Research, Curation, and Education in Museums
Monday, July 28th, 5:30 – 6:30 PM CST
(Virtual)
Are you a STEM PhD passionate about sharing knowledge and shaping public understanding of science, technology, history, or culture?
Join myCHOICE for a panel discussion with professionals working across research, curation, education, and data strategy in museums and cultural institutions. Panelists will share how they’ve built meaningful careers connecting their academic training to public engagement, from leading postdoctoral research and developing exhibits to managing educational programs and advancing institutional data capabilities. Hear about research, educational program development, and curation opportunities in museums, key skills for success, and how to transition from academia into roles that bridge scientific expertise and public impact.
Kristen Witte, PhD
Exhibit Developer, Thinc Design
Dr. Kristen Witte completed their PhD in Cell Biology in 2017 from the University of Chicago. After graduate school, they transitioned to a career in museum exhibit development, spending six years as an Exhibit Strategist at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, developing a suite of notable exhibits including, The Blue Paradox. They have extensive experience in exhibit and experience design, completing an artist residency with the experience design collective Odyssey Works in 2024. In their current role with the design studio Thinc Design, they create inspiring and transformative exhibits and experiences for museums, aquariums, and cultural institutions.Chantal Balesdent, PhD
Director of Operations, Strategy, & Program Management for the Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) program, Museum of Science, Boston
Dr. Chantal Balesdent is the Director of Operations, Strategy, & Program Management for the Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) program at the Museum of Science, Boston. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Oregon, where, as an NSF fellow, she taught science to elementary students in a rural school district and supported their teachers in teaching science. At YES, she manages projects spanning curriculum development, professional learning, and operations to keep our team running smoothly. Her work aims to increase educators’ confidence in teaching engineering with youth across the country.
Rebecca Dikow, PhD
Director of Computational Methods and Data, Yale University
Dr. Rebecca Dikow is the Director of Computational Methods and Data at Yale Library. Computational Methods and Data aims to enhance the computational, data, and digital research services the library provides to faculty, staff, and students and to accelerate scholarship institution-wide. Rebecca previously led the Data Science Lab in the Office of the CIO at the Smithsonian Institution. She has a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Committee on Evolutionary Biology (2012).
Riley McGlasson, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Geologist, Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum
Dr. Riley McGlasson is a Postdoctoral Research Geologist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. As a planetary scientist interested in planetary surface evolution, she has extensive experience using orbital radar sounding and imaging to investigate how evolutionary processes manifest at and beneath the surface of planetary bodies in our Solar System. In her current role, she is working to understand the enigmatic climate history of Mars’ south polar region through geological mapping, as well as sediment transport on Venus as a science team collaborator on the upcoming Veritas mission. She holds a PhD in Planetary Science from Purdue University (2024) and a B.A. in Physics with an Astronomy emphasis from Macalester College (2020).
