SAMPLE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESUME – Sophomores, Freshmen
Polly Mer
School Address: SMC 1220, 5032 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15289-1220
Permanent Address: 284 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94120
Email: pollymer@andrew.cmu.edu Cell: (412) 862-9999
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a summer internship in the field of Chemical Engineering that will utilize my analytical,
leadership and interpersonal skills.
EDUCATION
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering May 2015
Double Major in Biomedical Engineering
Minor in Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.15/4.0
San Francisco High School San Francisco, CA
High School Diploma, June 2011
GPA 3.82/4.0
PROJECTS
Capsaicin Analysis Project, Chemistry Lab, Spring 2012
 Designed and performed an experiment to determine the quantity of capsaicin in peppers and salsas
using reversed-phase HPLC (team project).
Chemical Engineering Filtration System, Fall 2011
 Designed a filtration system to remove dye from water, while minimizing costs (team project).
WORK
EXPERIENCE
Carnegie Mellon University Career Center Pittsburgh, PA
CIT Career Assistant Spring 2012 – present
 Organize and advertise career workshops.
 Create career-related handouts and research opportunities to facilitate job and internship searches.
YMCA Camp San Jose, CA
Camp Counselor, Summers 2009, 2010
 Coordinated the daily activities of 22 children.
 Planned camp events with other camp counselors.
LEADERSHIP
Vice President, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 2012 – present
 Organize the monthly speaker series which has seven corporate and alumni speakers.
 Motivate the 150 members to attend meetings and events.
SKILLS
Laboratory: organic synthesis & purification, fluorescence & brightfield microscopy, HPLC, atomic
absorption
Instruments: gas absorber, rheometer, NMR, FTIR, UV/VIS, GC/MS
Computer: MathCAD, MATLAB, SIMULINK, ImageJ, AutoSketch, MS Office
Spoken Languages: Fluent in Spanish; Conversant in French
ACTIVITIES
Alpha Beta Gamma Women’s Fraternity, 2011 – present
Intramural Soccer, 2011 – present
Tartan Newspaper, Writer, 2011 – present
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2012 – present
Soccer Team, San Francisco High School, 2007 – 2011
HONORS
College of Engineering Dean’s List (GPA 3.75 and above), Spring 2012
Andrew Carnegie Scholarship, Fall 2008 – present
Valedictorian, San Francisco High School, June 2011
SAMPLE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESUME – Seniors, Juniors
Polly Mer
School Address: SMC 1220, 5032 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15289-1220
Permanent Address: 284 South Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94120
Email: pollymer@andrew.cmu.edu Cell: (412) 222-2424
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a position in the field of Chemical Engineering that will utilize my analytical, technical and interpersonal
skills.
EDUCATION
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, May 2012
Double Major in Biomedical Engineering
Overall GPA: 3.25/4.0
RELEVANT
EXPERIENCE
Merck & Company – Future Talent Program
Elkton, VA
Global Vaccine Technology and Engineering Intern, Summer 2011
 Optimized shakedown, performed Operational Qualifications and revised P&IDs on four chromatography
columns ($250k each) to be used in Gardisil® downstream process.
 Gained experience with DeltaV automation interface for large-scale chromatography column packing.
 Trained in clean room manufacturing techniques and cGMP practices.
Koppers Follansbee, WV
Process Engineer Intern, Summer 2010
 Conducted process studies to identify bottlenecks and to recommend process improvements.
 Implemented lockout/tagout measures to ensure safety of workers when equipment is not in use.
 Created flowcharts of various processes in the plan using AutoSketch.
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh, PA
Undergraduate Researcher – Materials Research Program, Summer 2009
 Measured biocompatibility of iron nanomaterials with various coating combinations in cancer cells.
 Gained experience in cancer research, nanotechnology, and professional research practices.
PROJECTS
Teapot Project, Transport Lab, Spring 2011
o Improved heating time for commercial teapot design by 20% (Team of five students).
o Led fabrication and machine shop communication and also collaborated on design.
Capsaicin Analysis Project, Chemistry Lab, Spring 2010
 Designed and performed an experiment to determine the quantity of capsaicin in peppers and salsas using
reversed-phase HPLC (Team of four students).
ADDITIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Career and Professional Development Center, Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh, PA
CIT Career Assistant, Fall 2009 – present
 Research opportunities for engineering internships.
 Create career-related handouts to facilitate job and internship searches.
LEADERSHIP
Selection Chairperson, Lambda Sigma Honor Fraternity, Spring 2010 – Spring 2011
 Organized service projects and planned agenda for meetings.
 Conducted interviews and selected new Lambda Sigma members.
SKILLS
Laboratory: organic synthesis & purification, fluorescence & brightfield microscopy, HPLC, atomic absorption
Instruments: gas absorber, rheometer, NMR, FTIR, UV/VIS, GC/MS
Computer: MathCAD, MATLAB, SIMULINK, ImageJ, AutoSketch, MS Office
Spoken Languages: Fluent in Spanish; Conversant in French
ACTIVITIES
& HONORS
Varsity Tennis Team, 2008 – present
Alpha Beta Gamma Sorority, 2008 – present, House Manager, 2009 – 2010
Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honor Society, 2009 – present
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, (AIChE) 2009 – present
College of Engineering Dean’s List, Fall 2007, Spring 2010
SAMPLE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESUME – PH.D.
POLLY MER
300 SOUTH HIGHLAND AVENUE #8 • PITTSBURGH, PA 15206
PHONE 412-268-1111 • FAX 412-268-2227 • E-MAIL PMER@CMU.EDU
OBJECTIVE
To utilize a strong background in biochemical engineering and colloidal science for product research and process
development.
EDUCATION
Carnegie Mellon University
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, May 2012
 Thesis title: “Surfactant Microstructures as DNA Sequence Tags”
 Advisor: Prof. James W. Schneider
 GPA: 3.70/4.00
Illinois Institute of Technology
B.S. Chemical Engineering, High Honors, May 2007
 Specialization: Energy/Environment/Economics
 GPA: 3.97/4.00
Pittsburgh, PA
Chicago, IL
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Carnegie Mellon University (2007-present)
 Produced bioactive liposomes by co-extrusion of peptide nucleic acid amphiphiles (PNAA) and helper
phospholipids, aiming to create useful oligonucleotide sequence tags for highly sensitive bioanalytical devices
 Designed and synthesized di-alkyl PNAA that were sufficiently hydrophilic for studies in aqueous solutions but
adequately lipophilic for incorporation and retention into liposomal bilayers
 Measured sequence-specific binding of DNA onto PNA-functionalized liposomal surfaces by capillary zone
electrophoresis, with emphasis on enhancing the extent of binding by reducing electrostatic repulsion in the system
 Employed di-alkyl PNAA to improve PNA-DNA duplex retention in mixed micelles for micellar electrokinetic
chromatography applications
Illinois Institute of Technology (2004-2005)
 Performed thermodynamic analysis of fuel cell systems to prevent carbon deposition
WORK EXPERIENCE
American Air Liquide
Countryside, IL
Research Assistant, February 2005-August 2007
 Investigated the effects of air derivatives in the preservation and decontamination of various food products
 Designed, constructed, and operated biochemical laboratory wash tanks and gas chambers
 Implemented automatic data collection scheme for multiple instruments with LabView software
Pritzker Institute of Medical Engineering
Chicago, IL
Research Assistant, December 2003-February 2005
 Participated in team studying the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac rhythm problems
 Installed and updated software in Linux server
TEACHING AND SUPERVI SING
Undergraduate Research Mentor
 “Monolayer Phase Behavior of Peptide Amphiphiles” Nicole Gartner (2010-2012)
 “pH-Controlled Rupture of Liposomes for Oral Delivery of Vaccines” Elizabeth Newton (2009-2011)
 “DNA Adsorption to Liposome-Like Surfaces on Gold” Diana Yoon (2009)
Teaching Assistant
 Physical Chemistry of Colloids and Surfaces (2010), Heat and Mass Transfer (2009), Unit Operations of Chemical
Engineering (2008), Chemical Reaction Engineering (2008)
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Organic Chemistry
 Solid-phase peptide synthesis, lipid synthesis, esterification, bromination, and thiol reactions
Molecular Analysis
 Mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF, ESI-Ion Trap), UV spectrometry, CD spectropolarimetry, Langmuir-Blodgett
monolayer deposition, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)
Bioseparation
 Capillary zone electrophoresis, reverse-phase chromatography (HPLC), size exclusion chromatography (FPLC)—
Also proficient in method development
Colloidal Characterization
 Dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, quartz crystal microgravimetry
Programming Skills
 Matlab, Mathematica, C++, LabView
PUBLICATIONS AND PRE SENTATIONS

