Amanda Preske, PhD, is the owner of Circuit Breaker Labs, which transforms broken electronics into handcrafted jewelry, accessories, and gift items. Her passion for art and science, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit, led her to create unique products out of electronic waste. During her PhD, Amanda participated in the IGERT fellowship program under NSF, which combined multiple disciplines, including marketing, economics, communication, energy technology, and teaching into her education. Under the fellowship, she also completed an internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where she worked on creating semiconductor nanocrystal solar cells. This research led her to teach workshops at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Kumasi, Ghana and help students build solar panels. 

Can you describe your academic and professional background? What path led you to pursue this field? 

I hold a BS in Chemistry from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Rochester. My research in graduate school focused on synthesizing semiconductor nanocrystals in a programmable manner. Basically, I used principles of chemical bonding to regulate a crystallization reaction so it would be controllable.

One of the most amazing properties of these crystals is that their color (and their photoluminescent emission) depends on their size, rather than their material. Think about how remarkable that is- it’s like if your clothes changed color because they shrank in the dryer! I became enamored with the whole field after hearing Todd Krauss at a public talk and went to the UR specifically to work with him on nanocrystals.

Simultaneously, I was operating a side business of making and selling jewelry I handcrafted. As a kid I was interested in art and music and filled my schedule with as many creative classes as possible. This continued into undergrad, and I explored metal-smithing, music theory, concert band, mixed media, and drawing in the evenings after chemistry lecture.

This creative entrepreneurial venture started when I was a teen and was looking for a way to purchase more jewelry making materials. After a successful first run at selling my work in public, I realized I loved everything about the process. This business “experiment” underwent several metamorphoses, as I played with new materials and ideas for creating jewelry. It ultimately became Circuit Breaker Labs because when I was at RIT, I found my medium: circuit boards.

Currently I own and operate Circuit Breaker Labs in Washington, D.C. We are a small company with several employees. We’ve expanded from jewelry and now create a range of science-inspired products, mostly made from electronic waste, all by hand. Our mission is to encourage responsible recycling and inspire an interest in STEM through art. 

How did you find this particular position, and what was the hiring process like? Is there a typical structure for this in your field? 

As a self starter, I created my position. You may have heard of the trope of the starving artist, so to ensure success, I prepared to become an entrepreneur in a structured way, rather than winging it. While I was at RIT and UR, I enrolled in marketing classes, and I frequently participated in business workshops. By the time I finished my doctorate, I had enough working knowledge, having been in business for over 10 years, and learned knowledge from classes to cultivate a successful career.

Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like in your role?

As a small business owner, I wear many hats. A typical week will shift based on the time of year to best meet the demands of the quarter. During the fourth quarter, most weeks consist of filling orders, exhibiting at pop-up events where we sell our products directly to the public, handcrafting custom orders, and making sure our retail partners are well stocked for the holiday sales rush. In contrast, the first quarter is filled with inventorying, forecasting and production, designing new products, and reevaluating our business plan and goals. Daily and weekly activities, regardless of quarter, include social media management, listing and releasing new products, bookkeeping and taxes, content creation, and public outreach.

What do you enjoy about your current job and work environment? 

The best part of being an entrepreneur is that same thing that I enjoyed about graduate school: autonomy. I’m incredibly self-motivated and really prefer this position where the only people I answer to are my customers. I enjoy having complete creative freedom. It’s liberating to be able to control the direction of my business, but also be responsible for any failures.

My work environment is constantly evolving, which is exciting to me. The beauty in exhibiting at events is that I’m constantly meeting new people and exploring new cities. It’s like networking, but way more interesting because I get to talk to people about science and art, with the things I’ve created by hand right on display.

What are some of the challenging aspects of your job? Is there anything you wish you had known about your job or industry before joining?

The very aspects of my job that make it interesting to me are also what make it challenging. It is hard to have to do so many things to operate the business besides making things. One of the most limiting is working from a home studio, rather than an office. I do not have colleagues to bounce ideas off of, so I’ve discovered online groups to fill that gap. As we grow the company, I’ll be able to hire more specialists to take on segments of the business, so I can free up more time to focus on the big picture.

Do you have any professional plans for the future? What are some future career paths that could open up for someone in your position, 5-10 years down the road?

In the next five years I anticipate a lot of growth, partnerships, and exploratory projects to dig into new sales channels. My plans for the future are more built around my vision for the brand and cultivating a family-like workplace, rather than advancing my own position since I’ll always be the founder. I think the freedom that comes with not worrying about my position creates space to instead think up ways to expand and pursue new opportunities.

What activities, internships, or organizations would you recommend someone get involved with to help them break into this field?

If you have passions outside your main discipline, lean into them. I really loved entrepreneurship, so I often found myself talking shop with other business owners and taking classes and workshops to sharpen my skills. It wasn’t immediately obvious to me how science + art could manifest as a career but having immersed myself in things outside of chemistry helped build expertise so that when the time was right, switching to my unique job was seamless.

Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience while pursuing or working in your field?

I’m finding that it’s very uncommon for a creative entrepreneur to have a STEM-based PhD. Personally, I think it’s incredibly advantageous. I’m much better positioned to treat each new endeavor as an experiment, and have the know-how to conduct, measure, and analyze new projects. I think a lot of artists are intimidated by math and shy away from things like projections and data analysis. I use it to my advantage to make informed production, strategic, and sales decisions, rather than just going about things blindly.

Graduate school also taught me how to prioritize my time and the projects I took on. My PI used to love saying, “go for the low-hanging fruit.” It may be cliché, but when you have limited resources, it’s really important to focus on the big picture, and have the clarity to see which actions most efficiently and effectively create the result you’re seeking.

Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions? Is there anything you would have done differently given what you know now? 

If you yearn for something different, find the confidence to pursue it and remain true to yourself. People fear what they don’t understand and will chastise you for going against the grain. I was overly prepared to take on a successful career as an artist, so when other PIs gave me the side eye when they found out I wasn’t advancing to a post doc, I didn’t feel diminished. You’re allowed to change your mind, and you’re allowed to carve out your own place in the world for a career that blends your skills and talents; if it doesn’t exist, create it.