Alumni Q&A: Brianna Hoff chooses her own path

Unusually, Brianna Hoff *25 is in law school. After earning her Ph.D. from the Schoop Lab last May, the Massachusetts native returned to her home state this fall as a J.D. candidate at the Boston University School of Law, choosing an unconventional career path for a chemistry graduate student.

In the Schoop Lab, Hoff’s thesis reported “beautiful work” on the exfoliation as well as wet-chemical synthesis of a wide range of new quantum materials, according to Professor Leslie Schoop. “Brianna was one of the most reliable and organized students I have had,” said Schoop. “She was an amazing lab citizen and I was always extremely happy to have her in my group.” Hoff got her undergraduate degree in chemistry with honors at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

In our new Q&A, Hoff talks about her decision to go slightly off-path. 

Tell us about your research and what you liked best in the Schoop Lab

It is hard to say what I liked most about the Schoop Lab since it was such an amazing lab. The people in it were always ready and able to help. The atmosphere was very collaborative, and Leslie was an amazing mentor. She was really supportive of people trying new techniques and she encouraged us to make use of all the instruments and facilities that Princeton had to offer. My research was on developing novel low-dimensional materials using chemical exfoliation.

So, law school?

I am currently in my first year of law school at Boston University. I am planning to become a patent prosecutor.

Did you always plan on this career trajectory?

This was not my original plan when I started my Ph.D. However, after passing my candidacy exam, I realized that this is what I wanted to do, so it has been my plan for the past few years.

Why patent law?

What persuaded me to pursue patent law wasn’t necessarily the test itself, but the lead up to it. I realized while writing the proposals (as well as the National Science Foundation proposal I also applied for that year) how much I enjoyed learning about new science and technologies. I really enjoyed reading scientific papers and then taking what I learned to write the aforementioned proposals.

What really draws me to patent law is the opportunity to constantly be learning new technologies, quite literally, right as they are being invented. I think I would probably get bored if I were doing the same sort of research day in and day out. Getting to be always learning about new science is so exciting to me. I also just really enjoy reading and writing, which is something you get to do a lot as a lawyer.

What is law school like?

Being in law school is a lot like solving puzzles. We are given a situation and we have to piece together rules from different cases in order to solve and explain that situation. Also, the people here are really great and Boston University law school is incredibly supportive of their students.

Any advice to chemists interested in a less conventional path?

Don’t be scared to take the less conventional path! I think there’s this fear that having gone through nearly 10 years of school that it is too late to try something new, especially since graduate school really pushes students towards academia. Or there’s this fear that getting a Ph.D. is a waste of time if you aren’t going to become a professor. But getting a Ph.D. in chemistry teaches you more than just a higher level of science. It teaches you important critical thinking skills like how to communicate complex concepts and how to solve complex problems.

How are you enjoying Boston outside of your studies?

Boston is great. I grew up in Massachusetts, and I always knew I wanted to come back to the area. Law school has been keeping me pretty busy, but I have had the chance to visit a few museums and try out a couple restaurants and cafes in the area.