Diary of a scientist - "Hitting a stride"

In this, the third installment, Ryan Murphy, a scientist just starting out on his career with Rhodia shares his first impressions of the chemical industry.

"So all the weeks building up to the COMPASS [Complex Assemblies of Soft Matter] ceremony, and the event itself, were great. As I mentioned previously, about a month before the ceremony, my short- to mid-range technical focus was steered toward energy-related scouting work.

Over the past few weeks I have been working side by side with postdocs and visiting scientists in our group, trying to understand the physics behind our novel materials through mainly atomic force microscopy and dynamic light scattering.  Even in such a short time, the results we came up with impressed the R&D and business management, which really gives us a full head of steam to press on. 

What has also been great is the level of visibility the COMPASS lab has received.  In a reasonably short period of time at a new job, I've taken part in numerous meetings with two or three of the top managers within Rhodia R&D to discuss technical feasibility issues, project direction, etc.  I have even had the chance to get them excited about some brand new product ideas, most of which are completely off the map for the company. 

Overall, I'm really impressed with the upper management of Rhodia.  It's clear they perceive the overarching goals of the COMPASS lab as incredibly important and it's refreshing to see a legitimate commitment to understanding the fundamental science behind the technologies of the company. 

Although there is always more to learn, I can safely say that working here is no longer mysterious.  I get it and it feels good."

(pictured: Ryan Murphy and Rhodia's Larry Hough, COMPASS lab manager, at the COMPASS technical poster session last week.)

•    Ryan Murphy joined Rhodia in December 2009 and is a senior scientist at Rhodia's Center for Research and Technology in Bristol, Pennsylvania in the US.

Click here if you missed Ryan's second entry, first entry and introduction.