Presentation Notes

• Dr. Leal has had a non-traditional and inspiring career path

  • She is Portugese

  • Her PhD advisor was Hakan Wennerstrom, the chair of the Nobel Prize Chemistry committee!

  • Wanted to do post-doc → scientist at a cancer hospital in Oslo

    • Personal motivation too, as her mother died of cancer

  • Moved to UCSB in 2008 and took a year off for personal reasons

• Many "firsts"!

  • First PhD from her hometown: Lordelo, Portugal

  • First generation student, as her parents only finished elementary school

    • Heavily supported getting a university education

  • First woman to be hired as an assistant prof in MatSE department

• “Rise above [challenges] to help make them become more rare”

• Busted myths

  • Do not need to know what you want to do career-wise when you start your PhD

  • Do not need to graduate from the best schools

  • Do not need to do a PhD in the most prestigious program

    • Important to have flexibility in your program

  • Can go from industry → academia

    • Important to keep up with the field

  • Do not have to do post-doc immediately after to become a professor

  • A high undergrad GPA does not necessarily mean one will be a successful grad student

• "Cannot do a PhD without a LOT of work"

• Relationship with your advisor is very, very important

  • Establish a healthy dynamic as early as possible

  • Important to find a support network

  • Establish expectations between each other

  • Understand how your PhD is being sponsored

  • Take ownership of your work

Q&A Notes

• Why did you come to UIUC if no other women had been hired in 20 yrs?

  • Was not the only option!

  • #2 in the nation in materials

  • Felt confident it was best for her abilities and career

  • Willing to take a risk

• Tips for being the first grad student in a lab?

  • Go to a large national conference in your field

  • Start with posters so you can meet fellow grad students

  • Talk to peers associated with more senior researchers

    • Instead of directly contacting senior researchers which may be awkward

    • Students in prominent labs, for example

• How do you compromise between research interest and advisor fit when choosing a lab?

  • Good advisor fit is important for daily grad experience for 4-5 years

  • Projects can have flexibility

  • If your advisor is not a great fit, having support from peers in the lab can help

• How to start building a healthy relationship with your advisor?

  • Start by professionally listing how you work/perform best

  • Ask about the expected timeline- quals, prelim, first conference

  • Don’t hesitate to use powerpoint format

• Imposter syndrome

  • Never really goes away but gets better

  • Do not need to know everything perfectly

  • Nightmare of your teeth/hair falling out is indicative of having imposter syndrome!

  • Put a positive spin on it- more prep due to imposter syndrome can lead to better outcomes!