So You Want to Be Employed
Dr. Peter Waller, Dow; Dr. Noelle Catarineu, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Dr. Alec Christian, Merck
Pineview 2:00 - 3:15 PM Tues March 9
Landing a job may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be if you know the process. In this workshop, three early career researchers will demystify the interview process for applying to jobs in industry or national labs. Get guidance on preparing a strong application package, engaging with recruiters, and presenting yourself positively during in-person interviews. Benefit from the firsthand experiences of scientists who have successfully launched their careers in chemistry and who now offer valuable insights from the other side of the hiring process.
careers beyond the laboratory: Program Management
Dr. Clare E. Rowland, CEO, Avantiqor
Lakeview (Zoom: https://uci.zoom.us/j/97947898754) 2:00 - 3:15 PM Tues March 9
Who sets the national agenda on research – is it the people who write the grant proposals and carry out the studies, or is it the funders who decide how to allocate the dollars that pay for that research? While scientists at the bench drive discovery and innovation, it’s the earlier decisions made by scientists in and adjacent to the federal government who steer the direction of that R&D. Learn about how policy and programmatic decisions at the federal level determine the direction of research spending in the years that follow. Speaker Clare Rowland will talk about career opportunities in scientific policy and programmatic work through the lens of her own career, including her experience as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow and as the Founder and CEO of a small business providing scientific consulting services to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
How to PUblish with Impact
Dr. Rich Kelly, Executive Editor, Chemical Communications; Dr. Michael Hurst, Content Development Editor, Royal Society of Chemistry
Pineview 2:00 - 3:15 PM Tues March 9
This presentation will give an overview of scientific publishing, covering all the information you need to know about publishing your research. As well as providing an introduction to the Royal Society of Chemistry, we will cover: how to write your paper, how the peer review system works, and the ongoing movement towards open access.
Richard Kelly carried out his undergraduate and postgraduate education at University of Liverpool, UK, obtaining his PhD studying lanthanide catalysis under Professor Helen Aspinall. He joined the Royal Society of Chemistry’s editorial staff in 2004 and became Executive Editor of the RSC’s organic chemistry journals – including Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry and Natural Product Reports – in 2010. He is now Executive Editor of ChemComm and Chem Soc Rev.
Michael Hurst completed his undergraduate studies at Black Hills State University and his PhD at University of Oregon as a founding student of the Dr. Amanda Cook Lab with a specialization in organometallic chemistry and catalysis. He joined the Royal Society of Chemistry (Americas office) as a Content Development Editor in April 2022.
Tech Entrepreneurship 101
Dr. Rita Blaik
Lakeview 3:15 - 4:30 PM Tues March 9
Interested in technology startup companies but don’t know where to start? Think you have an idea you could commercialize? This one-hour introductory workshop will blend a survey of topics related to tech business and practical insights on how you as a UC student would go about the process. Participants will explore how to ideate, validate, and commercialize innovative solutions, and we will discuss topics such as protecting your intellectual property, market analysis, product development, funding strategies, and models of forming a startup. We will also go over different ways you as students can get your feet wet in the world of startups.
Scrub Negativity Away: A Mental Health and soapmaking Workshop
Nadine Quinonez, Joshua Mayfield - UCLA RISE Center
Library (Zoom: https://ucr.zoom.us/j/93216883580) 3:15 - 4:30 PM Tues March 9
This workshop explores the idea of imposter syndrome/feelings by looking at this concept’s origins, identifying the underlying causes, exploring the ways different intersecting identities might experience these feelings differently, and introducing self-compassion as a form of resilience-building.
Composed of two parts, during the first half of this workshop we will learn what imposter syndrome/feelings are. In the later half we will host an open discussion about participants' personal experiences with imposter syndrome and possible ways to manage these negative feelings while making soap!
Career Panel
Pineview 9:00 - 10:00 AM Wed March 10
Do you struggle to answer the dreaded question about your plans after graduation? Come to the career panel to get some ideas of what career options you have. The career panel will take place on Wednesday, April 10th from 9:00-10:00 AM in the Pineview Room. This will be a guided Q&A session with professionals representing a variety of career opportunities for those in the chemical sciences. Please come prepared with your career questions and note that there will be time to interact with these individuals throughout the conference.
Dr. Michael Hurst - Royal Society of Chemistry
Michael Hurst completed his undergraduate studies at Black Hills State University and his PhD at University of Oregon as a founding student of the Dr. Amanda Cook Lab with a specialization in organometallic chemistry and catalysis. He joined the Royal Society of Chemistry (Americas office) as a Content Development Editor in April 2022.
Dr. Noelle Catarineu - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Noelle Catarineu obtained her B.S. in chemistry from New York University in 2012 and Ph.D. in chemistry in 2017 from UC Berkeley. In graduate school, she worked on metal-organic frameworks under the advisement of Prof. Omar Yaghi. She then conducted postdoctoral research on nanoparticle synthesis and electron microscopy of hydrogen storage materials at the Livermore site of Sandia National Laboratories. She moved across the street for a staff scientist position at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where she has remained for the last five years.
Prof. Andrea Carlini - UC Santa Barbara
Andrea S. Carlini completed her B.S. in Chemistry (2012) and B.S. in Biological Sciences (2012) at Virginia Tech. She continued to earn both her M.S. (2014) and Ph.D. (2018) in Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California San Diego under the guidance of Prof. Nathan C. Gianneschi. Her doctoral thesis work on “Dynamic Biosynthetic Polymers for Myocardial Tissue Engineering” was supported by an NSF GRFP Fellowship. In 2019, she joined Prof. John A. Rogers’ research group as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics (QSIB). Her research involved the development of wearable thermal flow sensors, conductive elastomers, and microfluidic devices. Andrea joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Materials in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2022.
Prof. Maxx Arguilla - UC Irvine
Maxx originates from the Philippines. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) in 2011. After a one-year junior instructor position at UPD, he moved to the US and completed his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Ohio State University with Professor Joshua Goldberger in 2017. His dissertation centered on the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties and applications of new two-dimensional solid state lattices in the bulk and at the nanoscale. He then moved to MIT as postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Mircea Dinca’s group, where he focused on the growth of one-dimensional van der Waals crystals and the evolution of their physical properties as they transform into ultrathin nanowires. In July 2020, Maxx joined the UC Irvine Department of Chemistry as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.
Dr. Rita Blaik - California NanoSystems Institute
Rita Blaik is the Director of Education for the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. She received her PhD at UCLA in Materials Science and Engineering and during her time there, was a Tech Fellow for UCLA’s Techology Development Group (TDG). At the CNSI, she oversees several educational initiatives for the institute, including a summer capstone program for senior undergraduate students on technology development and commercialization.
Dr. Peter Waller - Dow
Peter Waller received his B.A. in chemistry and mathematics from St. Olaf College in 2014, where he worked on the development of transition metal catalyzed C – H activation methods with Dipannita Kalyani. He also spent time exploring Pd-catalyzed oxidative functionalization reactions with Kami Hull at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Peter subsequently earned his Ph.D. in synthetic chemistry from the University of California-Berkeley in Omar Yaghi’s group, where his research focused on the development of protocols for the modification of covalent organic frameworks. In 2019, he joined the Synthesis group of Chemical Science in Core R&D at Dow, where he works on the development of new polymerization catalysts and methods for polymer functionalization.