Careers in Chemistry Workshop Session 1 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? Feb 11 • Job Search Process(Resume, Interviews) Feb 25 • Skill Session 1 Mar 11 • Skill Session 2 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 • Mission of the Department • Mission of the University • Location • Applied Sciences Departments • Advisors Connective-ness • Consortiums Individual’s Experience • 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 Academia and Business 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 Education and Career Undergrad Grad Student Post Doc Academics Industry Perception Education Career Education and Career Undergrad Grad Student Post Doc Academics Industry New Science Reality Skills Education Learning Patents Business Interpersonal Learning Accelerates and Diversifies Education and Career Undergrad Grad Student Post Doc Academics Industry Reality Career Your Career Starts Earlier than You May Think… Need to be Career Minded Early Understanding the Goal Allows you to take Action 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 • B.S. Chem, Truman State Univ., Kirksville, MO (1994) • Ph.D. Organic, IU (1999) Total Synthesis of (+)-Amphidinolide K Professor David R. Williams What Kind of Chemistry? • Natural Product derivatization • Heterocyclic chemistry •new methodologies • Field Sample Preparation •(100+ gram scale) • Combinatorial chemistry Job Responsibilities • • • • Synthesize molecules Interact with Biologists Write/Provide Tech support to Patents Area Safety Focal Point What do Other Chemists do? • Prepare Field Samples • Radiolabeling • Biochemistry (assays/metabolic fate) • Formulation Chemists • Computational Chemists • Analytical Support •Environmental fate/purity determination 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 • 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 •Meetings, meetings and, oh yeah, more meetings (time management) • Realize you are looked as an expert in your field/area of chemistry by others Kevin Meyer-Dow AgroSciences Senior Research Chemist What Skills or Values does DAS Value In a Professional Chemist •Ability to work with others A Skill I had to Learn •Being a Team Player •Looking out for #1 •Decision making abilities •Productivity •Able to see ‘The Big Picture’ •Self-motivated •Question dogma What Less Successful Chemists Generally Lack at DAS • Interpersonal Skills • Motivation • Unable to make good, timely decisions 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. What I would have done Differently to be better Prepared • Time management—work on being organized. • Emphasize communication skills—(writing/presenting work). • Be more of a resource for the group to develop leadership skills. Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer Education Background Career Path • B.S. Chem, UNC-Chapel Hill (1995) • BPA Process Chemist (2000-2001) Oxidative cleavage of DNA by TM complexes Professor Holden Thorp • Ph.D. Inorganic, IUB (2000) Organometallic synthesis, catalysis Professor Malcolm Chisholm Chemistry I Currently Practice • Polymer Chemistry • Stabilization (hydrolysis, etc.) • Biological interactions (proteins) • Lexan Process Chemist (2001-2002) • Lexan Product Developer (2002-) “Non Chemistry” Responsibilities • Application Development • Implementation of New Products and Processes (scale-up) • Patent activities • Recruiting • Prioritizing work for others Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer Surprises I Found in my Transition to GEAM • Scale increases the difficulty • Problem solving is half anticipation • Your work depends much more on other peoples’ help • Office work can still be data-based Challenges I had to Overcome in My Transition to GEAM • 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. Katherine Glasgow-GEAM Product Developer What Skills or Values does GEAM Value In a Professional Chemist A Skill I had to Learn • The right questions to ask •Communication •Analytical nature •Decisiveness •Creativity •Productivity What Less Successful Chemists Generally Lack at GEAM • Initiative • Confidence • Ability to work in a team 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. What I would have done Differently to be better Prepared • • 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. Todd A. Brugel – Senior Scientist, P&G Pharmaceuticals Education Background • Ph.D. Organic, Indiana (2000) Career Path (Prof. David R. Williams) Efforts towards the total synthesis of Zoanthamine alkaloids • Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry P&G Pharmaceuticals (2001-2003) • Post-Doc., CSU (2000-01) (Prof. Lou S. Hegedus) Chromium carbene photochemistry for the synthesis of dioxocyclams Chemistry I Currently Practice • Multi-Step Organic Synthesis • Heterocyclic Chemistry • Peptide Chemistry • Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chem P&G Pharmaceuticals (2003) “Non Chemistry” Responsibilities • Managing Others • New Project Development • Organize Departmental Seminar Series • On-Campus Recruiting • Core Function Communication 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 • Patents more important than publications • Intellectual property drives project direction • Personal Conduct as important as scientific output Challenges I had to Overcome in My Transition to P&GP • Turnover of final compounds, more important than efficiency of individual steps • Balancing importance of maintaining corporate line with pursuit of scientific achievement Todd A. Brugel – Senior Scientist, P&G Pharmaceuticals What Skills or Values does P&G Value In a Professional Chemist •Leadership A Skill I had to Learn • Principles of Pharmaceutical Science Biological Assays Pharmacokinetics Efficacy •Diversity/Collaboration •Decisiveness •Innovation •Communication •Technical Mastery What Less Successful Chemists Generally Lack at P&G • Focus • Sense of Team • Ability to adapt to change 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 What I would have done Differently to be better Prepared • Worked more with individuals in other areas (Analytical, Biology, Molecular Modeling) to become more complete scientist • Balanced research with more community activities Panel Discussion Common Values/Skills for an Industrial Career Values • 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 Skills • Communication • Patents • Implications of Scale • Recruiting • Safety • Technical Mastery Common Values/Skills for an Industrial Career Values • 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 Skills • Communication • Patents • Implications of Scale • Recruiting • Safety • Technical Mastery What Holds People back is Their Values more than Their 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 Workshop Roadmap Careers in Chemistry….What should you Expect? Feb 11 • Job Search Process(Resume, Interviews) Feb 25 • Skill Session 1 Mar 11 • Skill Session 2 Mar 25