Panels

Please visit this page often to view the most up-to-date panelist information leading up to the event.

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So You Want To Be a Professor!

Finding your first academic position after earning your doctorate can be a daunting and bewildering endeavor.  To help approach this task, this distinguished panel of tenured and tenure-track professors will offer advice and proven tips that can give you an enormous head start when you’re ready to go “On the Academic Market.”  Learn first-hand:  How the selection process works, the steps in an academic interview process, how to present your credentials in the best possible manner, how a candidate can best prepare for an interview and “Job Talk”, and if you can negotiate an offer?

Featuring

Matt Anderson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Physics Department, San Diego State University
University of Oregon, Physics, 1998

Dr. Anderson earned his BS from UC San Diego and his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.  He then carried out postdoctoral work at the University of Rochester Institute Of Optics.  He started at SDSU in 2000 and received tenure in 2006. He recently returned from sabbatical in Oxford with his wife and two girls. Dr. Anderson’s research interests lie in ultrafast lasers, pulse shaping, measurement, and nonlinear optical processes.

Devon Atchison, PhD
Assistant Professor of History, Grossmont College
Boston University, History, 2007

Dr. Atchison earned her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her Ph.D. from Boston University, where she wrote her dissertation on the cultural impact of suntanning in twentieth-century America.  She has been teaching at Grossmont College since 2005 and received tenure in 2009.  Dr. Atchison’s teaches the history of Early America, Modern America, Modern Women’s America and America, 1945-present and her research interests include women’s history in America and post-1945 U.S. history.  

Colin Jamora, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego
UC San Diego, Biology, 2000

Dr. Jamora earned his Ph.D. at UC San Diego. He then carried out postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University as a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation.  Dr. Jamora is one of a handful of biologists who are actually looking at the cellular basis of the complex developmental process of organogenesis.

Joseph Nguyen, PhD
Assistant Professor, Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
University of Kansas, Chemistry, 2008

Dr. Joseph Nguyen earned his BS from Creighton University and his M.S. from Indiana University.  He earned is PhD from the University of Kansas under Professor Andy Borovik and is currently working as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Diego under Professor Seth Cohen. Dr. Nguyen’s research interests have been focused on developing functional materials and nanomaterials for various applications from drug delivery to catalysis.

Before starting his doctoral work, Dr. Nguyen taught high school chemistry and physics. It was then where he realized that he wanted to teach chemistry at the undergraduate level with aspirations to improve the quality of K-12 science education. He will be starting a tenure-track position at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, IA this upcoming fall. Mount Mercy provides a vibrant teaching and learning baccalaureate focused environment.

Moderator: Craig Schmidt, MA, Associate Director, Career Services Center, UC San Diego

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Careers Beyond Academia in the Sciences & Engineering

Proven leaders within their industries, this panel has what it takes to not only transition but excel in careers beyond academia.  Learn about the often overlooked strategies, experiences, and sought-after skills needed within industry to help you make a successful and affirmative choice of a career outside of academia.

Featuring

Kaushik Chakraborty, PhD
Senior Systems Engineer, Qualcomm, Inc.
Electrical & Computer engineering, University of Maryland

Dr. Chakraborty received his B. Tech. degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and his M. S. and Ph. D. degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park.  He was a postdoctoral research scholar at Cal-IT2, UCSD.  Since 2008, Kaushik has worked as a Senior Systems Engineer at Qualcomm Incorporated, San Diego.  He has finally broken away from the cozy confines of academia and is currently treading the crests and troughs of the corporate world.  Kaushik’s research interests are in communication, signal processing and information theory, with applications in mobile and broadband wireless networks.

At present, Kaushik is enjoying his work, as well as the sunny weather of San Diego. He is also spending quality time with his wife and son.

Amy K. Butler, Ph D
VP, Global Head of Customer Care, Life Technologies
Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Butler currently leads the Global Customer Care organization at Life Technologies, including both Customer Service and Technical Support functions.  Life Technologies is a global biotechnology tools company with historical sales of approximately $3.5 billion and which employs 9,500 people worldwide.  Prior to her current role, she led the Gene Expression Profiling Business, with global P&L responsibilities.  Dr. Butler joined Invitrogen, now Life Technologies, in 2004. 

