careers in chemistry workshop session 1. workshop objectives provide perspective and awareness on:...
TRANSCRIPT
Workshop Objectives
Provide Perspective and Awareness on:
• Careers in Industry
• Effective Job Search
• Value added Skills and
How to Develop them.
Workshop Roadmap
Careers in Chemistry….What should you Expect?
• Job Search Process(Resume, Interviews)
• Skill Session 1
• Skill Session 2
Feb 11
Feb 25
Mar 11
Mar 25
Today’s Content
Careers in Chemistry….What should you Expect?
• Gauging your Perspective• Three Career Examples
• P&G• Dow• GE
• Panel Discussion• Intro to the Next Session
• 15 min• 45 min
• 20 min• 5 min
Perspective
Most Advanced Degrees Lead to Positions in Industry
The Career Perspective of Most Students is based on University Experiences and Mentors
Influences on the Perspective of Students
University Influence Individual’s Experience
• Mission of the Department• Mission of the University• Location• Applied Sciences Departments• Advisors Connective-ness• Consortiums
• Industrial Experience• Coops, Summer jobs• Research Topic• Parental Heritage• Personal Experience
Science in Academia and Business
Science in the Public Interest Science For Commercial Value
Common Values
• Intelligence
• Ambition to Succeed
• Scientific Creativity
• Passion for Science
• Selling your Ideas
• Competition
Science in the Public Interest Science For Commercial Value
Commercial Value Drives some Unique Skills/Values
• Cross Functional Interfaces• Accountability…Safety, Financial, Timing• Intellectual Property• Business Skills• Communication to Non-Scientists
Explore Further these Values/Skills Today
Science in Academia and Business
Education and Career
Education
Reality
Learning Accelerates and Diversifies
Learning
Undergrad Grad Student Post DocAcademics
Industry
New Science
Skills
Interpersonal
Business
Patents
Education and Career
Career
Your Career Starts Earlier than You May Think…Need to be Career Minded Early
Understanding the Goal Allows you to take Action
Reality
Undergrad Grad Student Post DocAcademics
Industry
Corporate Culture Plays a Significant Role
• Values are Similar between Companies, but
Corporate Culture and Market will Influence
• Stated Corporate Objectives
• Big vs Small
• Market and Product Maturity
• Global vs Domestic
Today we have 3 Different Perspectives/Cultures
• DowAgro…Chemicals
• P&G…Consumer Goods
• GE……Materials
3 Perspectives from Kevin, Katherine and Todd
• Career Background
• Transition to Industry Experience
• Skills/Values of Their Business
• What would have done differently
Kevin Meyer-Dow AgroSciences Senior Research Chemist
Education Background
What do Other Chemists do?What Kind of Chemistry?
Job Responsibilities
• B.S. Chem, Truman State Univ., Kirksville, MO (1994) • Ph.D. Organic, IU (1999) Total Synthesis of (+)-Amphidinolide K Professor David R. Williams
• Prepare Field Samples• Radiolabeling • Biochemistry (assays/metabolic fate)
• Formulation Chemists• Computational Chemists• Analytical Support
•Environmental fate/purity determination
• Natural Product derivatization • Heterocyclic chemistry
•new methodologies
• Field Sample Preparation •(100+ gram scale)
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Synthesize molecules • Interact with Biologists• Write/Provide Tech support
to Patents• Area Safety Focal Point
Kevin Meyer-Dow AgroSciences Senior Research Chemist
Surprises I Found in my Transition to DAS
• Emphasis on Safety•Company is liable•Peer review for larger scales•Bioactive Chemistry!!•Professional responsibility
•Meetings, meetings and, oh yeah, more meetings (time management)
• Realize you are looked as an expert in your field/area of chemistry by others
• Chemistry Surprises •Cheaper to purchase reagents•Stereochemistry=$$•Yield doesn’t matter (discovery)•Super-pure, super-dry reagents
not needed
Challenges I had to Overcome in My Transition to DAS
Kevin Meyer-Dow AgroSciences Senior Research Chemist
What Skills or Values does DAS Value
In a Professional Chemist
What Less Successful ChemistsGenerally Lack at DAS
A Skill I had to Learn
•Ability to work with others
•Decision making abilities
•Productivity
•Able to see ‘The Big Picture’
•Self-motivated
•Question dogma
• Interpersonal Skills• Motivation• Unable to make good, timely decisions
•Being a Team Player
•Looking out for #1
Kevin Meyer-Dow AgroSciences Senior Research Chemist
Things I wish I had Understood about Careers while I was at IU
• You don’t get promoted, you promote yourself through good work.• Leadership isn’t about dictating the work of others, it’s about influencing others
with your credibility• You are not just a chemist making molecules, you are a scientist in your field of
work.
• Time management—work on being organized.
• Emphasize communication skills—(writing/presenting work).
• Be more of a resource for the group to develop leadership skills.
What I would have done Differently to be better Prepared
Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer
Education Background
“Non Chemistry” ResponsibilitiesChemistry I Currently Practice
Career Path
• B.S. Chem, UNC-Chapel Hill (1995) Oxidative cleavage of DNA by TM complexes Professor Holden Thorp
• Ph.D. Inorganic, IUB (2000) Organometallic synthesis, catalysis Professor Malcolm Chisholm
• Application Development • Implementation of New Products and Processes (scale-up)• Patent activities• Recruiting• Prioritizing work for others
• Polymer Chemistry
• Stabilization (hydrolysis, etc.)
