By Amanda N. Wegner
The disciplines of chemical and environmental engineering offer innumerable avenues to drive innovation.
Chaudhuri Helps Ensure Cabot Corporation’s Chemical Products Are Safe
In her role as a senior principal toxicologist with Cabot Corporation, Ishrat Chaudhuri has a big job. “My job is to ensure that existing and new chemical products are safely handled by workers and customers, that our manufactured products comply with national and international chemical regulations, and that toxicology concerns are considered when researching new chemicals,” she explains.
Chaudhuri is involved in developing toxicology studies, interpreting related toxicology data and submitting new substance notifications to the proper authorities, which is required for selling the company’s products in different countries.
Recently she worked to develop a food contact notification (FCN) for Cabot’s high-purity carbon black grades, explaining that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must review and accept FCNs before chemicals can be used in applications where they would come into contact with food.
“The FCN requires extensive data on chemical characteristics and toxicology,” indicates Chaudhuri. “After an extensive review, the FDA granted us the right to sell our high-purity carbon black grades into applications where they’ll come in contact with food.”
According to Chaudhuri, since the field of toxicology involves biology and chemistry, a background in those fields would be helpful for those interested in pursuing toxicology as a career. She further points out that toxicology is used in many fields, such as the pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, government regulatory organizations, etc.
With Cabot for almost 15 years, Chaudhuri was initially attracted to the company because it provided an opportunity to be involved with a new chemical, from the early research phase through commercial manufacture and beyond.
“The safety of our chemicals and the health of our workers and customers are extremely important to Cabot and our compliance with chemical control laws. I knew my opinions about the safety of chemicals and the need for testing to ensure safety and compliance with laws would be heard and addressed,” she notes.
For career success, Chaudhuri recommends being open to new opportunities, even if they’re outside of your immediate area of expertise.
“Before joining Cabot, I worked in environmental consulting companies where I’d conduct health risk assessments at hazardous waste sites,” she shares. “I didn’t have much experience with the toxicology of chemicals going into products or regulatory product registrations. However, I found my toxicology knowledge could be adjusted to these different applications.”
Chaudhuri further notes that being a woman of color in the field brings challenges.
“I have to be on top of my area of expertise and always keep up with the latest information and technology,” states Chaudhuri. “Since Cabot is an international company and I work on chemical regulations of many different countries, I think having a different ethnic background – I’m originally from Bangladesh – can be helpful.”
Cabot Corporation is headquartered in Boston, MA. Find career opportunities at cabotcorp.com/company/careers. Connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Vimeo and YouTube.
Pfahles Appreciates LANXESS’ Commitment to Safety
As a process safety management engineer at LANXESS’ Kalama, WA site, Michelle Pfahles works in the health, safety and environmental quality department to help elevate the facility’s safety standards to OSHA-standard process safety management (PSM) codes.
“The site has high safety standards, but we regularly review items knowing there’s always room for improvement,” explains Pfahles. “And LANXESS has an even higher safety standard so my work involves incorporating the company’s latest safety goals and initiatives to the site programs.”
For instance, Pfahles is helping improve a change management program at the site, which the company acquired in 2021. In addition, she recently helped bring a new electronic tracking system online, which created a chance to look at the system holistically.
“We rolled it out over the last few months, and it’s going well for such a big change,” indicates Pfahles. “It was a major mindset shift for everyone, from starting the process earlier to performing a scalable safety review relative to the impact of the change.”
LANXESS’s emphasis on operating safely and doing things the right way the first time is one thing Pfahles appreciates about the company.
She also appreciates the mentoring and support the company provides. Pfahles recently celebrated her third anniversary with LANXESS. She joined the company via its rotational engineering program, and upon completing the program about six months ago, she was placed at the Kalama site, which is part of the company’s flavors and fragrances business unit.
“The people here are great,” shares Pfahles. “The relationships I’ve built and continue to build within the company are what I value most about working with LANXESS. I’ve had the opportunity to work for great managers and excellent coworkers who’ve helped me progress in my career and continue to mentor me. These relationships have made me love working for this company.”
Pfahles admits that she wasn’t initially interested in pursuing a rotational program after college, but is glad she did.
“If you don’t know what you want to do – or even if you think you do – consider [a rotational program],” advises Pfahles. “I didn’t think I wanted to do one, but because I went into the program, it showed me all of the options I had in chemical engineering and the industry. It also allowed me to phase out what I like and don’t like from a work perspective.”
And, as a young professional, Pfahles advises on staying curious.
