“Dr. Fathi wants to emphasize the importance of networking.” 
Eric Lentz and Daniella Halili-Sychangco
SPECTRUM Writers
February 1, 2016
As we begin the winter term, UTSC must unfortunately part ways with Dr. Fari Fathi, a valued member of the DPES faculty. An extremely dedicated and passionate instructor, Fari taught and supervised laboratories for a number of chemistry courses during her time at UTSC, including CHMA10 and CHMA11 (Introductory Chemistry I & II), CHMB16 (Analytical Chemistry), CHMB20 (Chemical Thermodynamics and Elementary Kinetics), CHMB21 (Chemical Structure and Spectroscopy), and CHMB41 (Organic Chemistry I). In addition to her diverse teaching background, she has an impressive list of past experiences in the field of chemistry. Using the knowledge she gained working with mentor students, she hosted the Career Talk Seminar for DPES students in late November. We were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Fathi and interview her about her educational background, experiences working within the chemistry field, and life outside of chemistry.
Growing up in Iran, Fari showed an interest in chemistry as a child and would often mix different things together to create concoctions. In middle school and high school, Fari excelled in math, chemistry, and physics, and was selected to participate in physics and chemistry competitions on behalf of her school. One of these competitions was the highly acclaimed International Physics Olympiad. Although she reached the national level, Fari was unable to compete any further because her school did not have the resources available to properly prepare her for competition at the national level.
Unlike Canada, Iran requires prospective university students to write an entry exam in order to gain acceptance into the limited number of university spots available. Fari was accepted into both engineering and science programs and after researching which field she liked best, she decided that the applied chemistry would be a much better fit for her. As an undergraduate student, Fari stood out amongst her peers because she would often ask her professors difficult questions that they would have trouble answering. As a result of her inquisitive nature, Dr. Fathi was offered a paid position in a lab by one of her professors, an impressive feat for an undergraduate student. Her first co-op placement as an undergraduate student was in the chemistry industry working with fireproof material, performing XRD analyses, and measuring the metal content of rocks.
As a Master’s student, Fari gained experience working in chemical research and had the opportunity to use various analytical chemistry instruments such as HPLC and gas chromatography. She worked in the field of phytochemistry, the chemistry of medicinal plants. During this time, she extracted and characterized a new anticancer agent from the Salvia plant family and established a new method to measure the menthol content of cigarettes, chocolate, and peppermint. After her Masters degree, Fari decided that it would be best to first gain experience working in the chemical industry before she decided whether or not she wanted to obtain her Ph.D. Initially, she worked part-time as a regional sales and marketing manager, a fluorescent paints formulating scientist, and worked in the development and marketing of various coatings such as antacid tablet coatings. Next, Fari worked full time with surfactants and worked her way up to becoming a laboratory project coordinator and research and development scientist. Eventually, she became involved in the optimization of the conditions used to purify metals obtained from mining. During this time, she played a role in the management and development of two new products, which brought in a revenue of over one million dollars for Iran! This product involved a mining metal purification process utilizing chemicals that did not freeze in the cool temperatures desert mines reach at night. Her expertise saved Iran a great deal of money, especially since Iran is a large exporter of metals.
It was around this time that Fari decided to pursue her PhD due to her increasing interest in chemistry at the research level. Since high school, she had decided that if she were to obtain her PhD, she would do so outside Iran. Dr. Fathi completed her PhD at U of T, starting out as a TA, and eventually becoming an instructor at UTSC. As a TA, many of Fari’s students would often thank her for pushing them to do their best and would ask her questions regarding careers in chemistry, and this lead Dr. Fathi to realize the importance of mentoring students. She believes that the feeling of a lack of direction experienced by many students stems from a lack of good mentors and hopes to become more involved in mentoring students.
On the topic of advice for undergraduate students, Dr. Fathi wants to emphasize the importance of networking. In addition to keeping a good GPA, networking is increasingly important in today’s job market because it opens the doorway to opportunities that would otherwise be much more difficult to find. Volunteering is also essential so that students are able to build soft skills such as communication and teamwork. One of Dr. Fathi’s favourite quotes is “fearful people cannot fly,” a quote that she hopes serves as a reminder to students that without taking risks, they will miss out on countless opportunities.
Fari has a wide range of interests outside of chemistry. She has worked as a music teacher and currently plays the Daf drum, tambourine, sings, and is learning to play the setar. Dr. Fathi believes her love for music is encouraged by the strong ties between math, physics, and music. Fari has been an avid crocheter since the age of ten, loves to hike, and has enjoyed learning several types of dance such as Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and Salsa dances. Lastly, Fari is involved in a great deal of community work and is a member of organizations such as the U of T career centre, the Canadian Women’s foundation, and is the internal event coordinator for the Toronto Chemistry Institute of Canada.
The Spectrum team would like to thank Dr. Fathi for taking the time to let us interview her. We hope to see Dr. Fathi again and wish her the best of luck on her future endeavours.