PhDizzle

Dr. Thanh Lu received her PhD in economics at Temple University, and is currently completing a postdoc in health economics at Cornell Medicine. Thanh pursued a PhD because she loved teaching (then stopped loving teaching, but now loves it again...), and is hoping to find a home where she can balance both teaching and research. Thanh also wins the award for most interesting PhD research ever...studying the "munchies" (well, sort of)! When she's not deep in research, Thanh brings the same intensity to cooking and gardening. Hear about Thanh's career journey and all the interesting chapters of her PhD thesis!

Dr. Shawn Hakim got his PhD in cancer and molecular medicine from the Virginia Commonwealth University, through a world class, innovative translational program. He landed himself a spot at GSK after school, working in oncology trials (his dream job!). Although he had complete multiple academic programs, Shawn's ultimate goal was to join industry and help advance medicine for patients that need it most. When he's not saving lives, Shawn enjoys sports, the outdoors, and traveling. Hear about his crazy career journey and sports championship, plus his dream vacation spot, in this month's episode of PhDizzle!

Dr. Ilya Captain got his PhD in Chemistry from UCLA. After doing a postdoc, he realized academia wasn't the right career path, and instead went into sales! He started off on the technical sales side before transitioning over into account management, meaning he now owns a quota! When he's not selling, Ilya enjoys water sports and board games. Hear us chat about life in sales, snow in Sacramento, and the best camera lighting for Zoom calls on this month's episode! If you're a graduate student interested in learning more about technical sales, feel free to reach out to Ilya for a chat! ilya.captain1@gmail.com

Dr. David Schweitzer got his BS in Labor Studies and Employment Relations from Penn State University, MS in Organizational Management from Misericordia University, and his PhD in Human Development from Marywood University. David actually had no idea what he wanted to do after college, and eventually found his way into student affairs, and volunteered to do a PhD while **working full time**! After graduating, he's stayed in student affairs as Director of Student Conduct at Lycoming College. Now that he's finally done pulling 80 hour weeks, Dave gets to spend more time running, chopping wood (really), and hanging out with his dog Summer! Join us in this month's episode to hear David's story and find out what his favorite Penn State Creamery ice cream flavor is!

Dr. Tonke de Jong (pronounced "toonka duh yong") is from The Netherlands but has made her way to the beautiful coast of Spain! She got her PhD in biomechanical engineering from TU Delft, and continues her work in a clinical setting in her part-time post-doc. She is also a founder of her own platform for PhD students, called Dr. Tonke! Tonke's love for traveling and passion for helping other PhD students are combined at Dr. Tonke, where she offers PhD prep courses / materials as well as writing workshops where students can get to know each other and bunker down on their thesis! Outside of her busy work life, Tonke loves going out with friends, great food, and spending time with her lovely little Dutch dog. Hear more about Tonke's career journey and life in Spain in this month's episode of PhDizzle!

Dr. Xiaokun Wang got her BS in Chemistry from Peking University in China, and went on to complete her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from a joint program between Georgia Tech, Emory, and Peking Universities. This allowed her to conduct collaborative research across two different continents, and built her expertise in biomaterials. After spending additional time at Johns Hopkins on the research side, Xiaokun made the leap to industry, and is currently CTO of a stealth startup at the intersection of biomaterials and -- wait for it -- fashion! Hear about Xiaokun's amazing career journey, as well as her real talk about Covid and motherhood. Plus, cats! All in this month's episode of PhDizzle!

Dr. Kayleigh O'Keeffe didn't start out wanting to get her PhD...or even knowing that she wanted to study biology! She took a bunch of different classes in college, and finally it clicked for her. Over the years, Kayleigh has studied plants, animals, and people (indirectly). It all comes back to her love of science. Kayleigh believes anyone can be a scientist. She's also super fun out of the lab, involved in storytelling and mentoring, and teaching science to her cat (maybe)! Join us for Kayleigh's story this month on PhDizzle! Cool storytelling platforms to check out: monti.org firstpersonarts.org storycollider.org

Dr. Shivon Robinson received her BA in Psychology and Biology from Williams College, got her PhD in Neuroscience from UPenn, and is currently a professor back at Williams College! Hear her amazing academic saga and how she came to be full circle back at her undergraduate alma mater. Shivon also shares her tips on building balance, and shows off some beautiful embroidery. Plus, violin vs viola and the intersection of music and science! Music by Gardner Chamber Orchestra, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, K. 364

Dr. Sumun Khetpal received her Bachelor's degree in Biology and Healthcare Management and Policy in a dual degree program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School, and her MD from Yale University. During that time, she also cofounded Ride Health, a company that decreases transportation barriers for patients. Sumun is now a plastic surgery resident at UCLA. She's also a cofounder of Theia, a nonprofit platform to empower women entrepreneurs in healthcare. Join us as we discuss her career path, plastic surgery, and her favorite things about the different regions in the US where she's lived! Note: This is our first audio-only episode! But not to fear, we are still committed to making both video and audio versions of our interviews available moving forward. To learn more about Sumun and her endeavors, check out the following: Theia: https://theiahc.org/Ride Health: https://www.ridehealth.com/Sumun's Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/sumunkhetpalmd