• Biological interactions (proteins)
• BPA Process Chemist (2000-2001)
• Lexan Process Chemist (2001-2002)
• Lexan Product Developer (2002-)
Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer
Surprises I Found in my Transition to GEAM
• Scale increases the difficulty
• Your work depends much more on other peoples’ help
• Laws of Thermodynamics hold, but everything else is different!
• To be successful, you have to convince other people to help you. Influencing peers is an important skill.
• Problem solving is half anticipation
• Office work can still be data-based
Challenges I had to Overcome in My Transition to GEAM
Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer
What Skills or Values does GEAM Value
In a Professional Chemist
What Less Successful ChemistsGenerally Lack at GEAM
A Skill I had to Learn
•Communication
•Analytical nature
•Decisiveness
•Creativity
•Productivity
• Initiative• Confidence • Ability to work in a team
• The right questions to ask
Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer
Things I wish I had Understood about Careers while I was at IU
• The things you learn along the way, not the thesis content, form the foundation upon which your career and future research will be built.• Leadership shown outside the lab is also relevant in the interviewing process.• The most distinguishing feature of a graduate career is not just the number of publications, but what creative and original ideas you bring to your group.
• I would have done more research on the companies with whom I interviewed.
• I would have talked to former group members to:(i) Better understand industrial chemistry & careers(ii) Know what to look for (and what to avoid) in a job.
What I would have done Differently to be better Prepared
Todd A. Brugel – Senior Scientist, P&G Pharmaceuticals
Education Background
“Non Chemistry” ResponsibilitiesChemistry I Currently Practice
Career Path• Ph.D. Organic, Indiana (2000) (Prof. David R. Williams) Efforts towards the total synthesis of Zoanthamine alkaloids
• Post-Doc., CSU (2000-01) (Prof. Lou S. Hegedus)
Chromium carbene photochemistry for the synthesis of dioxocyclams
• Managing Others• New Project Development• Organize Departmental Seminar Series• On-Campus Recruiting• Core Function Communication
• Multi-Step Organic Synthesis
• Heterocyclic Chemistry
• Peptide Chemistry
• Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry P&G Pharmaceuticals (2001-2003)
• Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chem P&G Pharmaceuticals (2003- )
Todd A. Brugel – Senior Scientist, P&G Pharmaceuticals
Surprises I Found in my Transition to P&GP
• Medicinal chemistry very different from Natural Product chemistry
• Intellectual property drives project direction
• Turnover of final compounds, more important than efficiency of individual steps
• Balancing importance of maintaining corporate line with pursuit of scientific achievement
• Patents more important than publications
• Personal Conduct as important as scientific output
Challenges I had to Overcome in My Transition to P&GP
Todd A. Brugel – Senior Scientist, P&G Pharmaceuticals
What Skills or Values doesP&G Value In a
Professional Chemist
What Less Successful ChemistsGenerally Lack at P&G
A Skill I had to Learn
•Leadership
•Diversity/Collaboration
•Decisiveness
•Innovation
•Communication
•Technical Mastery
• Focus• Sense of Team• Ability to adapt to change
• Principles of Pharmaceutical Science Biological Assays Pharmacokinetics Efficacy
Todd A. Brugel – Senior Scientist, P&G Pharmaceuticals
Things I wish I had Understood about Careers while I was at IU
• Not enough to just be a good scientist, must embrace corporate values and principles• You don’t have to be industry experienced to be an industry leader• Will be asked often to evaluate your peers – for performance evaluations as well as recognitions
• Worked more with individuals in other areas (Analytical, Biology, Molecular Modeling) to become more complete scientist
• Balanced research with more community activities
What I would have done Differently to be better Prepared
Common Values/Skills for an Industrial Career
• Communication…Up, down, sideways• Interpersonal Ability
Team Work, Collaboration Influencing Skills…Peers, Functions Motivating Others
• Decision Making…Self Confidence • Ability to Change• Self Motivated• Responsibility• Productive….Time Management• See the Big Picture…Vision• Prioritization/Planning
• Communication• Patents• Implications of Scale• Recruiting• Safety• Technical Mastery
Values Skills
Common Values/Skills for an Industrial Career
• Communication…Up, down, sideways• Interpersonal Ability
Team Work, Collaboration Influencing Skills…Peers, Functions Motivating Others
• Decision Making…Self Confidence • Ability to Change• Self Motivated• Responsibility• Productive….Time Management• See the Big Picture…Vision• Prioritization/Planning/Focus
• Communication• Patents• Implications of Scale• Recruiting• Safety• Technical Mastery
Values Skills
What Holds People back is Their Values more thanTheir Technical Skills
Few Key Take Away Concepts
• Industry/Business Careers Require a Large Set
Of Values and Skills to be Successful
• The Emphasis is Probably Different than your Experience
• These Skills need to be developed early in your Career
• Your Career has already started as a Graduate Student
Next Step
• You are working on this Product called You
• Technical Credentials
• Professional Credentials
• Next Step will be to talk about How you Sell this Product
• Resume
• Initial Interview
• Site Interview