If you are here, you belong. I think we don’t hear that enough. Do the things that make you happy. Trust the process.”
Jessica Chiu (she/her)
PhD Candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Jessica Chiu is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering. She works in the Odom Group, where she researches nanoparticle-cellular interactions for cancer therapeutics. Jessica was a Hierarchical Materials Cluster Program Fellow in January 2022 and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipient in Photonic Materials in April 2022.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience?
My work contributes to designing more efficient cancer drug delivery systems to reduce the negative side effects of chemotherapy. We image the real-time, dynamic interactions between nanoparticles (particles that are one million times smaller than a piece of hair) and cells. These interactions are dictated by the nanoparticle design, and studying these interactions provides insight into how cells “see” nanoparticles and how what they “see” is translated into signaling for downstream cellular processes.
What do you find both rewarding and challenging about your research and/or work?
My work spans interdisciplinary problems in materials science, chemistry, microscopy, and cell biology – which is equally rewarding and challenging. It can be fun to learn and implement a range of techniques (e.g., cell culture, clean room work, electron microscopy, single particle tracking under an optical microscope, and benchtop organic synthesis). It’s also a continuous learning process to realize when I don’t have the bandwidth to learn all these research areas at an “expert” level, to identify where I am best suited to contribute to a given project, and to seek collaborations as needed.
How do you unwind after a long day?
A cup of tea and chat with family/friends over the phone. Stretching while listening to music, often Taylor Swift. A walk or run by Lake Michigan. Baking, because if nothing else worked in the lab that day, at least I can make chocolate chip cookies and know that something tangible and delicious will result after a couple of hours.
What books are on your bedside table?
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee. A book that I’ve read 10 or more times since elementary school and always makes me laugh. I believe that there are some things we never outgrow.
Faces at the Bottom of the Well by Derrick Bell.
A copy of The Little Prince that was gifted to me by a family friend at the end of my 13+ year stint in competitive gymnastics, inscribed with a reminder to take time in life for matters of true consequence.
What inspires you?
Knowing that there are so many genuinely good people in the world who care; they actually do something concrete to support the ideas and people they care about. I also have a strong support system of family and friends, who inspire me by continuing to value me for who I am and not what I do.
How would your closest friends describe you?
An old soul, Quick to smile/laugh. Dependable.
What did you originally want to be when you grew up?
A card designer, or at least that’s the role I was given when my elementary school class went to Junior Achievement BizTown. I’ve always loved sending and receiving handwritten, physical cards that come through snail mail. That job was fun for a day but not so realistic since I’m not all that artistically gifted. Honestly, I’ve always been surrounded by positive role models in engineering fields, so I probably always just wanted to be an engineer like the adults in my life who had gained my admiration and trust.
What advice would you give your younger self or someone considering a similar path?
There’s not one type of personality that makes for a successful graduate student (or insert another job). There is beauty in the diversity of backgrounds, and honestly, we need diversity in the background to identify and solve interdisciplinary problems. There’s a difference between knowledge, skill, background, and intelligence. You can build knowledge through learning experiences – we all must start somewhere. If you are here, you belong. I think we don’t hear that enough. Do the things that make you happy. Trust the process.
What are you most proud of in your career to date?
I try not to attach self-worth to one-time achievements, so maybe there’s not one moment. But I am proud of consistently and consciously choosing to put myself just out of my comfort zone – choosing to be a smaller fish in a bigger pond even if it’s scary and unsettling – because that is how we grow personally/professionally. It’s never too late to pivot in your career or try something new.
Published: November 8, 2022
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