Dr. Shirae Leslie-Udofa got her Master's in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech / Emory, and her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University. She's worked at a few startups, including one that was acquired by Merck, so knows her way around the biotech industry! And now she's found herself on the other side of biotech after joining management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. While she's built her career, Shirae has also been growing her family! She recently welcomed a little girl! Hear us talk shop about R&D and the transition from academia to industry (and bench to business), and Shirae's great perspective on being a working mom and finding balance between her family and career. Plus, fun stuff and a very awesome foundation that Shirae started that helps children in the Caribbean. Shirae, you are my shining star! Learn more and donate to Azarae to help kids in the Caribbean: www.azaraefoundation.org Music: A Splendid Time by www.hooksounds.com

Dr. Carolina Amador got her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southern California. After spending years at the bench, she made the leap to the business side, working in business intelligence at pharma company Amgen. Carolina takes a "competitive intelligence" approach to life by networking and always keeping on top of what's going on in healthcare and life sciences! She's passionate about gender parity and helping female founders. Carolina also runs a podcast called Beyond Scientist with her friend and fellow coworker that profiles different careers in healthcare. But this leading lady is not just a work-a-holic (well, maybe just a little...) - she's also a super fan of the SPICE GIRLS, and enjoys cooking and other DIY projects around the house. Learn more about Carolina's career journey and hear about the best concert ever in this month's episode! Check out Carolina's podcast: Beyond Scientist at https://www.beyondscientist.com/episodes

Dr. Daisy Shu is an optometrist, and does research in ophthalmology (what's the difference? watch the video to find out!). She's trekked all the way from Australia to Boston, where she is a post-doc at Harvard. Daisy's obsessed with the EYES! And interestingly enough, many biological pathways in the eyes also affect other areas of the body. You might think Daisy looks familiar...maybe you've seen her on Twitter or Instagram? Daisy touts the importance of self promotion, and has built up her social media following over the years. When she's not pipetting or posting pics, she's crocheting! Now that Covid is almost over, what will she do with so many pillow decorations!? All this and more in this month's video! FUN EYE FACTS, courtesy of Daisy: The lens has the oldest cells in your entire body and it keeps on growing, adding more and more cells even in adulthood. Because the lens is encased in a lens capsule, the contents inside the lens never gets exposed to the rest of the body and so there are unique cases where someone may get an injury, piercing the lens capsule and then all the contents inside the lens escapes and the body can actually mount an immune response as it perceives it as "foreign". Follow Daisy on Instagram and/or Twitter @eyedaisyshu www.daisyshu.com

Dr. Promit Ray has a PhD in Computational Chemistry from the University of Bonn, and is currently a data engineer at Heartbeat Labs in Berlin, Germany! Promit wasn't actually targeting industry (or a data career for that matter) when entering graduate school. He actually transitioned from bachelor's/ master's experience in experimental chemistry to theoretical chemistry for his PhD, during which an internship at BASF convinced him of the merits of industry. His first full time role in industry was actually in business intelligence, and moved into data engineering soon after. Promit is an amazing example of how one can transform his passions into reality, even as they change over time! And Promit isn't just active at work, but has so many interests outside of work as well! He's interested in science communication, enjoys helping grads transition to industry (https://www.freethephd.com), volunteer caretaker/ mentor of both young (https://feaindia.org) and old (https://humanistisch.de/dongbanja), a music fan, and passionate about chess! Join us as we break down academia, industry, and life in this month's episode! Check out the multi-author scicomm platform co-founded by Promit, Amicable Scientists! https://amicablescientists.org/ - they always welcome contributions and would love to hear from you! :)

Dr. Marissa Rice got her PhD in Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience from Cornell after always wanting to be a biologist since she was a wee little one! From animal mating to spatial design, Marissa is master of her research and always up for learning more. She is currently thinking about spaces influence behavior, and how to apply fundamental principles from nature to wily humankind. In her spare time, Marissa has done stand up comedy, freestyle rapping, and trivia hosting. This year, she's achieving her "be prolific" goal by releasing 20 original songs! On top of all this, Marissa cares deeply about mental health in academia (and for everyone!), and wants to make sure she can continue working with underprivileged students throughout her career. PhDizzle presents: Dr. Marissa Rice, biologist and academic angel! Check out Marissa's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-536795382​ Music Credit: Ice Cream by Prod. Riddiman