“When new in the industry, don’t be afraid to ask questions. I was shy for a few weeks when I started,” she remembers. “But asking questions shows curiosity and an interest in learning more.”
LANXESS is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA with global headquarters in Cologne, Germany. Find career opportunities at career.lanxess.com. Connect on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Brown Helps Protect Against Plant Diseases via Her Work at Corteva Agriscience
As a research plant pathologist at Corteva Agriscience, Mariama Brown helps develop innovative tools to protect crops against devastating diseases. “Today, farmers are dealing with changing temperatures and new and rapidly evolving pests and diseases that not only threaten crops but, ultimately, also food security,” she points out.
Brown is responsible for biological testing, focusing on early-stage discovery, to determine which compounds will work best to address the latest pathogen challenges. She works closely with the product development team to conduct trials to ensure Corteva’s products are safe, effective and meet the highest quality standards.
“Ultimately, we want to make sure our new formulations perform well in the field,” she adds.
Recently Brown worked on a fungicidal mixture study. In the crop protection fungicide market, she explains, there’s a heavy reliance on mixtures containing multiple active ingredients. These mixtures are important as they can deliver additional disease spectrum, improve overall efficacy, and help manage resistance risks.
“Finding the right combination/compatibility of mixtures is important to growers in improving the control of certain diseases and enhancing agronomic benefits such as yield increase,” Brown says about her work on the study. “This work is critical in protecting our ability to deliver premium products to growers.”
Brown joined Corteva in June 2023. In researching the company, she found that Corteva’s drive for farming innovation is what attracted her most.
“When it comes to new and emerging technologies, it excites me to be a part of a company that invests so much in innovation to unlock solutions for the real, everyday problems farmers face,” shares Brown.
“Corteva prioritizes collaborations and engagement with the global innovation community to support farmer productivity and profitability around the world. I’m continually impressed by their passion for developing sustainable farming solutions to ensure continued progress for generations to come.”
She adds that, for her, a sense of belonging is important in a work environment, which is something Corteva offers.
“There’s a high priority for inclusion, diversity and equity here at Corteva,” notes Brown. “Irrespective of your background, you’ll feel valued, appreciated and connected. Corteva has exceptional and inspiring leaders who encourage employee engagement that fosters trust, respect, and open communication.”
The best career advice Brown has received is to participate in professional associations and conferences, and to forge and cultivate relationships.
“Network, network, and network,” she continues. “Regular networking can unlock new opportunities and support professional growth at all stages of your career.”
She further encourages all STEM professionals to seek to be T-shaped. “This means not only having a deep understanding of one core specialty area, but also seeking to gain knowledge across a broad variety of disciplines.”
For example, Brown is a plant pathologist by education, but she’s been given projects across different disciplines at Corteva, learning about weed science, entomology and seed-applied technology.
“This was a great opportunity to learn on the job and expand my skill set,” she concludes.
Corteva Agriscience is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. Find career opportunities at careers.corteva.com. Connect on LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook.
DiCarlo Finds Her Fit at Air Products via Its Career Development Program
As a senior proposal management engineer for large and very large air separation unit (ASU) plants at Air Products, Julianna DiCarlo works with a team of engineers and business development managers to put together bids for new capital projects within North America.
“Air separation plants take air and break it down to nitrogen, oxygen, and argon,” explains DiCarlo. “From there, it’s liquefied and sold to other industries for various uses.”
For example, nitrogen is used for food refrigeration, oxygen can be utilized as a component of breathing equipment at hospitals, and argon can be used for welding.
With the company for 10 years, DiCarlo started as an intern the summer before her senior year of college, and fell in love with Air Products.
“The biggest draw for me was the value the company puts on all employees,” she indicates. “Everyone I came across was friendly and willing to teach and mentor me.”
After joining full-time, DiCarlo was part of the career development program and completed three rotations in different departments to find the best fit – a love for process and process systems.
“My manager provided mentorship right from the beginning. He took the time to understand my career wants and needs, and he tailored my work around those desires to keep me engaged and energized,” she recalls. “From there, I was able to build a broad network of peers, many of whom I still have a great relationship with today.”
DiCarlo appreciates that Air Products offers a wide variety of jobs and opportunities. She also lauds the career development program, saying, “It gave me a broad perspective of what the company has to offer, and I met some amazing mentors along the way.”
She advises that when it comes to career success, don’t be afraid to push yourself. “My hardest projects and assignments were where I learned and grew the most,” she shares.
In addition, have an open mind and give different opportunities a try. “As a young engineer, you won’t know if you like something until you try it. If you asked me out of college where I’d be 10 years from now, I’d have told you something completely different from what I’m doing now.”
