Bridging the Academia-Industry Divide: Preparing Undergraduate Students for Roles in Chemical Industry

While there has been a recent emphasis in the field of chemistry education research on bridging the gap between research and practice, another important divide warrants attention: the growing gap between undergraduate academia and chemical industry. According to recent American Chemical Society data, approximately 70% of chemistry graduates enter industry directly after earning their bachelor’s degree. However, little is known about how these graduates transition into industry roles. Research has largely focused on the doctoral-to-industry pathway, overlooking the unique challenges faced by bachelor’s degree holders. This seminar will focus on discussing findings from three main projects: 1) identifying the instruments most commonly used by industry chemists and the key knowledge and skills required for success in these roles; 2) measuring impacts of instrumentation use on learning expectations in the undergraduate instrumental analysis laboratory; and 3) investigating factors that contribute to a successful transition from undergraduate student to industry professional, via qualitative interviews with current industry chemists.

Dr. Molly Atkinson received her B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Piedmont College in 2012, and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Georgia in 2018. She then went on to complete her postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Miami University (2019-2020), becoming an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas where she is the Head of the Division of Chemistry Education. With a focus on undergraduate and graduate student learning of chemistry, the overarching goals of her multidisciplinary research program include the characterization of neurodiverse student understanding of visual chemistry representations, the development assessment instruments, and the investigation of neurodiverse experiences in chemistry and STEM programs of study. Dr. Atkinson additionally serves as an Associate Director of CHIRAL (the CHemistry Instrument Review and Assessment Library) and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Chemical Education.