Hello! My name is Dr. Ania Tersakian Sergeenko, and I’m so glad to have you here.
I’m a research scientist with 8 years of experience in inorganic chemistry and materials characterization. I post blog articles on my experiences as well as relevant issues that women in STEM and working moms are facing.
I’m currently available for speaking engagements to high school and university students on the career paths available for women in STEM, as well as an introduction to materials research or crystallography. I’m also available for consulting engagements with companies requiring my chemical research and development expertise, graduate students looking to organize and write their theses, or professionals looking to advance their careers.
After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) in 2014, I went on to complete my PhD in inorganic chemistry at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC) with Prof. Daniel Leznoff. I studied materials that could act as chemical sensors by exhibiting a change in color or luminescence upon exposure to certain analytes. I also studied materials with interesting thermal expansion properties: both zero and negative thermal expansion.
During my Mitacs postdoctoral fellowship at Applied Quantum Materials Inc. I lead a team of scientists in the research and development of new nanomaterials towards the commercialization of a quantum dot-based sensing technology. This experience brought me into the exciting world of project management and business development in a start-up environment.
Following my postdoctoral fellowship I worked as a Research Associate for the National Research Council of Canada at the Nanotechnology Research Centre developing nanomaterials with applications in the clean energy sector.
In my current role I am working as a Funding Catalyst with Thin Air Labs, a Venture Capital firm that supports and partners with startups to help them grow into globally competitive companies.
Stay tuned for my ongoing writings on the experiences of university students in the sciences with a focus on women in science, workers rights and my approach to conflict resolution using emotional intelligence based on my personal experiences.
I’m currently based in Calgary, AB, Canada.