In addition, remember that you don’t know where life will take you, so trust the process, which DiCarlo did herself when, in college, she thought she’d go to medical school to become a doctor.
“I never pictured myself working for an industrial gas company,” reflects DiCarlo. “As I took more classes related to this field, I realized this is where my passion is. I enjoyed hands-on engineering and wanted to learn more about the industry. I took a chance by giving up a pathology internship for an internship at Air Products and never looked back.”
Air Products is headquartered in Allentown, PA. Find career opportunities at airproducts.com/careers. Connect on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Glassdoor and Instagram.
Edgar Takes On New Tech & Innovation Leadership Role for Lubrizol
Julie Edgar, Ph.D. is filling a new role for a mature company. Edgar is Lubrizol’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, a role that’s a first for the company at the executive level. “I lead all of the technology and innovation activities, strategies, and functions,” explains Edgar.
“A newly created role in the past year, I spend the majority of my time building an organization that aligns well with business needs, future strategy, mission, and purpose, all of which were refreshed in 2023.”
For instance, Edgar points out how Lubrizol has done predictive modeling and artificial intelligence (AI) for a long time and has lots of data. Via her new role, she has a team of data scientists working to turn that data into a predictive model to speed up development.
“This allows a product developer to predict performance without having to make it and run a test, which affects speed to market and creates waste – we can now do that much more cost-effectively,” she details.
Another significant area for Edgar is sustainability and sustainable solutions. “We need to make sure we know what’s happening outside. We need to know the markets better than our customers to anticipate, and have the technology or products ready when that customer pull-through occurs.”
Edgar will mark her 29th anniversary with Lubrizol at the end of this year. She initially joined the company in the U.K. While not well-known to the broader population then, Edgar was well-acquainted with Lubrizol and its products through her undergraduate and doctorate work.
“My first choice was to try to get a job at Lubrizol, and I was very fortunate to get a position here,” says Edgar. “They have a culture of technology and innovation that makes it a leader in the market.”
Lubrizol is a great place to work for Edgar because of the people and its culture of technology. She also appreciates that she’s been fortunate to be given many opportunities with the company across different areas, countries, and roles.
“This is one of my bits of advice for engineers and scientists – if you can, then be open to new opportunities. It’s a bit of a leap of faith, and if it makes sense and they ask you to do it, then try it,” she recommends.
“Some opportunities were offered to me, and some I’ve sought, but the company has been very supportive along that journey for me the last 20-plus years.”
Another piece of career advice is something a human resources (HR) leader told her on her first day. “When making decisions,” she relates, “think and act like you’re the company’s owner.’ For my role – making major investments or deciding on new capabilities – this has served me well as a check and balance.”
She also offers this advice: do your best in your role, and the rest will follow. “It’s great to have ambitions, but don’t be distracted by the job you want over here. So many in their career haven’t advanced as much as they could because of that. Give the job that you’re in the best you possibly can.”
Lubrizol is headquartered in Wickliffe, OH. Find career opportunities at lubrizol.com/careers. Connect on X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Opportunities Are Ripe for the Taking
From food to chemicals, processes to products (and much more in between), the field of chemical engineering and environmental engineering is ripe with opportunities.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), chemical engineering is reported to employ chemical engineers at a 14% projected rate of growth through 2031, much faster than all occupations. Similarly, although not as rapid, environmental engineering is anticipated to grow by 3% by 2030.
Captions & Callout Quotes:
Ishrat Chaudhuri is a senior principal toxicologist with Cabot Corporation.
“I knew my opinions about the safety of chemicals and the need for testing to ensure safety and compliance with laws would be heard and addressed.”
Michelle Pfahles is a process safety management engineer at LANXESS’ Kalama, WA site.
“I didn’t think I wanted to do [a rotational program], but because I went into the program, it showed me all of the options I had in chemical engineering and the industry. It also allowed me to phase out what I like and don’t like from a work perspective.”
Mariama Brown is a research plant pathologist with Corteva Agriscience.
“When it comes to new and emerging technologies, it excites me to be a part of a company that invests so much in innovation to unlock solutions for the real, everyday problems farmers face.”
Julianna DiCarlo is a senior proposal management engineer for large and very large air separation unit (ASU) plants at Air Products.
“I was able to build a broad network of peers, many of whom I still have a great relationship with today.”
Julie Edgar, Ph.D. is Lubrizol’s senior vice president and chief technology officer.
“Some opportunities were offered to me, and some I’ve sought, but the company has been very supportive along that journey for me the last 20-plus years.”