“Sequence-Specific Binding of DNA to Liposomes Containing di-Alkyl Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) Amphiphiles”
P. Mer and J.W. Schneider. Langmuir. 2012, 21, 2488-2494.

“Thermodynamic and Structural Characterization of Amino Acid-Linked Dialkyl Lipids” S. Tristam-Nagle, R.N.A.H.
Lewis, J.W. Blickenstaff, M. DiPrima, P. Mer, R.N. McElhaney, J.F. Nagle, J.W. Schneider. Chem. Phys. Lipids. 2012,
134, 29-39.

“Electrostatic and Hydrophobic Interactions of DNA Oligomers with Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) Liposomes” P.
Mer and J.W. Schneider, 229th ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2012)

“Hydrophobic Anchoring of DNA into Surfactant Microstructures” P. Mer, S.T. Grosser, J.W. Schneider, 229th ACS
National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2010)

“Detection of Sequence-Specific DNA Binding onto Liposomal Surfaces with Capillary Zone Electrophoresis”
Mer and J.W. Schneider, International Electrokinetics (ELKIN) Conference, Pittsburgh, PA (2010)

“DNA Binding to Peptide Amphiphiles in Surfactant Microstructures” P. Mer, Center for Complex Fluids Engineering
Seminar, Pittsburgh, PA (2009)

“DNA Binding to Peptide Amphiphiles in Surfactant Microstructures” P. Mer, S.T. Grosser, C. Lau, N. Gartner,
J.W. Schneider, Materials Research Society Fall Meeting, Boston, MA (2010)
HONORS & ACTIVITIES

Best Poster Award, Division of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, 229th ACS National Meeting (2012)

John E. Swearingen Fellow of Chemical Engineering (2008-2010)

President’s Scholar (2002-2007)

Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association, President (2009)

American Chemical Society

Materials Research Society

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League
LANGUAGES

Fluent in Portuguese

Proficient in Spanish and Italian
POLLY MER
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