Community Status: Grad Student

Catherine Bartlett Matthews

Entering Year: 2014
Undergraduate University: Princeton University

Thesis Advisor: J. Chris Love
Thesis Title: Design of a cultivation medium for protein production in Pichia pastoris based on genome-wide biological understanding.

Why I chose the PhDCEP Program

I’m interested in solving problems at the intersection of science and business and hope to embark on a career working on products that result directly from scientific innovations. MIT’s CEP program offers a unique opportunity to do engineering research and take business classes, providing excellent preparation for roles that require both skill sets.

Work experience and activities

While an undergraduate, I worked on research projects in computational protein design with Professor Chris Floudas and neural network dynamics with Professor Yannis Kevrekidis. I completed a summer internship with ExxonMobil’s Fuels Marketing group in 2011. After graduation I joined The Boston Consulting Group, where I worked on 7 client projects over 2 years across a variety of industries and functional areas. Highlights include designing a vertical integration strategy for a medical device manufacturer, diagnosing supply chain service levels and identifying causes of late orders for a biopharmaceutical manufacturer, and evaluating investment strategies to combat febrile illness for a nonprofit global health foundation. In my free time I enjoy cooking, sailing, and traveling.

Alan Long

Entering Year: 2015
Undergraduate University: Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)

Thesis Advisor: William H. Green
Thesis Title: Natural Gas Combustion – Mechanism Generation for Elevated Pressures
Practice School Stations: Takeda Pharmaceutical (Osaka, Japan), General Mills (Minneapolis, MN)

Why I chose the PhD CEP program

An internship I had with an adhesives startup after my first year at CWRU seeded my interest in entrepreneurship and was a large part of my motivation for applying to and joining the PhD CEP program. While I am open-minded to a wide range of career paths, what I like most about the small startup scenario is the high degree of influence each member has on the company’s future and direction, plus the excitement that brings. I believe the PhD CEP program is giving me a unique skillset necessary to be successful in such roles that require a strong technical background and management perspective in tandem.

Work experience and activities

As an undergraduate, I gained research experience working in Professor Rohan Akolkar’s electrochemical engineering lab, and in Professor João Maia’s rheology lab. My initial industry experience came from two summers with Procter & Gamble in their paper products division as well as one summer with an adhesives startup, Bioformix (now Sirrus Chemistry).  Through practice school stations I have been exposed to both the pharmaceutical and food industries, and have gained a unique look at international business through the Osaka station. In my free time, I enjoy golfing, hiking, powerlifting, skiing, and milkshakes. I also currently serve as a graduate residence tutor (GRT) here at MIT.