Calendar of Events

Associate Director of Business Transformation at Maravai LifeSciences

"From the Bench to the Big Picture: A Chemist's Unplanned Path Through the Industry"

Official/Unofficial Bio

When I was an undergraduate chemistry major, I assumed my career would follow a fairly linear path: lab work, more lab work, and maybe, if things went well, a long-term research role. Instead, my professional life has been shaped by a series of unexpected turns, moments of discomfort, and decisions driven more by curiosity than certainty.

In this seminar, I'll trace my path from Carleton Chemistry through graduate school, postdoctoral research, and into a range of industry roles spanning medicinal chemistry, manufacturing, operations, and enterprise-level program leadership. I'll focus on the moments when I realized I was asking different questions, the skills that carried forward even as my job titles changed, and the risks involved in stepping away from a clearly defined path.

Along the way, I'll discuss what it's really like to move discoveries from the bench into regulated, real-world environments; how scientific training translates into leadership, systems thinking, and decision-making; and why mentorship and community have played a critical role in navigating change. This talk is intended for students who enjoy chemistry but may be unsure where it fits into their future, and for anyone curious about how a scientific foundation can lead to careers they may not yet know exist.

**This seminar counts towards the chemistry major seminar attendance requirement.