Ruel J. Arila Jr.

October 5, 2020
ChE 296

Summary Report #1
Distinguished Speakers Seminar

Last Monday, the UP Diliman DChE conducted its first Distinguished Speakers
Seminar for the semester. Dr. Maria Christine T. Asuncion presented her talk on The
Unconventional PhD: Careers Outside Academia and Research, while Dr. Christian
Mark O. Pelicano discussed his study Controlling the Surface Chemistry of ZnO
Nanomaterials for Solar Cell Application.

In her talk, Dr. Asuncion, a doctor on biomedical engineering, discussed why she
deviated from the traditional path of academe and research after she graduated from
her doctoral studies. She is currently a medical writer and a scientific communicator,
and although her current work is mostly unrelated to her doctorate degree, the skills she
learned while trying to earn her PhD has greatly helped her in her current career. She
discussed the necessary steps in taking a PhD program and the different activities
involved within. She also discussed how grit drove her to successfully finish her degree.
She also presented the different ways you can redirect your career trajectory, such as
attending job fairs and learning more useable skills in the workplace. Finally, she
discussed her current field of work, working with pharmaceutical companies for better
healthcare communications.

Dr. Pelicano’s talk was more on the academic side as he discusses his doctoral
thesis which focused on using a new method in synthesizing zinc oxide nanostructure to
help make perovskite solar cells (PSCs) more efficient. First, he talked about PSCs and
how an electron transporting layer (ETL) made of ZnO can make them more efficient in
extracting electrons. He discussed how the new process of H 2O oxidation led to the
synthesis of ZnO nanostructures such as rods and tubes. He also discussed the
additional processes they applied such as Al-doping and integrated microwave
technology. He concluded that these new methods could be the next step in improving
PSC technology.