Crystal Blais (PhD/13) landed her dream job even before she graduated with her PhD in Cognitive Science.
Today, she is a Cognitive Neuroscientist at NorDocs Technologies, Inc., a medical devices company that focuses on treatment solutions for substance abuse and other disorders.
Her job is mostly research-oriented and involves the establishment of clinical trials, including the designing of research protocols, submitting ethics applications, applying for funding, and so on.
Blais also trains others on how to use a technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which sends a weak electrical pulse to an affected area of the brain. She explains that this technique has been widely studied for use in depression, stroke rehabilitation and chronic pain, and shows great promise for substance abuse, including nicotine addiction.
“My job is great because it’s a unique and refreshing mix of industry and research; I’m learning a lot and I feel like I’m becoming even more well-rounded as a researcher,” says Blais.
While at Carleton, her research focused on people with schizophrenia – how their brains are wired to perceive information in their environment differently than the average person and how this can have an impact on the severe and often debilitating symptoms they experience, such as auditory hallucinations.
The lab in which she conducted her thesis work focuses on psychiatric disorders and their relation to nicotine addiction. “Doing my PhD in this lab has given me the experience and knowledge in addictions and mental health that drives my work here at NorDocs,” says the former grad student.
Blais says: “I can’t say enough about my supervisor Dr. Verner Knott and my co-supervisor Dr. Andrew Brook and the immense support both have provided me over the years. Dr. Knott has always been an amazing mentor; and as head of the department at the time, Dr. Brook is the reason I joined Carleton in the first place.”
For current PhD students, she admits that looking for employment can be scary. To that end, she has the following advice: “Don’t limit yourself by what is typically done. Look into every opportunity that presents itself and you might surprise yourself by what you find.”
You can read other stories in this series by going to our Alumni Success Story archive.
Monday, September 30, 2013 in News, Research
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