Instructional Associate

JOSE THANKAMANI *******@*****.***

***** ********** ******* ***, ********** Village, MD 20886, Cell phone 618-***-****

Education

• Master of Science (Chemistry), 2000, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai

• Bachelor of Science (Chemistry), 1998, Loyola (Autonomous) College, Chennai

Academic Experiences

March 2014 – present, Instructional Associate, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD

• Provide direct instructional support services to students in support of the Chemistry academic

programs

• Maintaining cleanliness and safety of teaching laboratories

• Operating, troubleshooting and performing maintenance on scientific instrumentation

• Assisting with the collection and disposal of hazardous waste

• Overseeing student assistants

• Overseeing safety of students in teaching labs

January 2014 - March 2014, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Cottey College, Nevada, MO

• Instruct Organic Chemistry 2, lecture, and lab, 5 Credit Hours

• Grade all reports, quiz, and exams

Industrial Laboratory Experiences

May 2010 September 2013, Analytical Lab Tech, TAMKO

Building Products Inc., Joplin, MO

• Experience with handling roofing grade asphalt, and polymer-modified derivatives; shingle &

composite roofing products; and wood-plastic (polymer) composite decking, and railing products,

independently and in-conjunction with the instruments below

• Experience with operating, troubleshooting, and performing minor repairs for several instruments

viz. Nicolet FTIR & ATR (Omnic software), optical microscopes, Waters HPLC & GPC (Empower

Chromatography Data System Software), GC -FID/PID (TurboMatrix Headspace Sampler 40, Clarus

600, TotalChrom Software), DSC & TGA (TA Instruments software), Rheometers (RDA3 and

Intellitorque Plasticorder), Instron, Buchi and Heidolph Rotavap systems

• In-charge of Hazardous Waste handling (identifying, managing, collection and disposal) for all R&D

labs since 01/2011 according to state and federal regulations. Hazardous Materials Transportation

Certification Workshop (49 CFR): 09/2013 (valid until 09/2016).

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training: 10/19/2010. Completed a project, saving thousands of dollars

(yearly) in terms of man hours, solvents/chemicals, and utilities, using Lean Six Sigma Tools,

SigmaXL and Minitab software.

October 2009-February 2010, Quality Technician, Prairie Pride Inc. (currently ADM), Deerfield, MO

• The lab obtained BQ9000 (biodiesel) standard and I supported all aspects to keep the status current,

with proper testing and documentation procedures, and passed an External Audit with flying colors,

during this short employment

• Worked with and tested biodiesel, crude and refined soybean oil, soybean meal and pellets, soy hulls,

white flakes and soap-stock – some following ASTM procedures

• The following instruments were used on a daily basis: GC-FID, ICP-OES, NIR, Flash Point Tester,

Karl Fisher Moisture Analyzer, Sulfur Trace Analyzer, Oxidative Stability Instrument, and Total Acid

Number Autotitrator

• Basic wet-titrations were performed on a daily basis

JOSE THANKAMANI *******@*****.***

19056 Montgomery Village Ave, Montgomery Village, MD 20886, Cell phone 618-***-****

June 2000-July 2002, Research Officer, Laundry Division, Unilever Research India, Bangalore

• Worked on Polymer-Surfactant interactions, to decrease the surface tension effectively and thereby

increasing the efficiency of a detergent formulation

• Worked on swelling of cellulose, especially using organic solvents, as a route for fabric-detergency

• Experience operating, troubleshooting and performing minor repairs on the following instruments

FT-IR, UV-visible spectroscopy, Light Scattering Spectrophotometers, Flow Cell, Simulated Washers

(laundry), and Optical Microscope (with Image Analysis Software)

• Received specialized training on ‘Surfactants and Colloids Science’ and ‘Non-Soap-Detergent

Processing’

Training

• Hazardous Materials Transportation Certification Workshop (49 CFR): 09/2013 (valid until

09/2016), Trainer: Clean Harbors (formerly Safety Kleen), Springfield, MO

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training: 10/19/2010, TAMKO in-house training

Chemistry Laboratory experience

• August 2005-December 2007, August 2008-May 2009: Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA),

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), Chemistry in Context Laboratory, General

Chemistry Lab, Organic Chemistry Lab I; and Analytical Instrumentation Lab

Fall 2008, 2007, 2006, GTA for Analytical Instrumentation Lab

• About 15 undergraduate Chemistry senior students, each semester

• Instructed all labs, and graded all multi-page lab reports

• Used 8 instruments: GC-MS, GC-FID, HPLC, CE, FTIR, UV-VIS, AAS,

and Fluorimeter

• August 2002-May 2005: GTA, University of Texas at Arlington, General Chemistry Lab II, Organic

Chemistry Lab I, and Prep lab duties

Achievements

• All instruction in English since pre-kindergarten except languages: Hindi (pre-kindergarten up to 8 th

grade, & 2 years in college), Sanskrit (5th-9th grade), and Tamil (3rd, 6th-8th grade)

• Selected in Unilever Research India as Research Officer through graduate college placement

• Proficient in MS Office package, viz. Word, Excel, SigmaXL, PowerPoint, and Outlook; familiarity

with Minitab

• GRE (Graduate Record Examination) Scores: Quantitative: 710, Analytical: 600, Verbal: 510, Test

date: February 2002

• Scored 93.13 percentile in GATE-2000, India (Graduate Aptitude Testing Examination)

• First Rank - Loyola (Autonomous) College, B.S. (Chemistry) 1998, and also won the best student

award (in terms of academic achievement) for all 3 academic years of my undergraduate study

(1995-98)

• Qualified the United Grants Commission-Council for Scientific & Industrial Research - National

Educational Testing Examination, in the subject Chemical Sciences, held on 19 th December 1999,

which enables me to apply as a Lecturer anywhere in India, and its validity is forever

• House Captain in High School, senior year

• English Typewriting Technical Examination, Junior Grade (30 words per minute), January 1994; and

Senior Grade (45 words per minute), July 1994

JOSE THANKAMANI *******@*****.***

19056 Montgomery Village Ave, Montgomery Village, MD 20886, Cell phone 618-***-****

Affiliations

• Alpha Chi Sigma (AXE), Beta Psi (βψ ) Chapter, active and professional member (Chemistry

Fraternity) since January 2007

• Sri Lankan Students Association (SLSA), Treasurer, 2008-2009, & active member 2005-2009, SIUC

References

Please request when appropriate.

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