The Matter of Your Degree

A recent discussion on SOR group at LinkedIn is an interesting follow up to some of the posts [1,2] I've put up on rheological backgrounds.  Randy Byrne of Malvern Instruments asked which background was best for understanding rheological properties of all materials.  My background in polymer physics has served me well in jobs in materials science, instrument sales, and the food industry. 
Also, in this case, it is worthwhile to see what hiring managers want for rheological jobs [2].  The top choices are Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, and Polymer Science/Engineering.

[1]     Doc Rheo letter on studying food rheology
[2]     Jobs Report review on degree backgrounds

Ask Doc Rheo: Degrees of Food Rheology

Dear Doc Rheo:

What do you think of a degree in food rheology?
A student

Dear Student:

I’m the wrong guy to answer your question.

All my degrees are in Chemical Engineering, and my graduate work was in polymer rheology. While my current position involves food rheology, my employer wanted a chemistry or engineering major with experience in rheology.

When I was in school, I was often told that a Chemical Engineering degree was extremely flexible, as it could provide employment in many different industries. These comments were correct, as my former classmates and I work in a wide variety of fields. If you take a look at job report posts from this year and last year, you’ll see that generic rheological jobs ask for Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science/Engineering, or Material Science backgrounds most often.

However, I have been contacted recently by headhunters who are trying to fill some food rheology jobs. I think that these folks have found me by entering “food” and “rheology” into the LinkedIn search function.

To get an answer to your question, you would be better off contacting food rheology professors. I have no experience with the requirements for a food science degree, so I’m not sure what generic benefits the degree confers.

Sincerely,
Doc Rheo

The Wisdom of Crowds

A recent discussion at LinkedIn's SOR group asked which introductory rheology book was best.  This was the most popular discussion in recent memory.  People mentioned--

• The Rheology Handbook by T. Mezger (twice)
• Handbook of Elementary Rheology by H. Barnes (twice)
• Rheology: Principles, Measurements, and Applications by C.W. Macosko
• Understanding Rheology by F.A. Morrison
• An Introduction to Rheology by H.A. Barnes, J.F. Hutton, and K. Walters (twice)
• A Practical Approach to Rheology and Rheometry by G. Schramm
  (This book is self-published by ThermoFisher)
• Rheological Methods in Food Processing Engineering by J.F. Steffe and C.R. Daubert (twice)
• Bioprocessing Pipelines: Rheology and Analysis by J.F. Steffe
  (Both the Steffe books are available online for free download.)
• There was a mention of a book by K. Walters; it's either the one co-authored with Barnes listed above or Rheology: An Historical Perspective co-authored with R.I. Tanner

Rheologist Job at Wrigley

While logged on at LinkedIn, I was presented with the following job opportunity at Wrigley, in the Chicago area.

Job Description

Rheology is the study of the physical, 'flow', behavior of materials under stress / strain and core to fundamentally understanding our products at every stage of processing, storage, consumption and disposal. Today we lack the core competence in this critical area of science and this position will lead building a rheology centre of excellence that is key to delivering strategic initiatives.
* Conducts fundamental research to determine & understand the material chemical & structural drivers that influence key performance attributes [i.e. sensory (texture), processing, removability, etc.].
* Builds, transfers & validates new rheological methods for internal applications by collaborating with internal & external partners.
* Advises & trains other scientists & technicians on the application of new methods across innovation. Supports the design, collection, analysis & interpretation of the rheological studies performed by internal partners.
* Communicates results through technical reports & presentations to technical & non-technical associates.

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, lollipops, and chocolate. The company has operations in more than 40 countries and distributes its world-famous brands in more than 180 countries. Three of these brands - Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley's Spearmint®, and Altoids® - have heritages stretching back more than a century. Other well-loved brands include Orbit®, Extra®, Starburst®, Doublemint®, Skittles®, Freedent®, Airwaves®, Life Savers®, Eclipse®, and Winterfresh®. Wrigley is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., and operates as a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated, a private, family-owned company founded in 1911. Mars, Incorporated is one of the world's largest food companies, generating global revenues of 30 billion dollars annually and producing some of the world's leading brands in six segments that include Chocolate, Drinks, Food, Petcare, Symbioscience and Wrigley.

* MS with 3-5 years' experience, or PhD with 1-2 years experience in the application of dynamic rheology to complex fluids.Experience in dynamic & transient rheometry & method development.
* Knowledge of polymer / materials science preferably in food applications.
* Knowledge of chemistry preferably in food applications.
* Knowledge of other analytical tools / methods relation to materials characterization (i.e. DSC, TGA, SEM, etc.).
* In depth experience with analytical rheometers - including data collection, analysis and interpretation
* Ability to develop & lead own research programs.
* Understanding of DOE, statistics & data interpretation.
* Computer skills, including MS Word, Excel & PowerPoint.
* Rheometer software skills, including TA Orchestrator or TRIOS.
* Managing research projects
* Communication skills - able to convey complex science to all levels

Currently, this job is not found using my standard "rheolog*" at Monster.com.

You can find this job at Wrigley's career site.

Disclosures: I once interviewed for a similar position at Wrigley; they turned me down.  I currently work for ConAgra Foods, which is a consumer food company similar to Wrigley.

CP20 Followup

Last month, I asked for help with a CP20.  I'll try out the Society of Rheology group on LinkedIn.  Updates to follow as appropriate.

Social Network Sites

Two items of note:

• The Society of Rheology has set up a discussion group on LinkedIn.  You must be a member of SOR to join.  So far I've seen discussions on geopolymers and chocolate.
• Anton Paar USA is on Facebook.  I believe that you need to be a customer or prospect to join, as when you search "anton paar" on Facebook, nothing comes up.
  (I tend to use Facebook during my leisure hours, so I rarely log onto the site at work.  Is anyone else using Facebook at work?)

LinkedIn

One of my work colleagues gets calls from headhunters once a month or so.  She thinks that most of these people are getting her contact information from LinkedIn.
Has anyone benefited from being on LinkedIn?