Fall 2023 Physics Careers Seminar Series Continues with Alumnus Dr. Luis de Jesus Astacio, U. of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

The Fall 2023 Physics Careers Seminar series continues on Friday, October 27 with a talk by alumnus Dr. Luis de Jesus Astacio from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, who will talk about "On Allowing Yourself to Wander" at 12:00 noon. in 276 Loomis. Details of Dr. de Jesus Astacio's seminar are given below.

Time: 12:00 noon on Friday, October 27, 2023

Location: 276 Loomis. A Zoom link will also be forwarded to the Illinois Physics Grad Student email list. For a copy of the link, please contact Lance Cooper (slcooper@illinois.edu).

Title: On Allowing Yourself to Wander

Speaker: Dr. Luis de Jesus Astacio, Assistant Professor, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Abstract: Halfway through my PhD, the world got hit by the pandemic and things changed. Losing my father to COVID, re-location of the research group and isolation were some of the obstacles that turned the naturally challenging PhD experience to a seemingly impossible task. After defending, I embarked on a 100+ day journey of healing, wandering and wondering. From my experiences, I realized that sometimes it is fine to face life without knowing, or trying to know, what comes next. In this talk, I will share my journey during and after completing my doctoral studies and as an individual finding my place in the intricate web of life.

Bio: I grew up in Puerto Rico, a beautiful island surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Fascinated with understanding nature from an early age, I inevitably gravitated towards scientific research. I completed a BS in Physics at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus (UPR-RP) in 2016. While at UPR-RP, I had various research experiences that reaffirmed my interest in interdisciplinary topics, particularly in biophysics. In 2017 I started the Physics PhD at UIUC. While at UIUC, I worked with Seppe Kuehn and other group members to study how microbial communities organize to cycle carbon in nutrient-limited environments. I defended in 2022 and, after some traveling, returned to Puerto Rico. Currently, I'm an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at UPR-RP, where I'm teaching an elective course on biophysics. I also recently started a second job as Quantitative Analyst at the largest bank in Puerto Rico, Banco Popular. My long-term goals lie in agroecology and building self-sustaining communities. 

You can see the rest of the Fall 2023 Physics Careers Seminar series here: https://physics.illinois.edu/calendar/careers-seminar