Dr. Elaine Sia s Life And Accomplishments - 1217 Words

Dr. Elaine Sia is a biology professor at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. She grew up in Midland, Michigan and moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area during her senior year of high school. Dr. Sia obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in the Biological Sciences from Michigan State University. After graduation she entered the PhD program at Columbia University, in the Microbiology Dept. at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. She obtained her PhD from Columbia in 1994. Dr. Sia’s father was a chemical engineer and worked at Dow Chemical company for his entire career. He modeled a scientific approach to problems throughout Dr. Sia’s childhood and instilled in her a enthusiasm for science and technology. While she attended Michigan State University, she worked as a technical assistant for Dr. Wendy Champness in the Department of Microbiology and continued that position for a year after graduation. Interacting with Dr. Champness led Dr. Sia to believe that she wanted to become a college professor and researcher. Dr. Champness was instrumental in her decision to attend graduate school. Dr. David Figurski was her graduate school mentor and was a fantastic role model, and helped Dr. Sia to learn to become a very successful independent researcher. It is standard in her field to have several years of postdoctoral experience with a different mentor, so after she obtained her PhD, Dr. Sia went to work in the laboratory of Dr. Tom Petes in the Biology Department in