“It was at Hopkins where I learned how to evaluate complex situations, gather and analyze data, run a process, think methodically, and ultimately, solve whatever problem was in front of me.” — Mark Perez, Class of ’98, Chemical Engineering.
Mark Perez graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1998 with his B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Since leaving Hopkins, he has used his engineering knowledge to pursue careers in the field of chemical engineering and beyond.
Perez began his career by taking an Assistant Project Manager position with the U.S. EPA’s Office of Science and Technology, where he helped develop environmental regulations.
After spending three years at his first position, he chose to move into private industry when he took a position at ChemPoint in 2001. This new experience in industry exposed him to the business and finance world.
After spending a few years at ChemPoint, Perez was inspired to pursue his MBA at New York University in order to change his career path to investment banking. He finished his MBA with honors and was hired by investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Global Natural Resources group shortly thereafter. In this position, he was able to draw upon his engineering background to solve tough investment problems.
In 2009, Perez decided to use his business-savvy to partner with JHU alumnus, Jesse Watson (IR ’99) to launch the private investment firm, Virgo. Now, he uses his engineering background to analyze special situations for a living.
Perez is proof that engineers are valuable everywhere– not just in the laboratory.
Adapted from an article written by Lisa DeNike Ercolano for ChemBE Bond (2013).