Prior to joining Invitrogen, Dr. Butler was an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Co. in New York.  During her three years with McKinsey, she served primarily large pharmaceutical companies on strategic issues in the areas of Research and Development, Sales, and Marketing. 

Prior to joining McKinsey & Co., Dr. Butler was a developmental neuroscientist in the Systems Neuroscience division of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.  Dr. Butler obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Neuroscience.

Amy Yang, PhD
Principal Scientist, Pfizer
Biomedical Sciences, UC San Diego, 2004

Dr. Yang earned her B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UCSD. She carried out postdoctoral research with the Drug Safety R&D group of Pfizer, with a focus on identification of drug-induced kidney injury biomarkers. She then joined Iconix Biosciences (later acquired by Entelos), a company that specialized in toxicogenomics data analysis and interpretation. She returned to the same group in Pfizer in 2008 and obtained board certification in toxicology in 2009. Today she participates in drug discovery project teams as a toxicology representative, and continues her investigative toxicology and pathology research that helps make our medicines safer.

Donna Shaw, PhD
Assistant Director, Life Science Licensing, UC San Diego
Microbiology/Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Medical Center

Dr. Shaw has had substantial experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has held positions in large pharma, mid-sized and start-up companies. Prior to joining TTO, Dr. Shaw held the position of Director of Business Development for Attenuon, LLC, a pharmaceutical start-up located in Sorrento Valley focusing on discovery and development of new antiangiogenic agents for oncology. Prior to that, she was the Director of Business Development at IDEC Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for the creation and implementation of a new, in-house contract manufacturing business, a promotional marketing campaign, and developing potential out-sourcing clients.

In large pharma, Dr. Shaw spent 15 years at Abbott Laboratories, a $3 billion global diversified health care company.  At Abbott, she held the position of Director, Technology Assessment, Corporate Licensing and Strategic Planning, and was primarily responsible for the assessment, acquisition, and licensing of pharmaceutical and health care technology opportunities. She was an active participant in Technology Transfer Conferences and also was on the board of TTC. Dr. Shaw also held positions in the Pharmaceutical Products Division including Research Information Scientist, Operations Manager for the Thrombolytic Venture, and Senior Project Manager, Research Management and Development where she was responsible for the planning, prioritizing and managing the development of new pharmaceutical products for world wide marketing. Some of the ethical pharmaceutical products that Dr. Shaw had responsibility for include Hytrin®, Cefmenoxime, Abbokinase®, Depakote®, Calcijex®, Zemplar®, and Lupron®.

Moderator:Robert S. Balderas, MBA
Vice President, Biological Sciences
Becton Dickinson (BD) Biosciences

Appointed in 2004, Robert Balderas holds a dual role of Vice President of Research and Development and Biological Sciences for BD Biosciences – Cell Analysis, a unit of BD Biosciences located in both San Diego and San Jose, CA. With more than 30 years of leadership experience in both academia and the biotechnology industry, he is responsible for developing and driving the Research Reagent Development Programs in San Diego.

As a corporate scientist, site manager, collaboration builder and marketer in the field of biotechnology, he has contributed to the growth of BD Biosciences and Pharmingen, a biomedical research reagent maker acquired by BD in 1997. Mr. Balderas has been recognized for his success in initiating and growing product development in the fields in immunology, cell biology and stem cell biology. He has also championed multiple successful key product launches. Additionally, Mr. Balderas has led several industrial/academic initiatives with Dyax, CANVAC, Roche and the NCI.

Mr. Balderas holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from San Diego State University.  He also received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of San Diego.

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Careers Beyond Academia for Humanities & Social Science Ph.D.s

What’s it like working outside academe? How should you prepare? What skills and experiences are sought?  Learn from this group of successful humanities and social science Ph.D.s that successfully crossed over to the other side, and who are dedicated to helping others cross the divide.

Featuring

Terri Sowell, PhD
Director of Exhibitions and Collections, Oceanside Museum of Art
Indiana University, Art History, 1999

Dr. Sowell earned her B.A. from UC San Diego and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History from Indiana University, Bloomington. After beginning her career at The Brooklyn Museum, Dr. Sowell returned to San Diego and is currently the Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Oceanside Museum of Art. She is also a Lecturer at UCSD teaching courses on African and Oceanic Art History, as well as Ritual and Curatorial Studies.

