WHERE TO TAKE MY CAREER - A START-UP OR AN ESTABLISHED COMPANY? - MAY 17, 2012  (3pm-4pm EDT)

Entering the workforce  is a major concern for graduate students nationwide.  Researchers reaching the end of their graduate education are confronted with fundamental questions of how best to continue their careers into technological industry.  Should one attempt to start or join a small company based upon his/her research, or should one join the ranks of a large, multinational corporation with well-established practices and partnerships?

What are the benefits of each approach to furthering a burgeoning career?  What should graduating researchers consider about their own personal goals and interests before pursuing a career in either a large company or a startup?  

Please join our panel in exploring these topics and more in the third of our ongoing series of Innovation Webinars presented by the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CSMC).

The distinguished panelists for this webinar are:

Dr. Stephen Meyers, Lead Engineer at Inpria Corporation

Stephen Meyers is an early employee of Inpria, a Corvallis, OR based start-up company focused on developing disruptive manufacturing technologies enabled by solution deposition of inexpensive and environmentally benign aqueous inks. Stephen is the architect of multiple dielectric, semiconductor, and resist materials within Inpria’s portfolio. He holds a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Oregon State University.

Dr. Alicyn Rhoades, Industrial Marketing Manager for Thermoplastic Urethanes, at Bayer MaterialScience, LLC (BMS)

Alicyn Rhoades’ responsibilities include product strategy development and implementation to optimize BMS product offerings and competitiveness. Prior to this position she was an Innovation Manager in the New Technologies/New Business group at BMS; a Research Commercialization Project Manager at the Pennsylvania Nanomaterials Commercialization Center; and, a Commercialization Leader with the University of Southern Mississippi's tech transfer organization.  She completed an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2006.

Dr. Judith Giordan, Partner in ecosVC and Senior Advisor to the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), moderates the panel.
In a career that has spanned 30 years, Dr. Giordan, the recipient of the 2010 Francis Garvin-John Olin medal of the American Chemical Society, has served in executive and leadership positions in R&D and operations at some of the world's top brands, including International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., the Pepsi-Cola Company, and the Henkel Corporation.

Click here for more information on the CSMC Innovation Webinar Series and to view videos of past webinars.