Beyond the Lab: Life Lessons from Organic Chemistry

A collection of opinions, topical essays, research updates, & more. 

Welcome to my blog! A few things about me: 

• I earned my Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Florida in May 2023. I worked in a synthetic organic chemistry lab developing new strategies for complex molecule synthesis.  

• If you’re not at all familiar with synthetic organic chemistry, I like to compare it to baking (one of my favorite hobbies): it’s all about combining simple ingredients (chemical reagents) in a specific order and ratio (“stoichiometry”), and then subjecting the mixture to hot or cold temperatures for a set amount of time (inducing a chemical reaction) in order to produce something new and more complex than what you started with (a new chemical compound). The most significant difference between organic synthesis in a laboratory and baking at home is that you don’t get to eat what you make in the lab (though tasting your compounds was a standard procedure back in the day)! 

• I think doing science is fun, and talking science is even better! I’m passionate about science communication—making concepts in chemistry, biology, etc. accessible to anyone and everyone.

• I am originally from a small, rural town in New Jersey, and a big part of my heart will always be there.

• I attended Wheaton College, IL for my undergraduate degree, which I credit for inspiring my multidisciplinary interests. Look out for an upcoming blog post about the value of liberal arts education! 

• Finally, I spent two wonderful years living in the greater Washington D.C. area while I completed a post-baccalaureate research training fellowship with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I could write an entire book about the value of my NIH experience, but a future blog post will have to do! 

As advertised in the subtitle, this blog is a (developing) collection of writings with distinct purposes and styles, but the common thread is that each subject is inspired in some way by my experience with organic chemistry. It is my hope that you, too, will find that there is much to appreciate beyond the lab.