Wendy Ark, PhD
Principal, Ark Consulting
UC San Diego, Cognitive Science, 2005

Wendy Ark is a User Experience Innovator and Cognitive Scientist with over 14 years of expertise in the technology industry.  She specializes in the creation and implementation of first-of-a-kind, strategic programs to help clients stay on the leading-edge by integrating research-based emerging technologies with end-user needs. She has led research programs in areas of virtual worlds for corporate businesses, human-computer interaction (including collaborative work, social computing and affective computing), and data mining and analytics, and cognitive neuroscience. Her diverse background includes work at IBM Research where she invented the Emotion Mouse, University of California San Diego where she created a world-wide, multi-disciplinary research program for children with cerebral palsy, and NASA Langley Research Center where she programmed simulations for satellite missions and the International Space Station.

Dr. Ark received her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Cognitive Science from UCSD.  She received a B.S. degree in Computer Science with a concentration in mathematics from the University of Delaware.  She is the author, guest editor, and inventor of dozens of publications and patents. Her work has been featured in hundreds of national and international TV programs and news publications including The New York Times, NBC, FOX, and CNN.

John D. Cambon, PhD
Principal, Regent Partners, LLC
UC San Diego, Economics

Mr. Cambon has over thirty years of experience in the management and financing of early stage companies, corporate planning, and investment management. Regent Partners, LLC is a private financial group that provides financial services and bridge financing to emerging growth companies. Prior to Regent Partners, Mr. Cambon was a partner at Commercial Bridge Capital, LLC, a bridge lending fund. Mr. Cambon has served as CEO and Director of Genetic BioSystems, Inc.; President and Director of AMBIS, Inc.; and CEO and Director of Digivision, Inc. Mr. Cambon is former President of the UCSD Alumni Association, and is Vice Chair of the UCSD Foundation Board and a member of the Investment Committee.  In addition, Mr. Cambon served as a consultant to the Investment Advisory Committee to the Regents of the University of California. He is also a member of the San Diego Foundation Board of Governors and Chairman of the Investment Committee.  Mr. Cambon holds a BA in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.

Mark Johnson, PhD
Writer and Photographer, Ironsting Communications
Boston University, English, 1995

After working as a writer and photographer for companies and publications including VeloNews, Adventure Cycling, Microsoft, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the San Diego Reader in the late 1980s and early 1990s, one of Mark Johnson’s writing contracts became a full-time writing and research post. During his 10 years doing human factors and usability research in the hightech industry, Mark continued to freelance as a commercial photographer and writer for businesses and cycling and general interest publications. Today, Mark’s professional experience studying how humans perceive process and respond helps him make influential photos and stories. Visit Sellout: a resource for humanities Ph.D.s looking beyond academe.

Edwina Welch, EdD
Director, Cross-Cultural Center, UC San Diego
UC San Diego, Education, 2001

Dr Welch has served as the Director of the UC San Diego Cross-Cultural Center since spring of 1996.  In this capacity she works with students, staff and faculty on issues of social justice, diversity, and campus climate for UC San Diego and the surrounding San Diego community.  Prior to coming to UCSD Dr. Welch worked for the University of Oregon as the Director of the ASUO Women's Center.  She also worked in Multicultural Recruitment and Academic Advising for the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Admissions Office at U of O.  Edwina received her BA in Communication Studies and Business Administration from California State University Sacramento, a Master’s of Science in Higher Education Administration from the University of Oregon, and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Joint Doctoral Program between UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and California State University San Marcos.  Her specialty work areas include social justice and diversity, organizational capacity building, and small group communication.

Moderator: Andy Ceperley, M.A., Director, Career Services Center, UC San Diego

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Making the Most of Your Postdoc!

A postdoctoral stay can enhance your career in many ways.  Based on their experiences, active postdoctoral scholars report what options in and beyond academia present themselves following their postdoctoral experience.

Featuring

Scott Westenberger, PhD
Field Applications Scientist, Illumnia
UC Los Angeles, Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, 2006

Dr. Westenberger earned his B.S. from University of Texas, Austin in Evolutionary Biology and his Ph.D. from UCLA in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics. He was a postdoctoral research scientist at Elizabeth Winzeler’s lab at The Scripps Research Institute for three years studying malaria gene expression and genomic analysis using microarrays and next-gen sequencing. Dr. Westenberger has recently transitioned from academia to an industry job as a Field Applications Scientist at Illumina supporting their Genome Analyzer and HiSeq2000 Sequencers in the San Diego Region.

