Our latest episode features Dr. Tomas Gonzalez-Fernandez who started his role as an Assistant Professor at the Bioengineering Department at Lehigh University in 2022. Gonzalez-Fernandez received his PhD in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in 2018 from Trinity College Dublin under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Kelly and Fergal O’Brien. After completing his PhD, Tomas joined the Leach lab at UC Davis. During his career he has been honored with prestigious awards and fellowships such as the American Heart Association Postdoctoral fellowship, and the Rising Star in Engineering and Health by Columbia University.

In this episode we discuss Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez’s journey from being a postdoc to becoming an Assistant Professor. We further discuss his experience as being a new PI, his leadership and time management skills and his perspective about academia.

We further share here a few very helpful resources we discuss during the podcast:

1. Postdoc-Faculty transition seminars/workshops:

· UCSF: https://career.ucsf.edu/phds/career-paths/faculty/prepare-explore

· Columbia/JHU/Cornell: https://www.bme.cornell.edu/bme/resources/extracurricular-programs/rising-stars-engineering-health

2. Faculty Success Program: https://www.facultydiversity.org/fsp-bootcamp

3. Grant writing book: https://www.grantcentral.com/workbooks/national-institutes-of-health/

4. Gonzalez-Fernandez Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ProfTGF