About Me




Hello there, my name is Isel Rivera the creator of  ChattyPhD and a Chemist.

My original birth place is Villa Clara, Cuba. However, I been here 12 years and became a citizen in 2017.  

In college where I started my undergraduate career, I was student body president and participated in various club activities while taking extra English classes.

After graduating from Hillsborough Community College I transferred to University of South Florida with a bachelors in Chemical Engineering. Because learning the concepts behind the applications was what excited me about science, I end up switching to Chemistry with a Biochemistry concentration and a Minor in Infectious Diseases.

During the junior year at USF, I started undergraduate research and stayed for about 2 years and authored 3 research poster presentations under Dr. Li June Ming and Shahed Islam at USF.

In USF graduation night I received a fellowship offer from the American Chemical Society Bridge Program and Indiana University to pursuit a doctorate degree in Chemistry. 

Currently, I completed 2 years of graduate studies under Dr. Yan Yu's mentorship, performed a lot of fun Chemistry experiments with cells and nanoparticles, and wrote a 134 page thesis to graduate with a Master of Science in Chemistry. I also started working for Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions here in Bloomington, where I ensure quality of really important products such as the COVID-19 vaccine. 

  It is nice to meet you and hope you enjoy my stories! 

ChattyPhD


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