Nonlinear Career Path: A New Normal and a Fun One

Presented by the Women Chemists Committee — All Are Welcome

Time

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Chatting
11:00 a.m. Talk and Discussion

Reservation

Download the PDF version of Atefeh’s talk HERE.

Cost: Free
For more information visit our website at www.calacs.org or email office@calacs.org.

About the Speaker

Atefeh Taheri, PhD

Atefeh Taheri received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry from the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University with Prof. Jerry Meyer and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis with Prof. Louise Berben. She started her first industry position as a product developer and formulator for the Clorox company. She then joined Chevron corporation, initially as a fundamental scientist. She has held various roles in Chevron. Currently, Atefeh is the Reliability and Maintenance Team Lead for the Western US plants and terminals of the America Fuels and Lubricants business unit of Chevron. In addition, Atefeh is the 2023 Chair for Cal ACS, on the leadership team of the Association of Women in Science East Bay chapter, and one of the leaders of Chevron PRIDE in Richmond (an Employee Resource Group for LGBTQA+ employees and allies).

Abstract

People ask children what they want to be when they grow up. It took Atefeh some years to realize that she had a broad interest in many topics and wanted to try various roles and responsibilities. Atefeh has embraced what Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta, has said, “Careers are not ladders, those days are long gone, but jungle gyms. Jungle gyms offer more creative exploration”. In this talk, Atefeh will share her story and career journey and discuss how nonlinear career paths can be challenging but very rewarding at the same time.