The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Trant Team is hosting the second Annual Southern Ontario Chemistry Industry-Academic Symposium (ASOCIAS) online Friday, Nov. 17.

The symposium connects employers with the talent found in chemistry departments from Southern Ontario universities.

Chemistry and biochemistry professor John Trant and his organizing committee leads, John Hayward and Saeed Velayati, are hosting the event with co-sponsors Gilead Sciences and Binary Star Research Services.

“The idea behind this event is that all of the Southern Ontario universities alone are too small to merit visits from recruiters, but together we are an extremely large cluster of students and postdocs as potential recruits,” says Dr. Trant.

This year will feature keynote presentations from major international companies across three industrial research areas: Gilead Sciences, Merck, Imperial Oil, Molecular Forecaster and Paraza, along with presentations from other Canadian chemistry employers.

It will also feature a lunch break-out session in the virtual conference hall and an opportunity to workshop CVs and talk directly with industry representatives in the afternoon in the same forum.

“In our experience the job application process for industry versus academic jobs, and the nature and length of CVs and resumés, is very different, and many students at our institutions do not have the exposure to industrial mentors that could advise them,” Trant says. “We are seeking to help Southern Ontario chemistry students gain this advice.”

Students, postdocs, staff, and faculty of the Southern Ontario universities are all invited to participate. This free event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and requires registration: head to the Trant Team ASOCIAS site and click on the orange ‘Tickets’ button.