Senior Research Scientist, Ethical AI Team at Google
Alex Hanna earned her PhD in Sociology in 2016. Her dissertation focused on the Machine-learning Protest Event Data System (MPEDS), which she developed to identify and code information about protests. Hanna is now a senior research scientist on Google’s Ethical AI Team, which focuses on responsible artificial intelligence (AI) and decision-making systems. She talked with us about her work, the skills from graduate school that are useful, and the transition from academia to industry.
Business and Industry
Ángel Casanova-Torres
Sr. Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Exact Sciences
Ángel earned a PhD in Microbiology in 2016. Now, as a Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Exact Sciences in Madison, Ángel is a liaison on regulatory affairs for his colleagues, providing strategic and technical advice for the development and commercialization of healthcare products.
Jonathan J. Hernández
Chief Scientific Officer, Riordan Technologies
Jonathan J. Hernández earned a PhD in Physiology from UW–Madison in 2016. Throughout his career he has worked in both industry and academia researching human umbilical-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to study the effect of those cells on treatment for autoimmune disorders.
Jared Knowles
President, Civilytics Consulting LLC
Jared Knowles founded Civilytics Consulting, LLC, in 2016 to pursue his passion of providing high-quality public performance metrics for government services. Knowles completed his political science PhD in 2015 at UW–Madison, where he was also a fellow in the Interdisciplinary Training Program in Education Sciences.
Adam P. Gaspar
Integrated Field Scientist, Corteva Agriscience
Adam P. Gaspar earned his PhD in Agronomy in 2016 working with Dr. Shawn Conley. Now with Corteva Agriscience, the goal of his research is to increase crop production in an environmentally and economically sustainable fashion by improving crop management through the adoption of new practices and technologies.
Katherine Paulsen
Product Manager – FITR Spectrometers, Materials & Structural Analysis Division at Thermo Fisher Scientific
Katherine Paulsen earned a PhD in chemistry in 2013. She studied heme-containing proteins in Judith Burstyn’s research group. Immediately after graduating, she began working for Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Madison-based company that designs and manufactures scientific instruments.
Fernanda Lopes
Ruminants Business Manager at Adisseo South America
Fernanda Lopes received her PhD in Dairy Science in 2014, studying with Professor David Combs in the Department of Dairy Science. She now works for the South America division of animal feed nutrition company Adisseo SA, where she is responsible for the ruminant business. Lopes is based in Brazil but travels throughout South America as part of her work. The scientific knowledge she gained at UW–Madison has been key in helping her talk to clients about Adisseo’s products.
Jessa Valentine
Managing Consultant for DVP-PRAXIS LTD
With a passion for applied social science research, Jessa Valentine earned a PhD in Sociology from UW–Madison. She now works as a managing consultant for DVP-PRAXIS LTD, a consulting firm focused on higher education and the workforce.
Hanif Nu’Man
Chief Sociologist/Founder of ReSCI Consulting, LLC
Having obtained his doctorate in sociology from UW–Madison in 2014, Hanif Nu’Man currently applies his disciplinary knowledge in his work as the Chief Sociologist of ReSCI Consulting, LLC—a management consultancy firm he founded based in Madison.
Winslow Sargeant
Managing Director for S&T LLC
Graduating from UW–Madison in 1995 with a PhD in electrical engineering, Winslow Sargeant is motivated by a passion for solving problems, now working as the managing director for S&T LLC, a firm in Great Falls, Virginia. His role supports investment and business development for early-stage growth companies that specialize in cybersecurity, energy, communications, capital formation, and education.