My Story/My Advice: Lenore Kubie, Ph.D.

This My Story/My Advice post features Lenore Kubie, Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Wyoming. The My Story/My Advice project brought to you by The Women in STEM Summit highlights women in STEM that are persisting in STEM fields and making a difference. It also gives their personal advice to the next generation of young women looking for encouragement to persist in STEM.

Lenore’s Story:

My name is Lenore Kubie. I graduated with my PhD from the University of Rochester in August 2014. I study photoinduced charge transfer, and hope to continue my work studying ways to use solar energy to meet our growing energy demands. Specifically, over the last seven years I have studied the incorporation of nanomaterials into photovoltaic devices as a means of decreasing cost and increasing efficiency.

In the future, I hope to also continue doing outreach to help the people of the world understand and utilize solar energy. While working on my doctorate, I spent two summers in Ghana, Africa teaching school children and villages about solar energy, and new ways we can use light to power our world. Since defending, I have been trying to find a job in my field, and in the meantime I have been surviving on my savings and credit cards. I was not "above" getting an interim job at a supermarket or as a lab technician, but I was told I was "overqualified" for most of the jobs I applied for while I wasn't quite the right fit for many other jobs I applied for in my field. I have finally found a postdoc, which is a fantastic fit for me!

Unfortunately, I need to move out to Laramie, WY from Rochester, NY and I have no money to do it. This position does not offer any relocation money, and so I have created a GoFundMe to help with my moving van, a hotel stay for a night (or two) during the 24-hour car ride out there, and a down payment on an apartment. The campaign can be found here. 

Lenore’s Advice:

My advice to the next generation is to give as much as you can to the world! Get out there and get your hands dirty! I have been so humbled by people reaching out and contributing to my GoFundMe, and it has become awe-inspiring; it makes me want to give back even more.

Check out more inspiring stories and useful advice from women in STEM here: http://bit.ly/1MT3Tjp

Register for the upcoming Women in STEM Summit taking place October 22, 2015 in Boston, MA. The event brings together companies struggling to fill their STEM job pipelines with female college students pursuing STEM degrees. The summit is designed to facilitate closing the gap between corporate needs for a STEM-enabled workforce and student questions about job prospects that align their passion with the needs of corporate America. For more information or to register, click here: http://bit.ly/1IKOIm1