Earning a PhD in organic chemistry would likely be hard work for almost anyone.
Add in adjusting to life in a new country, having a child, and standing out in a field lacking diversity, and the degree of difficulty ramps up even further.
But Dr. Maryam Abdollahi, a postdoctoral fellow in Dal’s Department of Chemistry, has demonstrated that having the right support system and a willingness to embrace and learn from challenges can lead to great things.
In time for , Maryam shares her journey in STEM, from following her passions in science, balancing her career with motherhood, and exploring research innovations.
‘Making the most of any free minute’
After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry in her home country of Iran, Maryam moved abroad in 2018 to pursue a PhD at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). “St. John’s is a beautiful city,” Maryam says. “People are so welcoming. It was the perfect place to start life in Canada.”
Maryam’s time in Newfoundland also included the birth of her daughter, now three-and-a-half years old. With the support and understanding of her supervisor, Dr. Yuming Zhao, she learned to effectively manage her time and balance her doctoral studies with motherhood.
“Most of my publications came after my daughter was born,” she says. “I learned how to make the most of any free minute I have.”
The perfect place
While her PhD focused on organic chemistry, Maryam was keen on learning more about inorganic chemistry, which led her to move to Halifax to join the lab of Dr. Saurabh Chitnis as a postdoctoral fellow in 2023.
“Maryam is a highly-skilled researcher who I also rely on to guide to overall research activities and operations in our group,” says Dr. Chitnis, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and a 2023 Sloan Research Fellow. “She asks insightful questions that lead to knowledge generation and brings fresh new ideas to the table.”
One of those fresh new ideas builds on the ’s prowess at creating synthetic plastics using nitrogen and phosphorus, both abundant elements, rather than planet-harming petrochemicals.
“Instead of carbon-based polymers, we are hoping to make carbon-negative polymers,” Maryam says. “Because our polymers contain nitrogen and phosphorus, key nutrients found in fertilizers, we want to see if they have end-of-life applications as fertilizers.”
The Chitnis Lab is exploring that possibility in a New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) project involving Dr. Michelle Adams of the School for Resource and Environmental Studies and Dr. Lord Abbey of the Faculty of Agriculture’s Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences.
Maryam recently found out she has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship that will keep her at Dal for two more years, a place she’s happy to be.
“I believe Dal is the perfect place for personal and professional growth,” she says, praising the camaraderie and supportive staff in the chemistry department and the expertise and guidance provided by her postdoc supervisor.
The importance of community
In Canada, Maryam found welcoming Persian communities, which helped her meet people like her facing similar challenges. “The way that you see these challenges is really important,” she says. “Can you learn from them to become stronger, or do they represent obstacles that stop you from succeeding?”
Of course, individual determination can only go so far. “Sometimes you need someone to believe in you and your abilities before you do,” she says, referencing the supervisors and mentors who celebrated her successes.
Maryam says she has observed an increasing awareness of the importance of diversity in STEM fields. “I have seen positive changes, and we are heading in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to do.”
With that in mind, she wants to help women in STEM, especially fellow immigrants.
“A little encouragement can make a big difference.”