From Academia to Industry - A chat with Dr. Juliana Vidal
Olivia (O): What is your job and what does it entail?
Dr. Juliana Vidal (J): I am currently a Higher Education Program Manager at Beyond Benign, a non-profit dedicated to empower educators and students to practice sustainability through chemistry! I recently finished my postdoc at McGill University with Prof. Audrey Moores in the area of Green Chemistry, studying more benign processes to extract polymers from crustacean shell waste!
(O): When did you start becoming interested in your field?
(J): In the last year of my undergrad in 2014 is when I discovered I wanted to do Green Chemistry. I was reading this Environmental Chemistry book and came across a page about this 'Green Chemistry thing'. After finishing reading it, my mind was completely changed and I knew I had to do something to change my life as well!
(O): What has been your most influential success factor?
(J): It depends on people's different definitions of success! To me, the network of support I got from my supervisors and friends was definitely something that allowed me to be in a place I am very proud of. A personal success, I think, is being able to inspire people to learn more about Green Chemistry and pursue their dreams. For example, I am super proud of Olivia and Mikhailey for continuing their graduate studies in this area after I had worked with them during my PhD.
“The network of support I got from my supervisors and friends was definitely something that allowed me to be in a place I am very proud of.”
Sometimes we hang out and not do chemistry!
(O): What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career thus far?
(J): Saying no to people (that's a big one!) is a huge challenge that I still face every day. Another one is probably having the courage (and patience) to overcome several and traditional biases that people have about you as a woman in academia, and proving those people wrong!
(O): What advice would you give to other young women hoping to pursue a path similar to yours?
(J): I’d say trust your gut, believe in your feelings, talk to different people, but be around those that inspire you.
(O): What made you want to leave academia and go into non-profit space?
(J): After leaving Brazil and coming to Canada to pursue my dream of learning about Green Chemistry with one of the best people that I could learn from (Prof. Francesca Kerton at Memorial University), it was clear to me that I was a completely different person after putting myself out there and getting out of my comfort zone. The willingness of doing something that I could access and inspire other people combined with the amazing team at Beyond Benign, and the idea of doing something different is what made me go for this new role! There are many paths you can explore and so many things out there to try, and you can still be loyal to your principles!
“I was a completely different person after putting myself out there and getting out of my comfort zone”
(O): What part of your academic career did you enjoy the most?
(J): The best part was staying in the lab with music blasting, researching new things, and overcoming new challenges. It's devastating when things don't work, but nothing compares to the feeling when they do! One of my favourite parts was also communicating my research and the results, and working on my skills to make sure they are understandable to everyone!
In image from left to right: Olivia Wyper, April Walters, Juliana Vidal, and Cassie Wadman. Mikhailey Wheeler is in knelt down in front of everyone. All of us are putting our thumbs up!
(O): How did you manage to balance life - academia wise and everything else?
(J): I didn’t (LOL). Honestly, I think one thing that helped me was setting small goals for myself, and feeling good at the end of the day when I completed those very tiny goals. I think we often look at the thing we want, but not the steps on how to get there. Looking at those steps rather than the goal, which you will get to, is what made the difference in my opinion.
This interview and blog was conducted and prepared by Olivia Wyper, Director of Social Media (2022/2023)
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