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! [email protected]

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