Dr. Westenberger also held the position of President of the Scripps Research Society of Fellows (SOF) from 2008-2009. In this role, Scott focused on expanding the institute's career-related offerings—such as seminars, symposia, and internships—in conjunction with the Scripps Research Office of Career and Postdoctoral Services.

Robina Shaheen, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow, UC San Diego
University of Heidelberg, Germany,Chemistry, 2005

Dr. Shaheen earned M. Sc from Univ. of Geneva in Switzerland in Environmental Chemistry.  She was awarded Max Planck fellowship to work in the division of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics and she earned her Ph.D (2005) in Chemistry from Univ. of Heidelberg Germany.  She joined UCSD as a postdoctoral fellow in 2006 to study heterogeneous chemistry at aerosol surfaces and its implication to understand long range transport of pollutants. Her broader research interest include, Climate Change and Sustainable ecosystem, Biosphere-Atmosphere interaction. Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange: Estimation of biological productivity on earth using oxygen triple isotope of carbon dioxide. 

She has a very diverse educational background along with an international working experience (International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria), and this demonstrates her flexibility and willingness to embark on new challenges, and to apply her expertise in various discipline to succeed.

Alex Simpkins, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego
UC San Diego, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering , 2009

Dr. Simpkins earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (and one of his BS degrees in Psychology).  Afterwards, he expanded upon his graduate research at UCSD in the Cognitive Science Department as a Post Doctoral Fellow, then began working with the University of Washington as a Research Associate part time, which has currently become full time. 

He conducts interdisciplinary research with diverse research groups, noting that many fields have answers to (or tools to help answer) questions asked in other fields (which rarely communicate).  His research ranges from developing models of active exploration (based on behavioral data acquired with motion capture) using stochastic optimal control to developing bio-mimetic modular robots for studies of manipulation and locomotion in biological systems. 

Dr. Simpkins also encourages students and Post-Docs to lead a balanced life, as well as to contribute to society using their skills in many ways.  In addition to his academic work, he teaches martial arts, works with a publishing company, and creates artistic works.

Saswata Talukdar, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow, Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, UC San Diego
University of West Virginia,  Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, 2006

Dr. Talukdar’s graduate research focused on determining mechanisms by which bile acids modulate the synthetic liver X receptor (LXR) agonist T0-901317-induced expression of lipogenic genes.  The therapeutic utility of LXR agonists in treating atherosclerosis is limited by an undesired accumulation of triglycerides in the blood and liver. I showed that the primary bile acid, CDCA, antagonizes the stimulatory effect of the synthetic LXR agonist, T0-901317, on the expression of ACCα and other lipogenic enzymes in primary hepatocytes. 

Dr. Talukdar’s current research focuses on inflammation and insulin resistance and the mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids ameliorate insulin resistance. 

Moderator: Hady Felfly, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow, School of Medicine, UC San Diego
University of Montreal, Molecular Biology, 2008

After a BSc. in medical laboratory sciences from the Lebanese University, Dr Felfly earned his Master’s degree in microbiology and molecular biology at the Lebanese American University (LAU) in Lebanon (2002). He was then awarded the excellence fellowship of the francophone program from the government of Canada to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Montreal, where he earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 2008. He then joined UCSD as a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Medicine.

Dr Felfly main areas of interest revolve around stem cells and regenerative medicine, where he has successfully developed new therapeutic strategies for multiple diseases. He is currently the Chair of the UCSD Postdoctoral Association (PDA) where he has developed multiple seminar series and networking events. He is also member of the San Diego Postdoc Network and the National Postdoc Association, where he is involved in various career-development planning of local nationwide impact.  Dr Felfly is multilingual, has broad expertise, and ability to multitask and adapt his knowledge and experience to any area of interest.

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International PhD Students Who Transitioned to Industry!

Many international student researchers at UC San Diego possess the unique skills and abilities sought after  by many industrial employers in the United States, but the search for jobs and internships can present many challenges.  So the Ph.D. Conference Committee is pleased to announce the opportunity during this year’s conference for current international Ph.D. students to connect with and ask questions of international students who have successfully transition into positions with local companies.

