If one asks me if I think I've made a great decision to transition from academia to industry for continued research, I'd certainly say I don't know. This is simply because I don't have enough data to assess my judgement. I (strive to remind myself to) acknowledge that I'm inherently biased as a human being. Will there come a point where sufficient data can ever be reasonably collected to objectively assess it? I don't know.
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It has been almost 3.5 years since the last post in early 2019. Lots of things have happened. I received my PhD in Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech on Dec. 10. 2021. It is certainly one of the most memorable milestones in my life. I am currently working at a top-tier chemical company as a research engineer by leading an exciting project with great colleagues and cutting-edge technology. It is still surreal how my life has progressed since the age of early 2os.
I never thought there would come a day that when strangers, friends, and even colleagues ask me what am I studying for my PhD program I would respond with “I am studying adhesion”. Adhesion is a fascinating subject and, over time, I found myself getting more enthralled by it.
I previously thought that merely staying prolific in high-quality publications is enough to be considered an excellent engineering graduate student. Don’t get me wrong, publishing in prestigious journals is, without a doubt, challenging. However, it is not impossible. With proper knowledge, wit, perseverance and strong work ethics it is attainable.
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