Researching at Chatham Took Her to Georgetown and Beyond
Amy Chau ’15 (rear, second from left) poses alongside fellow students at Shadyside Campus in a photo from her time as an undergraduate at Chatham University. (Courtesy of Amy Chau)
When Amy Chau ’15 first came to Rodrigo Maillard’s chemistry lab at Georgetown University, he saw how skillful she was. She could produce high-quality results, and, soon after she joined, she became the person Maillard relied on to try new experiments and test more high-risk ideas.
In Amy there were aspects of textbook knowledge and personal character that Maillard thought must be the result of the university environment from which she came. So, he reached out this summer semester to Robert Lettan, the chair of the science department at Chatham University, to talk about coming to Pittsburgh and potentially recruiting Chatham students for Georgetown’s doctoral chemistry program.
“If Amy was trained here, there has to be an environmental contribution that allowed her to have the skills and tools to grow,” Maillard told Pulse during a phone interview.
Chau, who grew up in Philadelphia, first came to Chatham in 2011 to obtain her Bachelor of Biochemistry degree. It was the first time she left home, she said, and she remembers being nervous and excited.
“I got to make very nice memories by, in my first year, meeting my two best friends, who I still talk to,” Chau said.
“Without being at Chatham, I don’t think I would have fostered the relationships that I have to this day.”
At first, Chau had the idea that she would pursue forensic science after college, but a formative internship with Lettan, who’s also an associate professor of chemistry, changed her mind.
Chau began working in Lettan’s lab, despite having no prior laboratory experience. “I was very interested in getting research opportunities,” she said. “I just jumped in and wanted to try things, and I’m very happy that I got to do that.”
The internship built up her interest in doing more research. In her final year at Chatham, she began applying to Ph.D. programs. Chau said Georgetown stood out for its close-knit community, with a relatively small chemistry program and a collaborative environment between labs.
That latter point proved crucial when, three years into her program, Chau was told that the professor who headed her lab was retiring. Chau had to quickly find a new advisor in order to continue her doctoral program. She worried that her three years of research might have to come to an abrupt end.
That’s when she approached Professor Maillard, who still remembered making an unsuccessful attempt to recruit Chau to his lab during her first year at Georgetown. When she asked to join his lab, Maillard accepted.
Chau studied biochemistry at Chatham University before starting at Georgetown University’s Ph.D. program. (Courtesy of Amy Chau)
Describing her, he said she had “a combination” of characteristics—being creative, careful, analytical, and relentless—that allowed her to succeed in the Ph.D. program despite the unexpected transition.
Her ability to adapt and succeed during that period between labs spoke to her character, said Maillard, who, when he spoke to Pulse, was still ironing out specifics on whether he’d come to Chatham for recruiting efforts.
In 2023, they published an article in the Journal of Biochemistry, and she started projects that are ongoing with the current generation in Maillard’s lab.
Those younger students saw her as “the senior who could find solutions for everyone,” Maillard said. “When she left, my students were like, ‘What are we going to do without Amy?’” he said with a laugh.
He estimated there were 80 students in the chemistry program at Georgetown. “We get to know our students pretty well,” Maillard said. “When you have a strong student, you start asking where that student is coming from.”
Asked what she thought may have contributed to her strength in the lab, Chau also referred to her time spent in Chatham’s ambassador program, where she helped the Office of Admissions with events.
“That really improved my sense of community at Chatham,” she said. “The people I met there and in my classes strengthened my sense of belonging.”
She also worked as an exhibit intern at the Carnegie Science Center, assisting people with exhibits and occasionally doing small demonstrations. She liked it enough that she took a part-time job there when the internship was over.
“Explaining complicated concepts to everyday people, using simple language, and seeing their eyes light up—that was a very satisfying moment,” she said.
Now, Chau works as a field application scientist at Refeyn (pronounced like “refine”), where she draws on her work in labs, as well as her time working at the Office of Admissions and the Science Center.
“I’m really grateful for my experience at Chatham,” Chau said. “I hope current students take their time to enjoy every moment of it.”
Learn more about science programs at Chatham, including degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and more at chatham.edu.