physics underlying her own biology.

Because the structures are so small that they need to be studied with electron microscopes, Gypsy would have to pursue knowledge in the realm of quantum physics.

Then, she would be able to explain how light interacts with these materials for various applications even if most people think it's just magic.

Rosie - Theater and Performance Studies.

Rosie was quite theatrical in her role as rhinoceros beetle tamer in P.T. Flea's circus. She would combine her affinity for the performing arts with her curiosity about gender studies.

With most of her life having been defined by her relationship with her husbands, Rosie would spend the years of her PhD examining how women were portrayed in various plays, musicals, and other genres.

(For the princesses of Bug's Life, check out this post)

Jessie - Conservation Biology.

Jessie would turn her passion for taking care of various critters into a career. Although she might have had a mildly traumatic experience with museum conservation, biological conservation is much more up her ally.

She'd be able to save species on the brink of extinction by collecting data on ecosystems - her focus of course would be on the deserts and mountain areas of the American West and their animal inhabitants.

Boo - Mythological and Religious Studies.

Boo's formative experience in the Monster World would shape her desire to understand why other people develop a fear of monsters when she clearly was not afraid.

This field would give her the tools to explain why people believe what they believe as well as document how societies cultivate shared beliefs.

If she really has time-traveling powers as the Pixar theory says she does, she could even do comparative analyses of medieval Scottish beliefs with ideologies of Monstropolis.

Roz - Criminal Justice.

I'm pretty sure that Roz already has her PhD in Criminal Justice, but even if she doesn't, now that she completed her mission at Monsters, Inc., she has plenty of time to go back to school.

Her dedication to finding the bad guy and maintaining secret identities is the glamorous side of studying criminological theory, public policy, statistics, and forensic science, all of which she would be trained in as a PhD student.

Dory - Cognitive Psychology.

Motivated by wanting to better understand the relationships between her own memory loss (specifically, anterograde amnesia or the inability to form new memories) and her seemingly more proficient place-based memory, Dory would pursue a PhD in Cognitive Psychology.

She would likely study various techniques to assist in coping with anterograde amnesia while using those techniques herself to become a successful academic.

She might also specialize in spatial and place-based memory and spend a few years on a project investigating the neuroscience of hippocampal place cells.

Helen Parr/Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible - Material Sciences and Engineering.

Although the origin of supers' powers in the Pixar universe is still unknown (whether it is due to genetic mutation or some sort of government experimentation), Elastigirl would want to leverage her expertise in flexibility in her PhD program.

She would research the stretchiness of various materials like hydrogels and conditions that affect this property to improve its durability and functionality in military and civilian applications.

Violet Parr - Physics.

Violet's powers are both a function of visible light, so she would study physics, and more specifically optics, to earn her doctorate.

Because invisibility requires modifying the frequency of light reflected off of objects to be in a range that is not visible to the human eye, Violet would build on the research that Edna had to have known about to develop the teen's supersuit so that the phenomenon can be more deeply understood.

While her shield generation also seems to rely upon ultraviolet light, it defies Newtonian laws of physics so she would definitely have to do a few experiments to be able to explain this ability.

Sally Carrera - Law.

Sally says that she used to be an attorney so she has earned her doctorate in law already.

Although she did not very much enjoy her legal career, she used her knowledge to help out Lightning McQueen when he got into trouble in Radiator Springs.

She could do plenty more pro-bono work for other troubled cars but also seems to be well-suited to consulting for people fighting to preserve historical landmarks and fighting against business owners who want to destroy such things to turn a profit.

Colette Tatou - Organizational Psychology.

Colette's experiences in Chef Skinner's kitchen would make her interested in improving the working conditions of several other kitchens, especially for women in the industry.

Earning her PhD in Organizational Psychology would give her the theories and tools to be a consultant to numerous restaurants to improve their productivity and employee satisfaction. Maybe Disney Parks and Resorts would even hire her!

Which Pixar PhD woman are you most like?