Young Professionals

A Young Technical Specialist Works and Studies for a Bright Future

At age 30, Joshua Compeau is busy, working full time, while also pursuing a master’s degree to help him excel on his current path as a technical specialist at BASF. He’s been with the company since his days as an undergraduate intern, working in rigid urethanes — polyurethanes that take on a rigid form and are often used for insulation for buildings and appliances.

A Young Marketing Manager Goes Online to Find and Support Customers

Name: Erica LeeAge: 32Title: Sales Channel and Digitalization ManagerCompany: Evonik CorporationEducational Background: B.A. Political Science, National Chengchi UniversityM.B.A. Management, Purdue University

Informing consumers about the value of polyurethane is a complex task. From the cars we drive to our mattresses to the carpet underlay under our feet, polyurethane touches our everyday lives in many ways. But, how do you get the word out in an increasingly digital world — made even more remote now amid a global pandemic? That’s the problematic task polyurethane marketing experts face today.

Young Marketers Go Online

For marketers like Erica Lee, a sales channel and digitalization...

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A Young Chemist’s Work Helps to Conserve Energy Resources, Empowering Consumers to Do More with Less

Senior chemist Raul Dacomba was lucky. Professional inspiration struck him at a young age, but to hear him tell it, it came about in an unusual way.

A Young Polyurethane Professional Works to Create Wood Composites of the Future

While completing his degree in chemistry at a master’s program, Gustavo Leon first learned about polyurethane production and polyurethane’s presence in everyday products. Raised and educated in Venezuela, Gustavo’s love of chemistry eventually led him to seek a career in the United States.

A Chemist Weighs in on Doing Meaningful Work, Staying Passionate

At 34 years-old, Rima Ghoreishi isn’t your typical chemist. For starters, she is younger than most of her colleagues and also happens to part of the growing number of women working in the field of polyurethane.

A Chemistry Major Finds His Niche in Advocacy

As an undergraduate chemistry major at the University of Maryland, Stephen Wieroniey had dreams of working in the chemical industry. Upon graduation, he found himself entering the job market right at the peak of the Great Recession and had no concrete plan for what a career in the chemistry might look like.

A Student Athlete Finds A Career in Polyurethane

After graduating from the University of Texas with a chemical engineering degree, Austin Boudreaux hoped to put his newfound skills to work in the polyurethane industry. With a background in athletics and having played for various teams growing up, he was peripherally aware of polyurethane’s (PU) use in sporting goods and athletic wear.

A Young Scientist Works to Improve Infrastructure

Growing up on her family’s farm in Auburn, Michigan, Staci Wegener spent the summers of her childhood tending fields of beans and sugar beets.

An International Postdoc Research Fellow Finds a Home in Polyurethane Additives

Petr Koutnik had a plan; he was going to spend his entire career in academia. When the young graduate student embarked upon his post-doctoral research, he intended to complete his studies, then look for a tenure track position at one of the many big-name chemistry departments at universities in the United States. Then, as plans do, his changed.