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
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
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
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
- 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