ACADEMIC JOURNEY AND PHD RESEARCH

During my career, I studied diverse technical fields. I started my academic journey with a bachelor’s in telecommunications, which I got in 2011 at the University of Campinas in Brazil. One of the topics I studied there awakened my curiosity—optical fibers. I wanted to know more about their composition and how they were fabricated. This interest led me to pursue a master’s degree, focusing on photonic glasses.

While completing my master’s in materials science and engineering, I developed a passion for research. As a result, I decided to delve deeper into glass research and explore its applications beyond optics. Motivated by curiosity, I then pursued a Ph.D. in the mechanical properties of glass at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of TU Delft, Netherlands, from 2015 to 2020.

INDUSTRY TRANSITION

In 2019, I transitioned from academia to industry. Specifically, I worked as a senior scientist specializing in glass packaging at American Glass Research (AGR) in the Netherlands from April 2019 to April 2024.

After this, I completed an intensive data analysis course at Le Wagon in Amsterdam in mid-2024. As of September 2024, I will join AB InBev in Belgium as a senior project lead for the packaging technical innovation team.

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS FROM THE PHD JOURNEY

Besides gaining technical knowledge, I believe the PhD journey provides us with transferable skills, such as teamwork and time management, which are highly valuable.

For instance, presenting at conferences abroad, volunteering in professional associations, and supervising students are examples of activities that help develop these abilities. Therefore, identifying these skills is crucial for advancing in an academic career or enabling a transition from academia to industry.

Overall, I can share my experience of moving across different fields—such as materials science, glass, and packaging—pursuing a Ph.D. abroad, identifying skills during the academic journey, and transitioning from academia to industry.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissajustino/

Other websites: academic publications https://scholar.google.com.br/citations?user=P-QYKZ4AAAAJ&hl=en

Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish