Ep 43: Science CEO Level: Unlocked - The Journey

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Dr. Maria Qadri, CEO of Clearwater Leadership begins the conversation on her journey into entrepreneurship with memories of building things (flat pack furniture) with her father–both of her parents were engineers and science-y discussions were a hallmark of her childhood. As a child, Maria slowly started to envision becoming a doctor, mainly influenced by her diagnosis with type 1 diabetes and the time she spent with medical experts to understand and manage her disease. Ultimately, Maria landed on biomedical engineering as the best path for her, combining all of her interests. As she continued in her studies in college at University of Hartford, focusing on pre-med and biomedical engineering, Maria came to the revelation that she “could have so much more of an impact if [she] made the tools that doctors worked with.” This led to the first twist in her journey and she pursued a Masters at University of Connecticut and then received her doctorate at Rutgers University. Along the way, however, she stumbled upon science policy, leading to another turn in her journey. And again she came across a new realization: “good policy is good communication.” This inspired her to complete a unique post-doctoral fellowship at the Association of American Colleges and Universities focused on science communications and policy. She had found the perfect fit in what she was looking for, again combining several different interests. At this current stage in her career journey, Maria has amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge, it was just a matter of somehow putting it all together with the other goals she had in her life–starting a family and buying her first home–to find the perfect sweet spot. And now as the founder of her own company, Maria can proudly say she feels like she has it all–a daughter, a husband, a home, and her own business to invest in her many passions. As she looks back on her journey, Maria thinks about her village of family support and mentors that guided her every step of the way. One of the best pieces of advice she would give to anyone interested in following a similar journey is to “run towards the things you are afraid of.”

Tune into this episode to hear Maria discuss:

• How her journey brought together many different interests as she grew both personally and professionally
• Why a Ph.D. is a degree in persistence, not intelligence
• What her vision is of success, and some tips for anyone interested in going to graduate school for a Ph.D.

Reach out to Maria: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariajq/

Email: [e-mail]

Other Great Episodes:
Ep 40: The Art of Science with Laura Canil - The Journey
Ep 7: STEMLand Future of Science - The Journey
Ep 37: Sista, Sista! Graduate School Years - The Journey

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Twitter: @thee_fatu_b
and [e-mail]

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and [e-mail]

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic