Soft Condensed Matter Seminar - Dr. Daria Monaenkova

Abstract:

American Institute of Physics reports 16% decrease in the number of faculty hired for tenure track positions by Physics Departments from over 350 in 2006 to 300 in 2016. Meanwhile, NSF statistics suggests that the number of doctorate degrees awarded in Physics and Astronomy went up 48% from 1565 to 2321 for the same period of time. Among other reasons, the odds of landing a tenure track position can make industry an appealing alternative career choice for perspective graduates. But what if you are not ready to give up research? Fortunately, many companies are willing to invest in highly skilled scientists to drive their scientific endeavors. Daria Monaenkova, a former GA Tech postdoc, comes back to the School of Physics to talk about The Dow Chemical Company and her experience as new employee at Analytical Science organization. She will give an overview of the company, discuss its rich history, culture and priorities and how these priorities are reflected in Analytical Sciences R&D projects. By the way, did you know that Gel Permeation Chromatography, a technique utilized for polymer molecular weight analysis, has been invented at Dow? The presentation will conclude with Q&A session, where you will have a chance to ask about Dow hiring process, life in industry and how it is different from academia.

Bio:

Daria received her B.S./M.S. degree in Physics with specialization in fracture mechanics from Russian State Aviation Technological University in 2007 and her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Clemson University in 2012.   In 2012 she joined Professor Daniel Goldman group at the Georgia Institute of Technology as a post-doc to study the interactions of living systems with surrounding environment. She was working on the integration of biological experiments, numerical simulations and robotics to understand and improve organization of complex systems in confined spaces.  In 2016 Daria has joined Analytical Sciences team at The Dow Chemical Company as a senior engineer.  The team focus is the development and implementation of next generation of analytical techniques for materials characterization. Daria is responsible for digital imaging and image analysis and contributes to multiple projects ranging from development of carbon-fiber based composites to plant health assessment in artificial growth substrates.