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Topics:
Where are you from?
Tehran, Iran
What company/institution do you work for?
University of Southern California
Where did you complete/are you completing your chemical engineering education?
University of Southern California
How many years have you been a member of AIChE?
Five
Describe a recent challenge you managed, notable achievement, or obstacle you overcame at your job or in your work as an AIChE member.
I recently received the Viterbi Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award, which recognizes outstanding Viterbi School of Engineering Ph.D. students who have been actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. Throughout my PhD studies, I mentored several undergraduate students interested in research projects besides their classes. I truly enjoyed guiding them throughout the course of starting from an idea to designing experiments, troubleshooting, analyzing data and presenting the results in the form of papers and conference presentations.
What do you do to meet people in your field?
For me the most effective platform to meet people in my field is attending conferences such as AIChE Annual Meetings. I also use LinkedIn to keep in touch with my network. Also, as a member of AIChE YPC, I have expanded my network and have gotten to know many more chemical engineers.
Fill in the blanks: there are chemical engineers who _____ and who ______.
Those who enjoy watching The Big Bang Theory and those who don't!
If your first and last initials stood for something other than your name, what would that be?
62nd chemical element in the period table: Sm - Samarium (I am actually working on using this element to build a red emitting solid-state laser)
If your college had offered a class on real-life skills for the aspiring ChE, what would you want them to teach?
Effective negotiation
If you weren’t a ChE what would you most want to be?
Interior designer & decorator
What don’t most people know about you?
I enjoy babysitting!
How many ChEs does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One
Do you have any advice for current or future young professionals reading ChEnected?
Get involved in activities outside the classroom and build on your soft skills. AIChE student chapters and Young Professionals Committee (YPC) are great for getting involved in event planning, networking, and having fun!!
You can contact Simin through her LinkedIn profile.