Ep. 136: Dr. Beatrice Ncho on Using the Long Game to your Advantage

Dr. Beatrice Ncho

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

Georgia Institute of Technology

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On today’s conversation, Dr. Beatrice Ncho tells the story of how she left Cameroon to start her studies at a community college in the United States, before eventually achieving a PhD in chemical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. You’ll hear why she is passionate about helping Black women to excel in academia through mentorship, and what her current role entails, working as an R&D engineer at a medical device company, with a focus on changing the design of devices to prevent blood clots from forming in the heart. Dr. Ncho shares the roots of her interest in engineering, and tells us why she started her studies at a community college, and how this helped to set her up. You’ll also hear how she got accepted into a graduate program that paid her to learn, what led her to choose Georgia Tech, why the advisor you choose to work with has such a big influence on your PhD experience and what it was like for her to work with her advisor. People find community in all sorts of places, and Dr. Ncho shares how the Bible Study she started with a friend became an essential source of support, and how the students in her lab came to support and challenge one another. In closing, Dr. Ncho shares how her own experience of being mentored has led her to prioritize mentoring others, and shares some final words of advice with aspiring PhD candidates in Africa: you already have all the tools you need! We hope you join us to hear from this inspiring thought leader today.


Connect with Dr. Beatrice Ncho on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Dr. Ncho’s background, growing up in Cameroon and coming to the United States to study. 

• Why she is passionate about helping Black women to excel in academia through mentorship.

• What she is interested in outside of academia: family, and learning to cook African food.

• What her current role entails, working as an R&D engineer at a medical device company.

• How she is changing the design of devices to prevent blood clots from forming in the heart.

• How she has always known that she wanted to pursue a PhD. 

• Where her interest in engineering stemmed from: through her love of chemistry and math.

• Why she started her studies at a community college: to save money, achieve credits, and ace the classes in her GPA.

• How her high grades led to her receive a scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies.

• Why it is more difficult for foreign students to get a job than local students.

• The older student that gave Dr. Ncho the nudge she needed.

• How she got accepted into a graduate program that paid her to learn.

• What led her to choose Georgia Tech university: the hope of finding community.

• How she came to choose a notoriously difficult mentor whose work was aligned with hers.

• Why the advisor you select has such a big influence on your PhD experience.

• The positive aspects of working with her advisor: he always had funding, facilitated publishing more, allowed for collaboration, and created camaraderie among the students.

• What was difficult about working with her advisor: finding work life balance.

• How her advisor pushed her to present to the company she now works for.

• Why grad school felt like a job and how she applies the same principles to her work.

• The projects that her advisor allowed her and the other students to create.

• What the Bible study she started with her best friend added to her university experience.

• Why she recommends learning more about the professors than the product.

• How the people in her lab pushed each other and bonded over their boss.

• The difference it makes when you realize that your grades in grad school are irrelevant. 

• Why she is enjoying learning who she is outside of the PhD within her work in the industry.

• How her own experience of mentorship has led her to prioritize mentoring others.

• Final advice to listeners: you have the tools to succeed! 

• Dr. Ncho avails herself to connect and guide students in Africa. 

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The Cohort Sistas Podcast brings to life the stories, struggles, and successes of Black women with doctoral degrees and their lives beyond the degree. If you are a Black woman interested in joining the Cohort Sistas community, sign up to do so here, and if you are looking for more information on how to support or partner with Cohort Sistas, please visit our partnerships page. Find us on Twitter and Instagram, and don’t forget to follow The Cohort Sistas Podcast, rate the show, and leave us a quick review.