A closer look into the NSERC ContRoL lab with Todd Hoare - Chemical Engineering Professor
Dr. Todd Hoare (he/him) is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University and the Canada Research Chair in Engineered Smart Materials. Research in the Hoare Laboratory for Engineered Smart Materials focuses on hydrogel and cross linked polymer networks - in drug delivery, agriculture, anti-infective surfaces, tissue engineering and various other applications.
Additionally, he also serves as a co-editor of Chemical Engineering Journal, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Biomacromolecules and is currently the Director of the NSERC CREATE Training Program for Controlled Release Leaders (ContRoL) - a program that aims to equip trainees with technical and professional skills through collaboration with universities and industry partners.
Todd leverages his diverse portfolio of experiences in interactions such as the ContRoL program, with an emphasis on scientific communication, mentorship and personal and professional development.
**This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I had a really good chemistry professor in high school. I got to be a lab assistant for my independent study basically making chemicals in the back for different labs that were going on. But also, staying after class, he would bring out something and show it to us, so I was always interested in chemistry - I enjoyed the subject. But I also originally intended to do business, so I thought engineering would be a good way to sort of thread the needle.
So when I got into undergrad, I ended up choosing engineering chemistry for my program. That was a really fantastic choice for me because I liked the chemistry, I didn’t like the process control. The more I went through it, the more I realized I thought like an engineer.
You know on a day to day basis, if I had 3 tasks to do, I would be optimizing it all - if I had to carry something downstairs, I do this at the same time - you’re kind of wired in a particular way.
So I enjoyed that mindset, and I also got to minor in chemistry and I think that set me up really well for what I ended up doing in grad school.
I’ve always been really interested in journalism too. In science - well in our job - you do a lot of writing. And I’m a complete grammar nerd, so I’m very passionate about things like oxford commas and things like that. So yeah, I can actually see myself doing that and definitely something I’d enjoy too.
Scientifically, I think it would be Dr. Pelton, who was my PhD supervisor. I started as a Masters student and he basically said ‘do whatever you want.’ I think that’s what really sparked my interest in moving to a PhD because I really liked being able to do whatever I want. He supported that and gave me a whole bunch of opportunities to learn how to present. In particular - I used to be incredibly nervous about presenting, but he made me do it over and over and over again and now it’s not so bad.
My parents are both teachers, I always sort of admired that and how that permeates different aspects of life, so I’d say that has also been inspiring.
In work, it’s trying to get something actually on the market, so we have a few things like osteoarthritis injections for example, and some of the coating technologies for biosensing. I’d like to see some of our technologies actually used in commercial products. As an engineer, you want to make an impact on society in some way, so this is a way we can do that - using our science to make better products to improve quality of life or to improve our ability to keep people healthy.
It’s the supervising - the mentoring students. It’s what gives you the energy because you see people that are passionate about what they’re doing and it sort of rubs off. We have a lot of people that are really driven and passionate in our lab, and I think we’re lucky enough to have that.
It’s certainly what keeps me going. Reviewing papers for examples - I look at them and think: ‘this is a paper that someone worked really hard on, is super excited about, has put a lot of effort into and I want to see them succeed’, so I’m excited about it too. It definitely is motivating.
The reason I’m fast is because if I don’t reply right away I’ll forget, so it’s a complete self defense mechanism. Just to give you a comparison, I worked in Bob Langer’s lab - he was sort of a pioneer in drug delivery. I’ve emailed him a few times even after I’ve left the lab, and I’ll get an email back in 10 minutes - it puts me to shame. I can’t imagine how many emails he gets a day, it would dwarf my number that’s for sure.
Do you find that this habit has taken up a lot of your time?
It’s hard to turn off - and especially this pandemic, which has made it even harder to turn off. Because all of a sudden, we’ve been working at home for 2 years, and now whatever boundary used to exist doesn’t exist to the same degree. I think that’s the challenge. I’ve been trying to be much more diligent between 5 o’clock to 9:30 when my kids go to bed to not look at my email - just to have that break. It’s a challenge for a lot of people now to establish those boundaries between work and home when you’ve been working from home.
When you’re trying to look for a lab, you should always talk to the people who are in that lab already and see what they’re motivated by, because I think every lab has its own culture.
It’s always good to talk to the students that are there already - what opportunities do you have, what do they think would be good opportunities and what are they looking to achieve? Different people place different priorities in different things, so getting that input in early is good.
We’re starting to do career plans, which I think are really good, where we make the plan in the beginning and we meet once a year and make sure that we’re on track. Even if your supervisor doesn’t do that routinely, asking, ‘can we sit down, talk about this’ because I think a lot of people have no problem doing it, it’s just not something that’s on their radar.
I get all sorts of requests for reference letters from people - I just got one last week from someone who graduated in 2013. Students are more reticent to contacting professors and they shouldn’t be because we generally love to hear from them.
The only fun thing about applying for a grant for me is when I have to update my CV, and one of the requirements is you have to find out where your former students are working.
Some of them I do hear from occasionally when they email an update, or they’ve asked for a reference to move jobs. Otherwise, I just find you all on LinkedIn and see what you’re doing - it’s really fascinating. Even just updating your LinkedIn profile, simple as that, I know professors really appreciate that.
One of the things we’re trying to do with our CREATE program - one of my former Masters’ students is speaking in the career talk in our next meeting, so trying to bring them back in to participate in the training. Connecting students with people who are on the same path - it helps current trainees, but also it helps former trainees stay engaged and involved in the community in the lab.
In terms of the CV, one of the things I’m interested in is what you do outside the lab. The reason why I find that important is because graduate studies in particular - and senior thesis projects; they are what you make of them. Nobody’s looking over your shoulder, there’s very few deadlines. So finding people who have active leadership - they’ve gone out of their way to volunteer for different things that they didn’t have to do. I find that a pretty good predictor for people that are really going to excel in a less structured environment. It’s also very much a ~feels~ thing - do I think you’ll get along with the people that are here now, do I think you’ll contribute to the shared lab tasks. If you have a few people who won’t do that in a big lab, it’s hugely problematic. There’s way more gut to it than I would like to admit - I’ve interviewed a lot of people and I’ve learned to follow that feeling after meeting someone.
As a polymer chemist, I’m almost obliged to say carbon. The amazing thing about carbon - even carbon just bonding with itself can be so many things, let alone when you combine it with other elements.
I’ve also always been very fascinated by the chemistry of water. We’re a hydrogel lab, so I guess that makes sense. I read a book in grad school called ‘Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life’ - it’s by an engineer from the University of Washington. It was a phenomenal book, where it basically described how the structuring and restructuring of water can explain so many biological processes, let alone everything else that’s going on. It’s a fascinating molecule and it has so many functions that contribute to things that are essential to life on earth. If I had to pick my favourite molecule, it would definitely be water.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What were your motivations for studying chemical engineering?
What’s your secret to staying organized and on top of things with such a busy schedule?
What advice do you have for students in finding and staying connected with good mentors?
What do you look for when you’re interviewing or reviewing students that reach out to you?
