Science Career Talks - 2017

Biochemistry Career Talk - October 2017

Tara Antle
Business Owner
Healthy Balance, St. John's, NL

Robyn Brockerville
Nutrition Consultant
Simply for Life

Douglas Howse
Certified Public Health Inspector
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Biology Career Talk - August 2017

Sarah Penney-Belbin, M.Sc.
Biologist, LGL Limited
Bachelor of Science B.Sc. (Honours)
Master of Science (M.Sc.)

Sarah obtained her B.Sc. (Honours) from MUN, including attendance at both the Sir Wilfred Grenfell (Corner Brook) and St. John’s campuses. She then completed her M.Sc. at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Sarah maintained a variety of part-time positions throughout these periods, including as a cashier at Shopper’s Drug Mart, supplemental instructor for introductory chemistry at Grenfell, assistant at the restoration lab in MUN’s library, teaching assistant for introductory biology and ecology at Dalhousie, and assistant for the late Dr. Robert Ackman of Dalhousie. After finishing her Master’s degree, Sarah gained full-time employment in 2010 as a biologist for LGL Limited, a Canadian-based international environmental consulting company, where she’s worked ever since. She has volunteered with Nature NL since 2012 and for a variety of individual events, such as the MUN biology open houses, OSC science and MUN biology graduate seminar series, Rubber Duck Race, and local charity walks.

Erin Stapleton
Principal, Stapleton Environmental Consulting
Biology Honours program
Master of Environmental Design (Planning)

Erin has worked for some of Canada’s most reputable environmental consulting firms where her clients included major players in the natural gas, electric utility and mining sectors. Her past projects include natural gas pipelines, liquefied natural gas projects, electric transmission lines, power plants, onshore wind farms, marine terminals and mine expansions, from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador. In March of this year, Erin decided to become an independent environmental consultant and is currently working on initiatives related to developing offshore wind energy in Atlantic Canada. She has Master of Environmental Design (Planning) from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology from Memorial University. She is a Professional Planner with the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP) and a certified Environmental Professional (EP) in Natural Resource Management. She is a mentor with WISE-NL and is a member of the Sector Development Committee with the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA). She holds memberships in NEIA, the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE), and the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA).

Kimberly Keats
Ecosystems Biologist
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Master of Science, Environmental Science
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Biology

Kim is a Biologist in the Fisheries Protection Program, Ecosystems Management Branch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. She has a diverse background and work history, with experience in government, academia, industry, and not-for-profit sectors. She holds an Interdisciplinary B.Sc. in Environmental Science/Biology from Mount Allison University as well as a M.Sc. in Environmental Science from Memorial University, and is in the final stages of completing a Ph.D. in Biology, also at Memorial University. She has been involved in a number of research programs in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. Kim has served on the Board of Directors of several professional organizations, including the Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, as well as the Biology Graduate Student Association and Graduate Students’ Union of Memorial University, and has volunteered with many others. She currently serves on the City of St. John’s Environmental Advisory Committee and as a mentor with Women in Science & Engineering NL.

Rebecca Newhook
Faculty of Science Co-Op Office

Did you know there is a co-op program available for biology majors? Students accepted to the biology co-operative education program complete three full-time, paid work terms as part of their program of study. Rebecca Newhook from the Faculty of Science Co-op Office will talk about the kinds of work that co-op students have been involved in on their work terms and how students can apply to participate in the co-op program!

Psychology Career Talk - March 2017

Malcolm Simpson, M.Sc.
Clinical Psychologist II
Terrace Clinic
B.Sc. Psychology (Hons) – Acadia University 1983
M.Sc. Clinical Psychology – MUN 1987

Employment History:
From 1987-1994 Malcolm worked at the Waterford Hospital. He worked with the inpatient units and some outpatient work. From 1994-present Malcolm worked with the Terrace Clinic (Eastern Health) providing psychotherapy to adults 18 and over. In 2014 Malcolm worked in private practice providing psychotherapy to adults 18 and over and he is currently still working in this position.

Sandra Parsons
Program Evaluator and Research Assistant
Primary Healthcare Research Unit, MUN

Sandra Parsons is a Program Evaluator and Research Assistant working for the Primary Healthcare Research Unit at Memorial University. Before pursuing a career in evaluation and applied research, Sandra spent five years working in the banking industry, and has four-year managerial experience.

While completing her undergraduate degree in psychology, Sandra worked within the department as a Research Assistant, and outside the department in the customer service industry, eventually taking on a managerial role in a restaurant. Upon earning her degree in 2009, she immediately began working full-time in retail management, and soon accepted a position as a Client Advisor with RBC Royal Bank. While working full-time for RBC, she earned a Master of Employment Relations from Memorial in 2012. She then spent two and a half years working in leadership roles with RBC before deciding to make a career change and begin the Master of Applied Psychological Science program at Memorial. During the two years of the program, she continued to work for RBC part-time, while working as a TA for the Psychology Department, and pursuing volunteer opportunities in the community. The co-operative work term placements that make up the Master of Applied Psychological Science Program provided valuable work experience in program evaluation and applied research, as well as contacts in the industry. Upon completion of her second work term in 2016, Sandra was offered a full-time position at the Primary Healthcare Research Unit.

Olivia Cleary
Master of Applied Psychological Science Program, MUN
Program Evaluator/ Research Assistant, Primary Healthcare Research Unit
Faculty of Medicine, MUN

Olivia Cleary is a recent graduate of the Master of Applied Psychological Science program at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), and is currently working as a Program Evaluator/Research Assistant at the Primary Healthcare Research Unit (PHRU) within the Faculty of Medicine at MUN.

Prior to her master’s degree, Olivia completed a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology. During this time, she worked in the restaurant industry and in various part-time Research Assistant positions at MUN. As well, she was employed as an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapist for the two final years of her degree. Olivia graduated from her undergraduate degree in 2014, the same year she began her master’s degree. She continued working in the restaurant industry until her first work term in spring 2015 with the Evaluation and Research Division of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Olivia completed both work terms required for her program at the EECD, and also gained part time research and evaluation experience as a Research Assistant at MUN and evaluation consultant for private consulting businesses. In the last month of her master’s degree in August 2016, Olivia began a part-time student position at the PHRU. The position was extended to a full-time one-year contract in September 2016.