A reflection on Chemical Engineering :An interview with Chemical Engineer Dr. Richard Lieberman
“I loved Chemistry, but engineering got me a job”; these few words by Dr. Richard Lieberman motivated me even more. Chemical engineering is a relative new field of engineering which has lot of job opportunities and is open to discoveries and exploration. Stanford university explains chemical engineering in a motivating way, they say, “engineering is a discipline influencing numerous areas of technology. In broad terms, chemical engineers conceive and design processes to produce, transform and transport materials — beginning with experimentation in the laboratory followed by implementation of the technology in full-scale production.” Being an undergraduate pursuing bachelor’s in Chemical engineering it was a great opportunity to interview Dr. Lieberman who is a Dr.Eng. in chemical engineering .
I always admired Dr. Lieberman ever-since I came to know about him. He is brother of my former Physics professor at Queensborough community college . My professor used to talk about Dr. Lieberman a lot. Knowing his educational background and work experience always delighted me. So, when I got this assignment to interview a chemical engineer their was no better name than Dr. Lieberman. I have always wanted to meed him and get more inspired by him. I couldn’t meet him to do the interview because of his busy schedule and his residency in New Jersey , so I decided to interview him over a Skype call. Interviewing him was a great experience and the details are shared as the paper goes.
Dr. Richard Lieberman graduated from Cooper Union with his bachelor degree in chemical engineering in 1972 and then graduated with his doctorate degree from Princeton University in 1980. Upon asking the reason for him to go for a P.H.D his reply was humorous according to me. He says, even though I was good in academics and had a great job experience but, one of my main reasons to go for graduate school was to escape from the military responsibilities that every young male had to go to Vietnam war. The news of him getting into Princeton was the best news till date , Dr. Lieberman exclaims. When asked the reason for chemical engineering in general he gave a short and simple answer “I loved Chemistry, but engineering got me a job”. These words are so relevant even in todays word as at the end of the day everyone needs a job.
Everyone’s first job is special especially when its directly related to one’s field .He mentions that at that time chemical engineering was a small and emerging field of engineering so getting a degree would assure a job. Job opportunities were available petroleum industry or in material and polymer – research and development departments. After his graduation Dr. Lieberman was hired by a small R & D firm in New Jersey, where he worked as a catalyst developer. His responsibilities included analysis of process rates and kinetics of different polymerization reactors, writing weekly reports, process optimization of catalysts, etc.
writing is an important way of communication and has always been ever since . Upon asking the importance of writing in professional world he states that his communication skills were one of the important skills as an engineer . One of the most important reasons for using technical communication and not just English was because if so many non-english speakers in the industry at that time. A lot of communication was done using bullet points and short memos that could be understandable to everyone, with time it changed to powerpoint presentations , posters and excel spreadsheets . He also mentions that now 905 of the communication is done via e-mails and the remaining 10% over phone-calls ,mails ,and typed reports.
Ph.D may not be the end goal for everyone but, it is for me ; to know about the importance of Ph.D in the industry is really important . When asked about how having a Ph.D makes a difference he answered it in an elegant way. He states that , “master’s is enough to get you a job but Ph.D is required to get a better job.” He also explains that a masters degree with additional skills can help in getting a higher post in the industry . While considering high yield research , professorship ,a Ph.D would be more helpful. Also, Ph.D opens door for many opportunities; for instance ; someone works in the industry and gets a Ph.D would be a step towards leadership, high salary , better positions . But, at the same time a non-experienced Ph.D student will have a hard time to find a job as most of the entry look for college graduates. At the same time its hard to get a Ph.D while working as it can be exhausting .
When asked for a piece of advice for future Chemical engineers he gave some precious tips and valuable knowledge that is missing in todays generation. He said it is more important to be sound on fundamental principles rather than computations.He also states, “there are enough technicians around, there is need for thinkers.” He also says it is very essential to be open to changes and challenges. As companies hire chemical engineers different fields like, financial consultancy. Also, looking for a wider variety of jobs might be helpful as being rigid about a particular field may not be beneficial. Contradictory, he says that staying true to what you are most passionate about is critical. Also, stay informed about recent discoveries in design of biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, applications in medicine, non-fossil fuel energy production, green chemistry, etc. “For it is design that differs an engineer from a scientist, a chemical engineer from a chemist.” These words by him are so inspiring that helps you value yourself as an engineer.
In Conclusion , this interview was like a delight for me as it helped me get motivated and inspired to work even harder toward my goal. This was once in a lifetime experience as an undergraduate as I don’t get to talk to Chemical engineers everyday. And the advice that being open to everything even though I have goal to work toward is going to be my motto from now on. As even working in different fields would help me become a better candidate for future leadership positions . And being open to change is life, if things won’t change there would be no discoveries .
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