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STEM Professional Development Panel

This panel and Q&A session on professional career development for graduate students in science is aimed to answer your career questions and openly discuss career opportunities and options for graduate students interested in government, industry and academia. The panel is open to all WVU graduate students, postdocs and faculty who have questions about transitioning a PhD or MS into a career in science.

Meet the Panelists 

Chris White
Industry: Chris White, PhD
  • Founder of White Labs Inc. (Est. 1995)
  • Produces yeast cultures and fermentation products to brewing companies
  • Facilities in California, Colorado, North Carolina, Denmark and China
  • Interned at Genentech Inc., the world's first biotechnology company
  • Co-authored numerous publications and books
Vincent Castranova Government: Vincent Castranova, PhD 

  • Chief of Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
  • Coordinator of Nanotoxicology Research Program, NIOSH  (2004-2014)
  • Co-PI or co-investigator on several NIH-funded grants
  • Co-editor of four books and 165 presentations and co-authored more than 690 manuscripts

Kayde Cappellari
Legal: Kayde Cappellari, JD, MS
  • Intellectual property consultant for start-ups and business development
  • MS in biotechnology and JD from WVU 
  • Cultivated and maintained university intellectual property portfolio
  • Directly interacted with staff, faculty and students
  • Established intern programs to explore roles in intellectual property
Higher Education: Richard Thomas, PhD
Richard Thomas

  • Professor and chair, WVU Department of Biology 
  • Ecologist studying climate change for over 30 years 
  • Recipient of over $2.7 million in research funding at WVU
  • Co-authored more than 70 scientific papers