Shannon is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Her research lies at the intersection of sustainability and biology, with a key focus on producing proteins that we typically source from animals using engineered yeast instead. She's originally from Ohio and earned her Bachelors of Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton.

"The alumni mentorship program and events put on by GradFUTURES have been transformative for my understanding of career opportunities post-PhD, as well as sense of empowerment on how to get there. Now as a Professional Development Associate, I aim to help other grad students gain the same level of clarity and meet people in cool careers they never realized existed. In particular, I enjoy exploring and sharing the diverse (and often unexpected!) ways that PhDs from all backgrounds can have a hand in addressing climate change. Thanks to GradFUTURES, I have the opportunity, resources, and mentorship to pursue this!

Coming into graduate school, I saw the only two destinations after this journey as 'academia' or 'industry', with 'industry' being a vague entity of whatever most related to my research. Forming a diverse group of mentors, attending events, and building the skills and courage to reach out to people beyond my network has opened my eyes to the broad and inspiring variety of what a PhD can pursue."