Nichole Valdez
About Nichole Valdez
Nichole Valdez is an R&D Laboratory Support Technologist at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has a diverse background in education, research, and tutoring, with extensive experience in crystallography and mineralogy.
Current Title and Role
Nichole Valdez currently serves as an R&D Laboratory Support Technologist at Sandia National Laboratories. She has been in this role since 2019, working in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. The position involves providing laboratory support for research and development projects.
Previous Professional Experience
Nichole Valdez has a diverse background with various roles in different organizations. She worked as an Educator at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, for three months in 2018. Additionally, she served as a Real Estate Services Coordinator at CBRE for two months in the same year. Other notable positions include a Visiting Predoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University (two months in 2015), a Crystallography Intern at both MIT (one month in 2015) and the University of California, San Diego (one month in 2014), and a Graduate Research Assistant & Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Idaho (three years from 2014 to 2017).
Education and Expertise
Nichole Valdez holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mineralogy and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Idaho, both completed between 2013 and 2017. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Chemistry and Geochemistry from Colorado College from 2009 to 2013. Further, she completed the Graduate Gemologist Program at the Gemological Institute of America from 2014 to 2016.
Teaching and Academic Contributions
In her academic career, Nichole Valdez has engaged in various teaching roles. She served as a Chemistry and Geology Tutor for WyzAnt from 2015 to 2017, and as a Chemistry & Earth Science Tutor for Tutor.com from 2014 to 2016. She also worked as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Idaho for three months in 2013. Her teaching experience expands to Chemistry Tutoring at Colorado College from 2012 to 2013.
Early Career and Internships
In the early stages of her career, Nichole Valdez participated in several internships and workshops. She interned at the International School of Crystallography, University of Vermont, Northwestern University, MIT, and the University of California, San Diego in various roles related to crystallography from 2014 to 2016. She also attended significant conferences and workshops in her field, including the IUCr 23rd Congress in 2014 and the American Crystallographic Association Summer School in 2014.