Science Entrepreneurship and Turning Waste into Resources with Dr Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz

<p><strong>Dr Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz</strong>&nbsp;is an Assistant Professor in the Chemical and Environmental Engineering department at the University of California, Riverside. She joined the University in 2018 after receiving her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. </p><p>Before joining UC Riverside, she was a Provost postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where she developed procedures for synthesising heterogeneous catalysts using atomic layer deposition. She has also worked previously as a Forensic scientist for the Philadelphia police department and as a Refinery chemist at Sunoco Chemicals in Philadelphia after receiving a B.S. in Chemistry from Temple University.</p><p>Her research group develops sustainable catalytic processes using an interdisciplinary toolset from environmental, materials and chemical engineering for sustainable applications.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In our conversation, we talk about science entrepreneurship and circular solutions that put waste to good use.</p><p>Show Notes:&nbsp;<a href="https://steampoweredshow.com/shows/kandis-leslie-abdul-aziz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://steampoweredshow.com/shows/kandis-leslie-abdul-aziz</a></p><p>[00:00:51] Leslie's introduction to chemistry.</p><p>[00:01:46] Where Leslie saw her future with chemistry.</p><p>[00:02:55] Working in forensics.</p><p>[00:04:07] The novelty and then the tedium of working with drugs.</p><p>[00:05:20] Developing protocols for new drugs.</p><p>[00:06:33] Inventing a sensor for drug detection.</p><p>[00:10:13] The challenges of bringing new technology to market.</p><p>[00:12:14] Alternate paths to science entrepreneurship.</p><p>[00:13:47] The path to The Sustainable Lab.</p><p>[00:16:05] The transition to an engineering role in chemistry.</p><p>[00:19:47] The types of problems The Sustainable Lab means to solve.</p><p>[00:20:04] Replacing fossil fuels with renewables or waste.</p><p>[00:21:58] The applications for converting CO2 and methane into biof