Register here: Alumni Career Chat Registration
Alumni Career Chats provide a unique opportunity to connect with Chemistry at Illinois alumni in an informal, interactive setting. Unlike a traditional lecture, Alumni Career Chats are more evenly divided between presentation and Q&A/conversation. Coffee and cookies provided.
Patrick S. Hanley (Ph.D., '12, Hartwig)
R&D Director
Growth Innovation, External Technology, & R&D Recruiting
Core R&D
Dow
This career chat is open to all graduate students and postdocs.
Getting a Great Start in the Chemical Industry
Starting a career in industrial research can be a significant change from that of an academic lab. Commercially driven research can be incredibly rewarding and learning to navigate the complexities of large organizations can help you get off to a quick start. In this presentation, I will offer advice from my experiences transitioning from graduate school to a large, publicly traded company. In addition, I will share tips you can take now to better prepare you for success.
Bio
Patrick Hanley is R&D Director of Talent & Growth in Core R&D where he leads growth innovation, external technology, and recruiting for the R&D function.
Patrick joined Dow in 2012 as a research chemist in the Research Assignments Program (RAP) working in Core R&D in Midland, MI, and the Dow AgroSciences process chemistry group in Indianapolis, IN. Following RAP, he supported projects for multiple Dow businesses including Water, AgroSciences, Electronic Materials, and Ventures & New Business Development as part of the Core R&D Engineering & Process Sciences team. In 2016, Patrick joined External Technology where he provided strategic leadership to Dow's University Partnership Initiative Program (UPI). In 2017, he moved to the Orion integration team and led integration activities across the R&D function to support the DowDuPont transaction before transitioning to Consumer Solutions in 2018 to lead a North America based product development team focused on development of new formulated silicone adhesives, protectives, foams, and optical materials for the transportation and electronics markets. Patrick also provided global, cross functional leadership of the Mobility & Transportation Battery Fire Protection initiative where he led marketing strategy and business development activities as a global strategic marketing leader. In 2023, Patrick moved back to Core R&D to lead the Talent & Growth capability focused on development of future technology, capability, and talent development across Dow R&D.
Patrick earned his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the West Virginia University in 2008 and his doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012. Prior to starting at Dow, Patrick studied at the University of California, Berkeley.
