Division News
Thank you, Alison: A Brief Reflection on a Career of Dedication
This month marks the end of a decades-long career for Alison Ross, our Chemistry Graduate Option Manager. Over the course of her career, she has become a cornerstone of the Division.
We spoke with her to reflect and share insights on her time at Caltech.
Q: When did you start working at Caltech and in what capacity?
A: I started in 1994, and I was hired to provide Aron Kuppermann and Rudy Marcus with administrative support using LaTeX (a software system for typesetting documents.)
Q: When did you become a graduate option manager?
A: It was the year 2000, I saw a job posting for the biochemistry graduate studies coordinator and it was a BBE position – back in the day it was biology– and Doug Rees and Pamela Bjorkman hired me. I think there were 30 students at the time and I think I joined when it was in year one or two [of the program] and I was in that program a long time, 15 years.
Q: How did you come to CCE?
A: Jackie Barton became [CCE] Chair and at the time Elliot Meyerowitz was Chair of BBE and they were literally taking my away office to build a faculty member's new lab space. Biology didn't have any space at the time but chemistry did have space, but I needed to be CCE employee, so I was transferred to an office near Gates Annex. Six or seven years later this position became available and I applied for it and here I am.
Q: Is there anything you will miss about working in CCE?
A: Oh, the people. I also like the structure of coming to work and feeling like I'm doing something. I like working with people. I like structure. Not that I'm scared of not having that structure, but I'll think I'll miss it . For a little while at least? And then I'll get used the free feeling [of retirement].
Q: When you reflect on your time here, is there anything that stands out to you?
A: I would say the kindness of faculty whom I've worked with. Some of them have just been very, very nice. And then also the students. Some students just really stay with you and those are the ones that make a difference. They're just really good people and make a difference with the program.
Fun fact: Alison's grandfather, Leonard Ross, graduated from Caltech in 1928 in engineering, with a concentration in materials science. He was on the Institute's tennis team and for winning 1st place in a competition, the Institute gifted him a solid gold piece of jewelry. On occasion, Alison will wear her grandfather's same "CIT" pendant to work. Leonard went on to become one of the two engineers who designed the L.A. River.
A celebration lunch for Alison will be held on Monday, January 28.
Welcome to CCE, Suri!
As we bid farewell to Alison, we’re excited to annouce that Suri Pourmodheji will be stepping into the role of Chemistry Graduate Option Manager.
Suri M. Pourmodheji joined the CCE department as the Chemistry Graduate Option Program Manager in January of 2025. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017. She then earned her Master of Arts degree from Indiana University in the Cinema and Media Studies program in 2022 while working full time as the Graduate Program Associate for the English Graduate Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Most recently, Suri served as an Assistant Director of Admissions & Recruitment for MBA and masters programs for the Wisconsin School of Business. Suri comes to Caltech with over five years in the Graduate Management space. She enjoys helping graduate students outside of the classroom whether that be through graduate paperwork or discussing how to handle imposter syndrome.
Outside her new role as our Graduate Option Manager, Suri's professional interests include academic research areas such as Celebrity Studies, Reality Television, and Body Image. Specifically, she is interested in looking at how female celebrities on reality television represent and discuss body image. She is an avid reality television fan and celebrity culture enthusiast. Suri also loves animals and used to train dogs professionally with Central Bark prior to starting her masters program. She has a border collie shepherd mix named Rudy West.
Biotechnology Leadership Program Industry Series: A Conversation on Commercializing Your Research
On November 21, 2024, The Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center hosted an event where Caltech entrepreneurs discussed the challenges and rewards of commercializing their research. Panelists include Alborz Mahdavi (founder of Protomer), Peter Meinhold (cofounder of Provivi), Jay Chiang (Caltech Life Sciences Entrepreneur in Residence), and Ravi Lal & Kathleen Sicinski (researchers in the Arnold lab).
CCE Holiday Party
The Division held its annual Holiday Celebration in the newly constructed Resnick Sustainability Center on Friday December 13, 2025. Festivities included karaoke, a viewing of student skits, enjoying music from the Caltech Jazz Band, arts and crafts and more!
In Memoriam:
Fredrick Shair 1936 - 2025
