Name: Sabrine Cypher (she/her)
PhD: Inorganic Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 2023
What was your main area of research?
My dissertation was on d6 (Ir and Rh) metal complexes for CO2 functionalization. Basically using highly efficient catalysts to find additional ways to make CO2 into industrially-relevant chemicals to increase the ways that we could make a more circular industrial carbon cycle. Industry may be forced to make CO2 because some industries are difficult to decarbonize, so let's be mindful and find more ways to take that CO2 and funnel it back as a reagent.
What is your current job?
I am a PGM (Platinum Group Metals) Chemist at Electric Hydrogen in Natick, Massachusetts.
I work as an R&D chemist focusing on the catalyst layers of water electrolyzers. My primary objective is to improve efficiency of the catalysts in order to lower the amount of precious metals (Ir & Pt) needed per system. Most of my job is in the lab with regular report outs to my manager and the team I work with. I've mentored a Co-op student, managed my own program within a larger team, participated in designing programs to design the industry into a circular one, and learned all the electrochemistry while on the job.
I love that I still get to work in the lab and have a lot of freedom to experiment with ideas to tackle problems that are going to have a greater impact on the renewable energy industry.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I stumbled across it on LinkedIn actually. I reached out to someone who worked there to ask questions about the company. She passed my name along, and I got an interview.
PhD Graduate ➡️ industrial chemist
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
I participated in a grant writing session during grad school and said 'Maybe this isn't for me.' That was during my second or third year so I had a lot of time to research other options. I loved the teaching aspect, but wasn't ever sure if I'd want to run my own research lab, so it was a sad but not very difficult decision for me.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Leverage your connections. I also hate networking, but it does work. Look into what your connections from undergrad do. Look at what past members of your research group have gone off to do. Find a job that looks interesting, use Linkedin to see if you can ask someone about it. If you send a message with your connection request about how you'd like to know more about the company and their experiences, you are much more likely to get a response. Set up a coffee chat or quick Zoom chat and ask them about their job. Bring some questions.
If your school has access, Beyond the Professoriate was a remarkably useful resource for me. There are lots of great seminars and workshops on how to transition from academia to industry.
Not all grad school is about research. Find the activities that you enjoy. See if there's an intersection between them. Extracurriculars often offer a lot of skills that get overlooked (leading meetings, managing resources and people for an event, mentoring, teaching people about your work or STEM at a community event is COMMUNICATION SKILLS). Leverage it all. You are so much more than a piece of paper from a university. Own it!
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