Launch Your Career Plan is an initiative by the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice (ISTEP) to support MASc and PhD students and Postdocs to launch their career planning early in their studies. This event will guide you to critically reflect on career opportunities and equip you with strategies and tools to explore your unique career aspirations. You will leave this event with tailored resources to dive deeper into the specific career pathways that interest you. 

At this event, you will: 

• Learn about parallel planning for further graduate studies, academia, and industry careers 

• Use labour market data and networking tools to discover diverse academic and industry opportunities 

• Listen to a panel of alumni who have completed further graduate studies, are working in industry, or obtained a professorship 

• Create a plan to explore your specific career aspirations 

This event is open to all MASc, PhDs and PDFs. We welcome students who have a clear idea of their career trajectory as well as those who are exploring their next career move. It is highly recommended that all MASc, PhDs, and PDFs students attend this event near the beginning of their studies or postdoc journey. 

Meet the Career Pathways Panelists 

Concurrent Panel One 

Celestine Hong, Assistant Professor of Teaching, University of British Columbia, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Celestine Hong is the Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Shoichet Lab (Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry) and studied the delivery of therapeutics for retinal stem cell regeneration. She completed her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Paula Hammond and Prof. Bradley Olsen, where she developed materials to treat noncompressible hemorrhage and cancer. Her broader research interests span the field of biomaterials, immunotherapy, and polymer synthesis. Outside of the lab, she is especially passionate about teaching and scientific outreach, and has taught polymer synthesis as a graduate instructor at MIT.   

 Saeed Shakib, Planner, Ontario Ministry of Transportation 

Bio forthcoming 

 Evgueniia (Jenya) Doudareva, Senior Manager, AI/Responsible AI, OnX

Bio forthcoming 

Moderator – Lisa Romkey, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Associate Director, ISTEP

Lisa Romkey serves as Associate Professor, Teaching and Associate Director of the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice at the University of Toronto (ISTEP).  In her position, Lisa teaches courses for undergraduate and graduate students in engineering & society and engineering education. Her research focuses on engineering teaching and learning, with an emphasis on sociotechnical thinking and life-long learning.  

Lisa also serves as Director of the Collaborative Specialization in Engineering Education, which offers an opportunity for research and study in engineering education through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education or the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.  

Through her career in higher education, Lisa has spearheaded various projects in K-12 outreach, curriculum development, student engagement and teaching support. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Guelph, and Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Education from the University of Toronto. 

Concurrent Panel Two 

Laura Bradbury, Space Systems Operations Manager, GHGSAT

Bio forthcoming 

Isaac Li, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair Tier 2, Michael Smith Scholar, University of British Columbia, Department of Chemistry 

Professor Isaac Li is a Canada Research Chair in Single-Molecule Biophysics & Mechanobiology and a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar. His research explores biophysics at the single-molecule and single-cell levels, focusing on mechanobiology, DNA-based molecular devices, and biosensors. He aims to uncover how cells interact physically with their environment and develop innovative tools for disease diagnosis and treatment. Dr.  Li earned his PhD in Chemistry and MASc in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto, following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He teaches courses in molecular biophysics, instrumentation, and physical chemistry. 

Moderator – Deborah Tihanyi, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, ISTEP

Deborah Tihanyi co-coordinates the integration of transdisciplinary competencies (including communication, teamwork, and life-long learning) in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering undergraduate design curriculum. She also works with graduate students in the Collaborative Program in Engineering Education. 

Professional Activity: Deborah has a number of research interests that tie directly into her teaching practice, including the development of professional identity and the impact of TA training in engineering education. 

Meet the Rest of the Organizing Committee! 

Lydia Wilkinson, Assistant Professor, Teaching, ISTEP

Lydia Wilkinson’s teaching focuses on providing graduate and undergraduate engineering students with the skills required to navigate the communication tasks of their academic as well as future professional careers, as well as enriching engineering education humanities-based thinking, knowledge and pedagogies. Her current research investigates interdisciplinary skills transfer with a specific focus on humanities integration for engineers. 

Joanne Lieu, Graduate Professional Development Coordinator, ISTEP

Joanne Lieu is the Graduate Professional Development Coordinator at the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice, the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. She develops and coordinates professional development events and programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Joanne has an HBSc, BEd, MEd, and PhD from the University of Toronto.