Interview

"Arkema Inc. is a great place to work with significant opportunities to develop and grow"

Manuel Garcia-Leiner 
Research Scientist - King of Prussia, PA - Ph.D. - University of Massachusetts-Amherst


What is your job at Arkema Inc?
I am a Research Scientist at our research center in King of Prussia.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Right now I am fortunate enough to have responsibilities in two main areas. I am the Team Leader of the Rheology and Micro-processing Laboratory within the Analytical and Systems Research department, where we characterize many of the polymers and materials produced in our different business units. At the same time, I am the Technical Leader in KOP of a project within Corporate Research dealing with our newest high temperature polymers, polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), used in multiple applications including aerospace.

What did you do before joining Arkema Inc?
Arkema Inc is my first job. I joined in 2004 after graduate school (Ph.D.) at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.

Why did you apply for a job at Arkema Inc?
Arkema is one of the companies that conduct periodical on campus recruitment at the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at UMASS where I studied.

How do you see your future at Arkema Inc?
I am very hopeful about my future in Arkema. Since I joined in 2004, I have been exposed to multiple projects of relevance to the company. At the same time, I have participated in different business units and service departments that have provided me with a broader perspective of the company. I enjoy cross-functional interactions within the company and I am convinced that these activities will allow me to grow my career significantly.

In your opinion, what are the main qualities that you need to grow your career at Arkema Inc?
As a Research Scientist I would like to continue my growth in terms of technical development, always with a cross-functional approach and with a global perspective. In my mind, collaboration between departments at a worldwide level should become our most important strength.

At the same time, I would like to continue developing my leadership skills to be able to access a position of higher responsibility within the company, where I could directly support innovation, increase our intellectual property and facilitate our interaction with customers.

What advice would you give to anyone who wanted to work for Arkema Inc?
The most important thing you need to succeed and to support major developments within the company, especially on the technical side, is to learn to collaborate and to expand our point of view to multiple areas of research. Learning how to work in teams, especially when it comes to working with scientists from other business units (or different backgrounds) is key.

What are some of the highlights of working at Arkema Inc?
Based on my own experience, the most important part of my work in Arkema has been the diversity of topics and projects I have been able to work on. As a scientist, I have been able to maintain my technical skills and even develop expertise in other areas by participating in very interesting and challenging projects.

How would you describe Arkema Inc. in one sentence?
Arkema Inc. is a great place to work with significant opportunities to develop and grow, all within a safe, respectful and friendly environment.