Interested in what some of our alumns are doing after college? Check it out below!
Nick Cross
Alpha Nu, Graduated 2013 Since graduating in 2013 I spent 4 years working in the wine industry, both on the production side and analytical side. I first worked at Chamisal Vineyards in SLO and then moved to working at a commercial analytical wine lab in Paso Robles. In 2017 I moved to the Bay Area and worked in Biotech/at Zymergen for almost 5 years. I now work as a Customer Success Manager at Benchling, helping customer's achieve their goals on the Benchling platform! |
Cooper Crabtree
Alpha Psi, Graduated 2023 Studying physical chemistry at UCLA in their PhD program |
Logan Williams
Alpha Epsilon, Graduated 2020 I'm currently in my 4th year of a PhD in Genetics and Genomics at UC Davis, where I study the epigenetic impacts of environmental exposures on prenatal neurodevelopment. I leverage tools like whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and comethylation network analysis to better understand how hazardous prenatal exposures are influencing gene regulation during the most critical period of our development. My hope is to apply this knowledge to improve quality of life outcomes for newborns, and to empower future parents by giving them greater insight into their pregnancy. In my free time, I enjoy relaxing with my fiancée by appreciating cute animal videos, playing board games, and crafting new creations in our home kitchen and bar. |
John Swanson
Alpha Lambda, Graduated 2011 I am a Technology Manager at Avient Corporation, leading a R&D team in our Specialty Engineered Materials business unit. |
Karina Reynolds
Alpha Rho, Graduated 2017 During my time at Cal Poly, I was a chemistry major and worked with Dr. Zhang! He encouraged me to go to graduate school and now I’m pursuing my PhD at The University of Southern Mississippi in Polymer Science and Engineering. I work in the Nazarenko research group, and I specialize in flame retardant additives. I get to set stuff on fire all the time! In my free time Castor (my dog) and I have made tons of new friends and love to go hiking! You can reach out to me at Karina.reynolds@usm.edu |
Ryan P.H. Hsu
Gamma Zeta, Graduated 2000 Information Systems in Healthcare |
Taylor Wagner
Alpha Nu, Graduated 2013 I am currently working on a physics PhD at Colorado School of Mines and doing my research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in quantum information sciences. |
Michael Walls
December 2017 Hi! My name is Michael and I am currently a medical student at Touro University in Vallejo, getting a DO (doctor of osteopathy) and an MPH. I am hoping to go into emergency medicine and use my MPH to get involved with health policy to treat the social determinants of health that are increasingly important in our health. I also have the cutest dog who I enjoy taking on hikes or to the park to play fetch. I also really enjoy rock climbing and racquetball. If anyone is interested in medicine, don’t hesitate to reach out! |
Marianne Meyersohn
Alpha Tau, Former VMA (2018-2019), Graduated 2019 I am currently pursuing my PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Minnesota in Prof. Marc Hillmyer's lab doing work in the Center for Sustainable Polymers. |
Samuel Mann
I'm an AXE alumni and graduated Cal Poly in 2012. I'm now in a PhD program at UC Irvine in the Borovik Lab. I'm studying Inorganic Chemistry and work on developing artificial Cu proteins. My expected graduation is 2017. |
Kathryn Cehrs
My name is Kathryn Cehrs. I was initiated in the Alpha Nu pledge class. Currently, I am attending veterinary school at Iowa State University. I will graduate in May 2017. I have also been traveling a lot; In the past two years I have been to Peru, Jordan, Turkey, and Italy. If anyone wishes to contact me (eg. about vet school), they can reach me at kcehrs@iastate.edu. |
Megan Cruz
Hello, brothers! Since graduating from Cal Poly, I moved to Ohio and I am currently earning my Ph.D. in Polymer Science at the University of Akron. I work in the Joy lab, which focuses on the synthesis of stimuli polyesters for biomedical applications. Feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions about applying for grad schools, polymers, or life after graduation! mac350@zips.uakron.edu |
Crystal Valdez
Hey fellow brothers! Graduated: 2009 (2007-2008 VMA!) Major: Biochemistry (minor: dance) Since Cal Poly: received PhD in physical chemistry at UCLA in Prof. Anastassia Alexandrova's lab in 2015, now a Postoc at Stanford in the chemistry department with Prof. Ed Solomon. My research interests are elucidating structure/function relationships in metalloenzymes using computational and spectroscopic tools |
Carmen Durán
Since graduating, I've moved to San Francisco and have been working as an Air Quality Chemist at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for the past almost 3 years now. I'm also working on my MS in Environmental Management at the University of San Francisco (and going to as many Giants' games as possible during the season) :) |
Lauren Upp
I majored in Chemistry and spent two undergrad summers as an intern with Morrison & Foerster LLP. I worked with the patent prosecution group and learned about patent procedures worldwide. During my senior year, I landed a full time position as a Scientific Specialist with the patent group in MoFo's San Francisco office. I conduct structure and keyword searches, prepare protein and DNA sequence listings for domestic and international patent applications, and provide due diligence support for clients in both life sciences and electronics. |
Erin Doherty
Alpha Pi, Former Master Alchemist (2015-2016), Graduated 2016 Hi I'm Erin Doherty! I did organic synthesis research with Dr. Palandoken at Cal Poly. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in organic chemistry/chemical biology at UC Davis. I work in the Beal lab and my work focuses on RNA editing to correct genetic disease. My hobbies include hiking, running, drawing, and going to concerts. Don't hesitate to email me if you'd like to ask about grad school, research, etc. |
Jessie Hinojosa
Hi! I am a biochemistry major from the Spring class of 2016. I live in Los Altos, CA where I enjoy hiking and binge watching Netflix in my free time. I am currently working as the Lab Technician at Genia Technologies, a division of Roche Sequencing, in Santa Clara. My responsibilities include preparing various reagents for use in our sequencing lab, and I assist in managing and resupplying of our lab inventory. I hope to work my way up and become a research scientist. |
Alpha Rho, Former Master Alchemist (2016-2017), Graduated 2017
Hi brothers! After graduating from Cal Poly, I went on to pursue a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at UCSD. I currently work in the Burkart lab, a chemical biology lab focused on studying the protein interactions involved in the biosynthetic pathways of natural products. Outside of lab, I enjoy exploring San Diego, hiking, cooking, and going to coffee shops. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions about grad school, research, or life after Cal Poly (rre@ucsd.edu)! |
Ashley (Gordon) Piane
Alpha Eta, Graduated 2008 I served as Recorder/Reporter for the 2006-2007 year. I received my BS in Biochemistry in 2008. I worked in Molecular Biology for a total of 5 years during and after college. What I found is, while I love science, lab life was not for me, and I have no desire to teach. So I switched careers. After bouncing around several different occupations, I landed at Synchrony Financial in January 2014. My current position is very interesting and fulfilling. I build letters for all areas of our business. While this might sound benign, it’s not as easy as typing up a letter. It involves multiple Excel matrices, and is most similar to computer coding. My company is has amazing benefits, and allows many professional opportunities. One of these is tuition reimbursement, up to $20,000/year! So I am currently pursuing a MBA with a concentration in Finance, to be completed in 2021. On the personal side, I am happily married to my partner of almost 17 years, Charlie, and we live in a suburb of Kansas City, MO. We have two kitties that keep us on our toes. I loved my time at Cal Poly, and hope you do too! |
Emily Wilborn
Alpha Sigma, Graduated 2018 I'm now studying for a PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Minnesota. I work in the Hillmyer lab on making polyolefins using ring-opening metathesis polymerization for use in biomedical applications. In my free time, I like to rock climb with friends and explore the Twin Cities! |