Ph.D. Career Parade: Being a Government Scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Date: 
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 - 5:00pm to 7:30pm
Location: 
Chittenden Hall (Rm. 110) 466 W Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI 48824

Tim Shafer, Ph.D., earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Hope College in Holland, MI, in 1986 and his Ph.D. in pharmacology and environmental toxicology from Michigan State University in 1991. Tim started working as a postdoctoral fellow at EPA in August 1991 and has been with the Agency for 23 years. Tim currently is developing high-throughput screening methods for neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity. He has a background in neurophysiology, and he is particularly interested in how the nervous system’s cells communicate with one another. In humans, there is evidence that the nervous system is not completely developed until you’re 25 years old, so the effects chemicals might have on its development are important. Dr. Shafer's research is a sensitive way of looking at a chemical’s effect on brain function.

Dr. Shafer is a skilled teacher and mentor, and in his role at the EPA has hosted several doctoral students as interns in his lab.

In this talk, he will share his insights on the shift from his academic world--graduate student at MSU to a post doc at the EPA--and what it's like working as a scientist in a government lab. This talk is ideal for any graduate students who are interested in careers in doing science in different domains, as well as anyone interested in the environment, government science and science policy, and other fields.

Please register below.

To attend remotely via Zoom, please click here:  https://msu.zoom.us/j/129122698