Testimonials

As a CMAD Fellow at Stanford, I carried out some of the most exciting research of my career. Our work addressed mysteries that had been in the literature for decades, and involved the application of cutting edge analytical physical chemistry techniques to questions at the forefront of organometallic methodology development -- disciples where cross-disciplinary collaboration may be rare. This unique collaboration captured the imaginations of other scientists as they decided who to interview for faculty positions, and, made it possible for me to get to know Professors Zare and Du Bois, who remain my roll models and mentors. I suspect this research made it possible for me to land my dream job as a faculty member at Duke.

CMAD has opened my eyes as to what other science is being done on campus, and where perhaps my skill set in organic chemistry could have an impact. I don’t think that I would be doing the research I’m doing now if I didn’t have the information and help that I got from the collaborations [that CMAD initiated].

CMAD enabled me to combine the expertise of two research groups - catalysis in the Waymouth Group and environmental engineering in the Criddle Group - to work on solving really interesting problems, namely the synthesis and characterization of biopolymers from methanotrophic bacteria. CMAD, through its regular meetings, also opened my eyes to a diverse range of research happening both in my department and elsewhere on campus. I encourage any chemistry student interested in conducting collaborative research to apply for a CMAD fellowship.

CMAD provided me the opportunity to present my research to an audience with diverse backgrounds. The varied interests of everyone involved gave me insights I would not otherwise have had, since there are so many different approaches to problem-solving within the group. CMAD also honed my presentation skills, as I was forced to present my research to people in several different fields in a comprehensible way.