Dr. Mel Li received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech, went on to do a postdoc at the University of Washington, and then transitioned into the wonderful world of gaming! She's found a rad way to make her hobby a career, as a game designer. When she's not building virtual worlds, Mel builds ornate physical objects in her apartment. She's able to fully articulate the importance of a microfluidic diagnostic device for developing countries in one sentence, and just as quickly describe the many intersecting pieces of gameplay (and managing storylines, coding, working with other designers etc) in the next sentence! What will the amazing Mel conquer next!? Tune in to hear her story and the amazing things she is working on! To check out Mel's cool projects, check out the below and follow her on Twitter @ smelissali 1. Probably the largest prop to date: https://twitter.com/smelissali/status/1290712747827593216?s=20 2. Holiday ornaments: https://twitter.com/smelissali/status/1329480810307600384?s=20 3. A past decade since grad school of some costumes https://twitter.com/smelissali/status/1212062010566799361?s=20 Music: Fuzzball Parade by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5044-fuzzball-parade License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Dr. Amielle Moreno earned her PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University, and is currently a science communicator and host of the Miss Behavior Journal Club. Amielle has a fascinating journey to and around science, ranging all the way from comedy to female mice to her own mother! Her PhD research helped to better understand the amazing cognitive abilities of new mothers, and how they may be hormone-related. Looks like babies are better for the brain than we thought! Hear more about Amielle's research, comedic journey, and her piece of advice for anyone looking to pursue a PhD. For more info on the Miss Behavior Journal Club or to follow Amielle, check out the following: The Miss Behavior Journal Club covers various topics in neuroscience, presenting fresh new papers and focusing on one feature article per show. by the A New Low Podcast Network. Website: https://anewlow.co/miss-behavior-journal-club/ Twitter: @MissBehaviorJC Amielle's Twitter: @CurlsPhD

Dr. Roo Vandegrift got his BS in Biology from Virginia Tech, and his PhD in Ecology (Mycology -- the study of fungi) from the University of Oregon. He's currently continuing his research with a postdoc at U of O, while also producing a documentary on the harmful effects of mining in Ecuador, called "Marrow of the Mountain." Roo has found a way to interweave his passion for biology and art together through this film, as well as other fun artistic endeavors! But Roo didn't always want to be the world expert on symbiotic fungi -- his story started in a poor Appalachian family. Hear about what inspired him to pursue a PhD, and the amazing work he is doing in rainforest conservation with his new project. Music credit: "Organ Donor" by Purple Plant Music, https://www.purple-planet.com For more information about "Marrow of the Mountain" (including how to donate/contribute and for the very awesome trailer), check out www.marrowofthemountain.com Donations can also be made through Eclectic Reel (a 501c nonprofit), which are tax deductible

Dr. Sarah McAnulty got her BS in Marine Science from Boston University, and her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut. Sarah loves animals, but is particularly fond of squid in particular. She's also the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Skype A Scientist, which connects scientists with classrooms (and other groups). Join us as we discuss her scientific journey (from bats to squid!), the amazing inner workings and unknowns of the squid, the origins and impact of Skype of Scientist, and some weird and crazy bugs! Skype A Scientist is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit that relies on donors like you to keep science alive! You can support the organization via Patreon or Paypal: www.patreon.com/skypeascientist www.paypal.me/skypeascientist For more squid love and other great #scicomm, follow Sarah on Twitter and/or Instagram @SarahMackAttack! Music: "Whiskey on the Mississippi" by Kevin MacLeon (www.incompetech.com)

Dr. Karan Jani received his BS in Physics and Astrophysics from Penn State University, and his PhD in Astrophysics from Georgia Tech. His scientific journey has taken him all over the world, meeting the greats like Stephen Hawking, as well as important politicians such as Narendra Modi. Karan studies black holes, using a combination of theoretical frameworks as well as HUGE physical experiments. Join us as Karan explains space-time, gravitational waves, Indian classical music (more complex than you think!), and his philosophy on education. Hey Elon Musk, if you're listening, Karan wants to meet with you! For the full experience, check out our video interview at: https://youtu.be/8BUSyDn9D_U Music: "Vadodora Chill Mix" by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)

Dr. Kris Marsh got her BS in Sociology from San Diego State University, PhD in Sociology and Demography from University of Southern California, and did a Postdoc at UNC Chapel Hill before becoming a professor of Sociology at University of Maryland! She's also currently working on her new book -- The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class. We chat about the importance of having academic support, racism and unbridled institutional power in today's world, and her favorite activity of swimming! Oh, also a retired pimp named Texas. Kris has an amazing personality and is passionate about paying it forward for future scholars. Tune in to hear more! For the full experience and for other PhDizzle content, check out the video interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/DELIaH-Ucag Hit us up on Instagram and/or Twitter @ PhDizzleTime Music: "Funk This Up" by Nazar Rybak, www.hooksounds.com