Friday, June 9, 2017: Research science in industry, and translating products from the lab to production

Dr. Frank Reinhold (research management)
Dr. Suzanne Dakin (Chemical Engineering)
Dr. Melissa Lamson (Professional Development)

On June 9th, three BASF employees spoke to an audience of roughly 60 UM Chemistry graduate students and post-doctoral scholars. Dr. Frank Reinhold (research manager, Amphiphilic Systems Research North America) described the life of a research scientist at BASF, and its many differences from academic research. Dr. Suzanne Dakin (Chemical Engineer, Research Engineering Services) presented on the process of translating reactions from research labs to pilot plants, with an emphasis on the safety and environmental challenges associated with such scale-ups. Dr. Melissa Lamson (Ph.D. PDP) discussed the BASF Professional Development Program, which allows recent PhD graduates to explore different jobs at the company by taking part in several rotations across the country. This panel will be followed up with a site visit in the fall, date TBA.