This summary is a bit overdue after the seminar. But here we have it. 🙂

As part of Professional Development Speaker Series, the CHBE Graduate Student Club has successfully arranged the second seminar of the year on October 30th with Professor Madjid Mohseni as the speaker. He completed his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran, and then obtained his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining UBC in November 2000, Dr. Mohseni worked for nearly 3 years as research engineer at Trojan Technologies. He is currently the Scientific Director of RES’EAU-WaterNET Strategic Network, a program dedicated to develop affordable solutions to drinking water challenges of small and rural, and aboriginal communities.

In his presentation, Professor Mohseni urged the students to be clear about their career objectives. One must work hard and there is no shortcut, he said. According to him, one does not know when the opportunity will come and hence it is important to prepare oneself ahead of time not to miss the opportunity. Only right plan and hard work can make it possible.
Professor Mohseni acknowledged the highly supportive role of his PhD supervisor who allowed him to think independently, helped improve his communication skills and supported extracurricular activities. As a new faculty member in the department, he faced many challenges at the beginning. However, his response to those difficulties was extraordinary – he had discovered opportunities in each of these challenges and turned them into his favor.

In addition to scientific knowledge, he has put great emphasis on developing work ethics and soft skills such as communication, interpersonal, leadership and time management skills. Language skill is another important aspect for international students, he opined. Like previous seminars, this one was attended by large number of graduate students including some from other engineering departments.

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