Ambar Coral Velázquez-Albino, a second-year Ph.D. student, attended the NextProf Nexus program this past summer after meeting a professor from the University of Michigan at AIChE 2023 in Orlando. Sasha Cai Lesher-Pérez, Ph.D., encouraged her to apply during a poster presentation, where they met and had an opportunity to speak.
Velázquez-Albino, who is from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, plans to graduate in December of 2025 and has been interested in pursuing an academic career. But she said she wanted to find out more about the field before making a decision. The NextProf Nexus program “is a sneak peek into the real experiences of many professors, which can be rare and eye-opening,” she said.
“It was very inspiring to hear raw and vulnerable stories from so many professors. It showcased the struggles that are often faced behind the curtain, while also highlighting what a fulfilling job the professoriate can be,”, said Velázquez-Albino, who is being advised by Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., the Dean’s Leadership Professor and UF Department of Chemical Engineering chair.
The common theme of imposter syndrome came up that weekend and Velázquez-Albino said speaking with professors at the program who also experienced it was a highlight. She said she realized that it is human to doubt yourself as you learn new things and push your boundaries as you grow.
“The vulnerability of so many has made me a more confident scientist, making me realize that my imposter syndrome does not erase how much I enjoy doing research and want to continue doing so,” she said.
Additionally, Velázquez-Albino received the McKnight Dissertation Fellowship and had the opportunity to attend the conference in November titled, “The Scholar’s Imperative: Effecting Positive Change in a Dynamic World.” She said the opportunity to connect with other academics from underrepresented backgrounds strengthened her passion to be in academia and have a positive impact on other’s lives.
After graduating, she said she plans to continue her learning by taking a post-doc position, preparing for a faculty position and “entertaining entrepreneurial ideas” that can expand upon her dissertation. Her research focuses on exploring methods to synthesize superparamagnetic metal oxide nanoparticles to enhance Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) performance.
By Ada Lang