Featuring

Pei Xiang, PhD

Audio Research Engineer, Qualcomm, Inc.
Computer Music, UC San Diego, 2007

Dr. Xiang earned his BS in Electronic Engineering from Tsinghua Univ. (China) and his MA / PhD in Computer Music from UC San Diego. During his study in UCSD, he joined Qualcomm’s multimedia group in 2005, developing audio algorithms for embedded systems and conducting audio/acoustics research.  Dr. Xiang’s research interests lie in sound spatialization, game audio, frequency enhancement and psychoacoustics. He also enjoys life as an independent composer, writing experimental music and scoring animation soundtracks with friends from UCLA and USC film department.

Aditi Chawla, PhD
Scientist  & Content Development, Pathway Genomics, Corp.
Biology, UC San Diego, 2008

Dr. Chawla earned her bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in India, and her Ph.D. in Biology from UC San Diego (UCSD).  After graduating from UCSD she worked as a Patent Analyst for Cardinal Intellectual Property where she was involved in figuring out issues of novelty and patentability in biotechnology patents. Currently she works as a Scientist at Pathway Genomics, where her role involves scientific curation and content development around genetic markers associated with various human diseases.  In her spare time she enjoys volunteering in the community and teaching the educational programs of the Art of Living Foundation.

Yavuz Tokgoz, PhD
Staff Engineer, Qualcomm, Inc.
Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC San Diego, 2005

Yavuz Tokgoz received his B.S. from Bilkent University, Turkey, in 1998. Subsequently, he was extended a Center for Wireless Communications fellowship at UC San Diego, where he earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 2000 and 2005. His research focus was on routing methods used in ad hoc networks and mesh topologies. Following graduation, he spent two years at a startup named Clearmesh Networks that developed mesh networks over free-space optical links. At Clearmesh, he had a chance to contribute to the company’s solution at both system and embedded software levels. In 2007, he joined Nextwave Wireless to develop WiMAX base and subscriber station software. After another two years at Nextwave, he moved to Qualcomm where he currently works as an embedded software engineer in QCT’s Multimedia team, focusing on video encoders and decoders.

Nandan Das, MS
Systems Engineer, Commercial Broadband Division, ViaSat Inc.
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Stanford University

Nandan has an undergraduate degree from Harvey Mudd College,  and a Masters (EE) from Stanford University.  After graduating from Stanford, Nandan fulfilled his burning desire for "80-hour work weeks" by working in a couple of startups. For the last 8 years he has been working at ViaSat Inc in Carlsbad, CA on Ka-band satellite systems straddling physical and MAC layers, and various aspects of hardware design. In addition to his engineering responsibilities at ViaSat, Nandan is active in the promoting and improving the relations between ViaSat and various universities through recruiting and other college relationship development. He has taught senior level design classes at UCSD, published in peer reviewed academic literature, filed several US & International Patents, and has delivered invited talks at various universities.  In his spare time, Nandan enjoys hiking, skiing, visiting National Parks, playing board games and also serves on the board of a local non-profit organization.  He lives in San Diego with his wife and cat.

Moderator: Kathy Self, MA, Advisor, Career Services Center, UC San Diego

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Personal Branding: Online Networking Tips for PhD Students

Presented by Markell Steele, M.S., Career Counselor (UCLA), Founder Futures in Motion, Inc.

Upon the completion of this seminar offering, you will learn how to improve your communication skills for social and professional situations, gain effective interviewing tips and strategies, discover how to successfully network to create and maintain beneficial networking relationships, all while maintaining your authenticity and individuality.

Markell works with clients in her private practice, Futures in Motion, Inc. and on-campus as Counseling Manager, Graduate Student Services at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In her role as career counselor, Markell guides her clients in discovering career options that integrate their interests, skills, and passions. She also works with clients through the job search process by helping them find employment and internship opportunities, create resumes and curriculum vitae, prepare for interviewing and networking activities, and salary negotiation. Markell received her Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of San Diego, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (Go Gauchos!). She is an active board member of UCSB Alumni Association. Markell loves rock music, is a New England Patriots fan and a foodie.

Visit the Futures in Motion, Inc. website to learn more about how Markell helps people find careers they love futures-in-motion.com.