Brendan Phelan currently serves as Director of Product Strategy at Fiserv (FISV), where he leads innovation and strategy for new merchant engagement solutions. Brendan joined Fiserv in March of 2021 when Fiserv acquired Radius8, a location-based targeting platform for retail which he co-founded in 2016. Before to co-founding Radius8, Brendan completed his PhD in Chemistry and Materials at Princeton where he worked in the Cava lab. His thesis focused on creating model materials that help to characterize isolated spin-states in solid materials and the interplay of spin-orbit coupling.

"I participated in many of the events put on during my time at Princeton. A few years later I connected with Mark and Jim through the Princeton network and was excited to get involved in their lecture series to help grad students explore non-traditional career paths after Princeton, especially in the realm of high-tech start-ups.

What advice do you have for current graduate students regarding their professional development?

The tenets of innovative thinking are the same, from the benchtop to the boardroom! Keep your mind open and always be looking for opportunities that don't necessarily fit inside what you might believe to be within your "box". Don't be afraid to take a risk and step outside your comfort zone, your experience at Princeton has prepared you to be a flexible and innovative thinker!"

I have participated in the following GradFUTURES Programs: GradFUTURES Forum

Yes, I am open to being contacted by a Princeton Graduate Student for an informational interview!