Physical Chemistry
UChicago, 2021
Hello! Polina Navotnaya here. I was an international student from Uzbekistan in the Engel group in the Department of Chemistry. I graduated in June 2021 with PhD in chemistry. It took a lot of job applications to land my current position as a Process Engineer at Lam Research. I look forward to telling you all about my job application experience and answering any questions you may have. See you all on May 13!

Physical Chemistry
UChicago, 2012
Dr. Pavlo Zolotavin completed his PhD in Physical Chemistry at The University of Chicago, where he conducted pioneering research on the superconductivity in colloidal lead nanocrystals. He later joined Rice University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, focusing on the optical and electronic characterization of nanoscale devices. He then made a brief tenure as a Process Engineer at Lam Research Corp. where he worked on process development for semiconductor applications related to resist strip, selective etch, and surface modification tool families. Dr. Zolotavin then advanced to Rice University’s Neuroengineering Initiative, where he currently serves as a Research Scientist. His work involves designing, developing, and commercializing flexible neural probe technology through a startup company Nueralthread, Inc. In his current role, Dr. Zolotavin leads probe dissemination efforts to academic labs, supervises technical staff and students, and manages collaborations with academic partners to advance this technology into the clinical domain.

Material Science and Engineering
University of Delaware, 2021
Dr. Iflah Laraib received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Delaware and completed postdoctoral training at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley California, prior to entering the semiconductor manufacturing industry. She has extensive experience in research and development of materials for device applications, most recently serving as a Development Engineer at First Solar Inc. in Perrysburg Ohio. She provides engineering direction and materials expertise for improving solar modules. She also collaborates with university and start-up researchers and supports new product development from lab to high volume manufacturing (HVM). In continuation of her advocacy work for women’s equity, she now leads the global women’s networking group at First Solar and aims to improve representation and experience of women in advanced research.

More details about Dr.Iflah Laraib’s work can be found here.